As Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic shone in his side’s 2-0 win against Newcastle United, a question instantly emerged.
Why has Kovacic just started 10 out of 28 games in the Premier League this season?
Partly, injuries have played a factor but even so, the £25 million (BBC Sport) man has not missed significant chunks of the season like say, Jeremy Doku or Erling Haaland.
As a result, in our view, the Croatian international has been rather underutilised during his debut season at City.
Mateo Kovacic masterclass against Newcastle proves he should have started much more for Manchester City this season
Starting alongside Manchester City anchor Rodri in the middle of the park against Newcastle, Mateo Kovacic was sublime.
Many might focus on Bernardo Silva’s brace, Phil Foden’s flair or Jeremy Doku’s dribbling as the primary reasons behind City’s convincing win against Eddie Howe’s side in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
But unlike against Liverpool where Manchester City were frantic and were embroiled in a needlessly end-to-end game, against Newcastle, the hosts were in absolute control and a key reason behind that was Mateo Kovacic.
Kovacic and Rodri have shared an excellent understanding since day one, as they are two midfielders blessed with brilliant footballing brains and vast experience.
The 29-year-old and the Spaniard dovetailed with each other to perfection, swapping positions constantly, as both are capable of operating as number eight’s and at the base at will.
In August, Rodri rightly claimed that Kovacic’s ability to operate deeper can allow him to progress up the pitch and contribute in the final third, which he did on Saturday and has done when he has been paired with the three-time Champions League winner this campaign.
The former Chelsea midfielder’s sublime technical ability meant the Magpies’ press was rendered powerless as he broke the lines with his passing, evaded pressure with his ability to drive past players and retained possession in scintillating fashion on Saturday.
As a result, Mateo Kovacic was one of the biggest reasons why Manchester City were allowed to play the game at their own pace against Newcastle. And when City are given the license to do that, not many teams in the world have an answer against them.
Much like Ilkay Gundogan, the ex-Real Madrid technician showcased an understanding of the appropriate tempo to play the game at, as against a side like the visitors, a frantic game would just play into their hands as they can demolish teams on the counter-attack.
As a result, it seems purposeful why Mateo Kovacic decided to keep things simple on the ball at times for Manchester City against Newcastle as a game played at a basketball match’s pace would simply give the opposition the edge over the control-centric hosts.
For most of this season, Julian Alvarez, who is a striker by trade has played over the experienced midfielder in the middle of the park.
While Alvarez has produced impressive goal and assist numbers, there has not been a single game where he has provided the control, incisive passing and incredible ball-carrying qualities that Kovacic has brought to the table almost every time he has played, including against Newcastle.
For instance, against Liverpool as well, the Argentine started, albeit on the wing while Kovacic was brought on as a second half substitute, who brought plenty of control to proceedings, which Guardiola acknowledged after the game [via HaytersTV].
After Mateo Kovacic impressed in a Manchester City shirt yet again in his side’s latest triumph against Newcastle, one hopes Pep Guardiola decides to give him a lot more starts moving forward.
After all, as Guardiola said after the game [via HaytersTV], “We were so safe with the ball. Mateo [Kovacic], Rodri and Bernardo [Silva] kept the ball so well. The game was really good.”
