Rodri’s injury just made Man City’s task so much harder

Pep Guardiola was at all times going through an uphill battle at Manchester Metropolis this season, however the grim information of Rodri struggling an ACL damage that’s prone to rule the midfielder out till subsequent season has now given Guardiola and his workforce a mountain to climb.

Sources have informed ESPN that defensive midfielder Rodri will endure surgical procedure after tearing the ACL in his proper knee following a seemingly innocuous collision with Arsenal’s Thomas Partey within the twentieth minute of Sunday’s 2-2 draw in opposition to the Gunners on the Etihad.

Rodri’s pained response, the prolonged therapy he underwent on the pitch and his gesture to Guardiola as he left the pitch, signalling together with his arms that it was “over,” hinted on the dangerous information to come back. Guardiola’s post-match admission — “[Rodri] is robust. He leaves the pitch and his motion is he felt one thing in any other case he would keep there” — underlined the fact that the participant wouldn’t have deserted his try and play on except it was a significant issue.

The dangerous information got here following scans in Spain on Monday, and the result is a hammer blow for Metropolis. Solely the lack of striker Erling Haaland may very well be thought to be a much bigger drawback for Guardiola to cope with, however solely by a fraction.

Earlier this yr, Guardiola made clear simply how a lot his all-conquering workforce depends on the 28-year-old former Atletico Madrid participant. “He is an unbelievable participant,” Guardiola mentioned in February. “He is one of the best midfield participant on the planet by far. It is as a result of he is in a position to do the whole lot.

It is the tempo he has, particularly his character when the state of affairs goes incorrect, he steps ahead to reach to the field, go backwards, the flexibility to play quick and lengthy. He is at all times prepared.

“What a signing. Manchester Metropolis signed a participant that’s obscure what we now have performed lately with out him. It will’ve been tough.”

Rodri is irreplaceable — his report in a Metropolis shirt tells us that — and his absence is one other main headache for Guardiola. Metropolis have misplaced only one sport in 2024 with Rodri within the workforce — the FA Cup closing defeat in opposition to Manchester United at Wembley final season — and their league run is much more spectacular with him within the aspect.

Within the 21 Premier League video games that Rodri has missed since arriving from Atletico in the summertime of 2019, Metropolis have misplaced seven of them — 33% of the video games performed with out Rodri. General, he has misplaced 19 instances in 174 Premier League video games: an 11% defeat ratio.

Rodri is the world’s finest at a tough place. Per ESPN’s Stats & Data Group, the Spain midfielder led the Premier League final season in touches (4,124), accomplished passes (3,359), progressive passes (521), carries (2,629), carry distance (11,662 meters/12,754 yards). He was additionally second in recoveries (basically, “possession received”) with 235 (two behind Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes). He additionally led Man Metropolis in sort out makes an attempt (70), profitable tackles (43), profitable duels (174) and aerial duels received (55).

Sunday was additionally the 52nd consecutive sport that Rodri had began for Metropolis and never been on the shedding aspect within the Premier League, a run courting again to a loss at Tottenham in February 2023. However when he missed two league video games attributable to suspension final season, Metropolis misplaced them each — at Newcastle and at Wolves.

Had it not been for a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser from John Stones in opposition to Arsenal on Sunday, Metropolis would have misplaced with out Rodri once more. With Metropolis visiting Newcastle once more this weekend of their first full sport with out the Spain midfielder, the chance of struggling one other defeat with a Rodri-sized gap within the workforce is an actual one.

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Guardiola’s drawback is that he has no one of the identical calibre to step in. Mateo Kovacic, the previous Chelsea and Actual Madrid midfielder, is the most definitely candidate, however he doesn’t management video games like Rodri. Matheus Nunes may additionally be handed video games, however the £53 million signing from Wolves final yr has performed little of word in a Metropolis shirt; he would have left the membership this summer season however for the choice to mortgage Kalvin Phillips to Ipswich City.

Phillips might have been a helpful choice had he nonetheless been on the membership, however the former Leeds and England participant has solely ever been a peripheral determine beneath Guardiola, so wouldn’t have been seen as an actual resolution.

John Stones, who was moved from his normal centre-back position to play a holding midfield place within the closing levels of Metropolis’s treble-winning marketing campaign in 2022-23, is maybe the most definitely alternative, taking part in alongside Kovacic. However Stones made a hit of the midfield position as a result of he was taking part in alongside Rodri, virtually in a grasp and apprentice model relationship. With out Rodri’s expertise, imaginative and prescient and talent to snuff out hazard earlier than it arises, the query Guardiola should reply is whether or not Stones will be simply as efficient taking part in with Kovacic reasonably than Rodri.

The following choice is to attend till the switch market reopens in January. Metropolis, having made a internet revenue of £99 million throughout the summer season switch window, can have loads of funds with which to signal a world-class alternative, however by that stage, the membership’s destiny of their Premier League listening to will both be identified or imminent.

Final Monday, the impartial listening to started into Man Metropolis’s alleged 115 breaches of Premier League monetary regulation — a quantity that since elevated to 130 following a correction by the Premier League of the initially reported complete — which might outcome within the membership being hit by an enormous nice and factors deduction. If it goes in opposition to Metropolis, discovering a participant to make the transfer to the Etihad amid uncertainty over the membership’s future will probably be a troublesome problem and by then, who is aware of how damaging Rodri’s loss will have already got been within the race for the title.

Arsenal and Liverpool, the groups most definitely to dethrone Metropolis as Premier League champions, will intention to revenue from Rodri’s absence and check Metropolis’s skill to win with out him.

He’s unquestionably a world-class participant, with solely Vinícius Júnior forward of him within the race to win this yr’s Ballon d’Or in line with the betting odds. He already earned the excellence of being voted the Participant of the Match at Euro 2024 this summer season, so his credentials usually are not doubtful.

What’s doubtful, nonetheless, is Metropolis’s skill to manage with out him in a season once they have so many distractions to beat, on and off the pitch.