It’s the news that Manchester City was afraid of. Rodri suffered an ACL injury. Perhaps the most important player in Pep Guardiola’s side will be sidelined for a significant part of the season, according to CBS Sports sources.
The Spain international collided with Thomas Partey in the 15th minute of Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, quickly falling to the ground after landing awkwardly on his right knee. Unable to continue, Rodri was immediately replaced by Mateo Kovacic. Although he remained at the Etihad Stadium for the rest of the dramatic contest, he soon underwent trials in Spain that revealed the news that would come as a hammer blow to Pep Guardiola’s side.
It almost seems easy to debate how City could replace Rodri. There is a reason why a defensive midfielder (although such a categorization greatly underestimates his qualities) has a convincing candidacy for the Ballon d’Or. Even Guardiola, who doesn’t usually indulge in award talk, nominated him for that same award after Arsenal’s draw, describing him as the best holding midfielder in the world.
Rodri offers City everything. No one in his side, perhaps in any side, passes the ball more often, accurately or in progress. His dominance in duels allows those in front of him to push up high with and without the ball, knowing that if the opposition break through City’s first line they will not break through the second. Then there are the goals that always seem to come at the most crucial moments. Cup final winners, title race bloodsuckers: those are Rodri’s stock business.
Even his short absences are deeply felt. Since arriving from Atletico Madrid in 2019, Rodri has been on the losing side of 11 percent of the matches he has played in City colours. When he watches from the sidelines, his team loses 24 percent of its games. If that trend continues in the coming months, City will need favors from Arsenal and Liverpool to make it five Premier League titles in a row.
Within City’s squad, Kovacic seems the natural option to step into the fray, as he did impressively at the start of the season. Al-Nasr’s hopes of capturing the Croatian in January have undoubtedly taken a major hit. The Croatia international, however, is 30 years old and has suffered from numerous muscle problems in recent years. Ilkay Gundogan, John Stones, maybe even Matheus Nunes and Bernardo Silva could take some of Rodri’s minutes too. No one could do that as well as the man they are replacing.
City has weathered damaging storms before. Kevin De Bruyne featured in less than half of their Premier League games last season; Erling Haaland had his problems then too. Rodri, however, has been steady, giving them 4,000 or so minutes of elite production at perhaps the most important position in their side. Guardiola is the best coach of his generation because he sees solutions that no one else can to the biggest problems in his team. For this one, however, perhaps nothing can be done.
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