Manchester City’s Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic has made his own impression during his first season at the club. The midfielder was a summer arrival at the world champions from Chelsea last summer. As the season has progressed, his importance to Pep Guardiola’s side has been clear to see as City chase history this campaign.
After Ilkay Gundogan departed the club for Barcelona last summer, Manchester City was in need of more quality in midfield. Gundogan’s departure left the champions needing to replace his goals and telling contributions. They also needed a player who step in and help Rodri in the heart of midfield as Gundogan so often did. Phil Foden has replaced the goals and assists provided by Gundogan in spectacular fashion. But City’s Croatian midfielder has added the poise and quality alongside Rodri. It has proven to be a shrewd piece of business to sign Kovacic.
With the Croatian international playing alongside Rodri in midfield, it has given Pep Guardiola’s side the control of games they crave, especially recently. The pair, at times, do give the impression that they are the ideal midfield pairing for the world champions. They complement each other’s games and provide Manchester City a solid base to build upon. This has been the impression Kovacic has made in his first season at the club. Other players may get the headlines, but the importance of City’s Croatian midfielder can not be underestimated.
Speaking during his pre-game press conference yesterday, Pep Guardiola acknowledged how well Kovacic has played this season. He told the media: “He played really, really well because he’s not a player in the position for Gundogan, playing out of the position, but when he plays, we play in a certain way. He was really good against, for example, Nottingham Forest. To remember the last games, he was massively important, he changed the game, so in those terms, it’s really, really good.”
City’s Croatian midfielder has made his own impression this season. Filling the void left by Ilkay Gundogan’s departure last summer was never going to be an easy task. But Mateo Kovacic has done his bit in his own way to make a sizable contribution so far this season.
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