Why Nico Gonzalez could be Newcastle United’s key to victory against Coventry City

I don’t think it would be a particularly controversial claim to suggest we haven’t yet seen the absolute best of Nico Gonzalez.

He has undoubtedly made an impact, as shown in the Leeds game before he came off under concussion protocol, but it does feel like there is a real opening for him to take that Newcastle midfield by the scruff of the neck going forward.

With that being said, Gonzalez will return to action on Monday night when the Magpies face Coventry City and is expected to start and, barring another freak incident like the one against Leeds, the Spaniard will be absolutely crucial to his team’s success in what could be a tricky away fixture.

What Newcastle face against Coventry

Matthias Jaissle is probably yet to really get to grips with exactly who should be in his starting midfield.

Nico Gonzalez feels like a guaranteed starter, with the slot next to him rotatable between the likes of Lewis Miley and Sean Steur depending on the game.

After Gonzalez came off against Leeds, it was the aforementioned Miley and Steur who lined up next to each other and the Newcastle midfield looked exceptionally vulnerable as a result.

But, although it was only 19 minutes, the Magpies actually looked quite solid with Gonzalez on the pitch and the eventual 4-1 thrashing felt at least somewhat related to Gonzalez coming off.

Whilst Leeds are a different test to the Magpies newly promoted opponents, Coventry are coming off the back of their first league win of the season against Nottingham Forest before the international break and will see a home fixture against Newcastle as an opportunity rather than damage limitation.

Coventry may try to exploit the central areas, with Frank Lampard’s side looking to play quick, vertical football rather than dominating possession. That could see a situation similar to the high turnover, counter-attacking games the Magpies have become used to playing in.

If Newcastle’s previous games are anything to go by, when those transitions arise gaps will be present in midfield for Coventry to exploit. Third-man runs, quick breaks and getting in behind the Magpies before they can get set in that defensive structure is where teams have had success in the past, and could be where Coventry have it here.

Where Nico comes in

Nico Gonzalez has the ability to combat those issues in a variety of ways.

Whilst Jaissle likes to play quick build-up where possible and get the ball into those forward areas, away from home it will be a case of understanding when to up that tempo and when the game needs to be slowed down.

Gonzalez is the sort of player who has the qualities needed to dictate the game, with his passing ability in particular standing out as a useful attribute for a game like Monday night.

Nico will also be important in those aforementioned transitions. He will most likely be the one most tasked with those traditional ‘deepest midfielder’ responsibilities, meaning he will likely be the protection for the defensive line when Coventry do try to break.

The midfield in general hasn’t been quite as influential in those areas as Jaissle will want so far this season and, against a plucky underdog with little to lose, making sure there is enough cover when the ball is turned over could turn out to be the single most important nuance that lead to three points.