Manchester City’s defensive midfielder Rodri is expected to be out for the whole season after having suffered an ACL injury in his team’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal last Sunday. This is a huge blow for the English champions, even considering the depth they have in their squad.
It will not be an overstatement to say that the 28-year-old Spanish midfielder is the most influential player in the Premier League at the moment. Hence, even Pep Guardiola’s brilliant side, who has won six Premier League titles in last seven seasons, will find it difficult to replace him.
How Will City Survive Without Rodri?
The Cityzens usually play with a 4-1-4-1 formation that often becomes a 3-2-4-1 with left-back Joško Gvardiol switching to the midfield. Rodri usually starts as the lone defensive midfielder in that line-up. However, the Spaniard’s influence transcends what is depicted by those numbers.
He is extremely efficient with his forward runs carrying the ball. He is also adept at scoring with shots from the edge of the opposition penalty box, just as he famously exhibited in the UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan.
Manchester City already has Mateo Kovačić in their squad, who is also a Champions League winner with Real Madrid. Matheus Nunes, who scored against Watford recently at the EFL Cup is also another option in the role of a holding midfielder.
The versatile Bernardo Silva can also play as one of the holding midfielders in a double-pivot in a 4-2-3-1. However, playing him in a holding role will affect Manchester City’s creative influence upfront. In the Premier League, the Cityzens will have to play against dogged defences in case of most of their opponents.
Therefore, having two dedicated defensive midfielders is not something they should prefer to have. Guardiola would much rather prefer Gvardiol to play as a holding player alongside a dedicated holding midfielder. Hence, a 4-1-4-1 formation that switches to a 3-2-4-1 should serve their purpose better.
Therefore, the Cityzens will want to have Kovačić in their starting XI mostly in their upcoming matches. Nunes can definitely be used as a back-up option, but he will have to earn his place in the playing XI. However, Rodri’s incredible accuracy is something the Cityzens will long for in important matches against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool.
It will not be easy to replicate his passing skills, nor will it be so to stop the counter-attacks of the opposition as smoothly as he used to do. Rodri has played in 260 matches for Manchester City so far and should already be considered to be one of the best ever in his position that Premier League has seen.
Hence, his absence might jeopardize Manchester City’s chances of achieving a jaw-dropping feat of five consecutive Premier League titles. Arsenal has already staked its claim for the title by coming tantalizingly close in each of the last two seasons and Liverpool has arguably been City’s biggest rival during the past decade or so. It remains to be seen how well Manchester City manages to deal with this setback.