Before last weekend, the away trip to Chelsea was the last time that Newcastle recorded either an away win or a clean sheet.
The turbulent start to pre-season, the inevitable loss of Sandro Tonali and the adverse sale of captain Bruno Guimaraes left a feeling of trepidation heading into the season. And yet, the conclusion of the summer window finds Toon Army members with a rejuvenated sense of hope-not least because the midfield pairing between Lewis Miley and Nico González may be a match made in heaven.
Jamie Carragher said on the Sky Sports broadcast right before kick-off against Tottenham that Miley might have been the only person in Newcastle who would have been pleased to see Tonali depart, as it presents him with a big career opportunity. He added that he admired the former for his running power; the win in North London suggests Miley may just be able to match that same running output playing in Matthias Jaissle’s side.
But more crucially, Nico’s debut provided Newcastle with the balance and security in possession that they lacked in the opening fixture against Liverpool.
Analysing his performance against Spurs
González had only trained for a couple of days with his new teammates and it was anyone’s guess whether he would start or not. Yet his control in midfield became one of the key talking points.
In the first thirty seconds, he completed a long-switch to Amar Dedic which brought the first big chance of the game. He completed similar passes to runners such as Lewis Hall and Anthony Elanga until a carbon copy of that first play was recreated for the opening goal. In total, he completed all but three of his 51 passes, whilst also making the most line-breaking passes and the joint-most key passes amongst his teammates. But the numbers only tell a part of the story.
His partner in midfield, Lewis Miley, had a very strong performance and covered the most distance out of any player on the pitch. But that only becomes possible when your partner gives you the platform to shine.
Nico González provided Miley with the cover he needed to stay higher up the pitch and make advances forward, enabling him to man-mark Rodrigo Bentancur in Tottenham’s defensive third. Nico himself did a good job of blocking the passing lane to Omar Marmoush, leaving Spurs with no outlet to relieve the pressure from Jaissle’s high pressing.
He drifted across both sides of the pitch, being able to spot the danger early and provide support for his teammates when defending. Nico made key interceptions and swept up loose balls, preventing Tottenham from asserting themselves in the game.
Like every renowned La Masia midfield graduate, he kept the team ticking with his one-touch play whilst never being fazed by the opposition’s pressing. That being said, there were still some signs that this was his first game as a Magpie.
The vulnerabilities he faced
The Athletic reported that Nico was frequently communicating with Jaissle as he was unsure where he should be positioned when Newcastle were defending. There is an incident in the first half which epitomises this.
In the 15th minute, Nico is too high and is caught in no man’s land. Marmoush is left uncovered and receives the ball in space, leading to Mathys Tel having a clear shot at goal. He was also caught out in the 43rd minute as he tried to apply pressure to Tonali, who in turn played a one-two as he easily evaded Nico and played in Pedro Porro who had a clear path to goal. These are minor, ultimately inconsequential incidents that with the right coaching tricks from Jaissle can end up being fixed.
Nico was also a tad too aggressive during the first exchanges, first with Tel, which led to Tottenham being given an advantage and then with the yellow card he received as he wrestled Archie Gray to the ground. That booking early on consequently meant that Nico was a bit timid in his challenges and ended up allowing the opposition to play through him at times.
However, Newcastle put in a strong defensive performance and Nico González is a player capable of winning his duels without being sanctioned by the referee. His attacking prowess was not so much on display this past Saturday, but maybe it can be once he gets used to his new coach and teammates.
How Nico compares to Bruno & what to expect against Bournemouth
Bruno was not just Newcastle’s tempo-setter and a stalwart of Eddie Howe’s midfield but he also had an incredible attacking output, recording 55 goals and assists in the Premier League alone. He was also a reliable set-piece taker and he had been the team’s captain for the past two years. That is a lot to live up to.
Νico’s debut in North London showed that he is capable of taking over the metronome mantle left by Bruno. But maybe he can also replicate his role as a box-crasher. In his final six months at Porto in the 2024/2025 season he scored 8 times and recorded six assists. Aside from utilising his running power to make late runs into the box, Nico also took advantage of his 6 '2 frame during set pieces and was able to score from distance, a feat he also repeated a few times at City- most famously in last season's FA Cup semi-final.
This weekend against Bournemouth brings a bit of a different test for Nico compared to his debut, but one that may actually suit his La Masia heritage than last week in North London.
Under Marco Rose, Bournemouth set up to congest the central areas of the pitch, looking to press aggressively and prevent ball progression vertically through the midfield.
For Nico, this may see him more capable in the defensive phase, not only because he has another week of training under his belt, but also because it should be easier to cover the spaces when Bournemouth do get into their compact shape.
Equally, in possession this could be where Nico's Tiki Taka, one touch ball playing abilities really shine. Bournemouth will likely seek him out as the danger man and try to stop his game at source to prevent extravagant attacks like we saw last week.
If the Spaniard can show off his press resistant skills and continue to perfect those rotations with Lewis Miley in build up, we could be looking at the key to unlocking space and enabling that progression, despite Bournemouth's aggression.
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