4 games without a win for Man City
Supporters of other Premier League clubs have been trying to manufacture reasons for a Manchester City fall off or drop in form for many seasons now, but any adversity Pep Guardiola’s team do face, usually gets shrugged off with little impact, as his winning machine of a team continues to deliver trophies.
When Guardiola first arrived people questioned whether his “tiki-taka’ style of football was suited to the Premier League – Man City were soon churning out trophies on English shores. When Man City had no striker before signing Erling Haaland, people said you can’t win a league without a recognised striker in the 2021/22 season – Phil Foden, IÍkay Gündogan and Raheem Sterling chipped in and City lifted the Premier League trophy. When it was announced Kevin De Bruyne was injured and would miss around half the season, people said that could be the boost for Arsenal or Liverpool to wrestle the title away from the Sky Blues – up until four games ago Man City were top and showing little to no signs of a lack of creativity.
But one player that this current Man City team potentially can’t cope without is their midfield hub – Rodri. Their record with and without their Spanish holding midfielder speaks volumes, and the level of skill and football intelligence to play his role within this City team, makes him a very hard man to replace.
Why Rodri is so important to Man City
This season Man City have lost three Premier League games – Rodri missed those three matches due to suspension. The Sky Blues are actually unbeaten this season, in all competitions, with the former Atletico Madrid midfielder in their starting eleven. He is simply instrumental to the frightening rhythm and tempo Guardiola’s treble winners create, and without him something isn’t quite right.
Kalvin Phillips was brought in as the Spaniard’s understudy in the 2022 summer transfer window for €49 million, but has never looked comfortable when deputising for Rodri, and doesn’t appear to have the faith and trust of his manager. Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic have both been trialled in a deeper role in Rodri’s absence, but don’t seem to have the natural defensive instinct for the position, and look more comfortable higher up the pitch. Guardiola has even experimented with natural centre-halves John Stones and Manuel Akanji in the holding role – the pair started in the 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa. But no one has been able to get anywhere near replicating the levels of calmness, control and cohesion Rodri ensures.
Rodri has completed by far the most passes from all the midfielders in the Premier League this season. His record of 1,106 is far ahead of the second midfielder on the list in Pascal Groß on 932 completed passes. His 93.6% pass completion is also the highest among all midfielders in the division, and not a single player in the English top-flight has completed more short passes than Rodri. He makes Man City’s superstars tick. Given the 27 year old’s ability to be the foundation and start attacks, he could be forgiven for not having any goal involvements, but he contributes in that regard as well, with five goals and six assists in 16 games in the Premier League and Champions League this campaign.
Back in October before the top of the table clash with Arsenal at the Emirates, which they ultimately lost without Rodri in the team, Guardiola said, “[Rodri is] maybe the best, or in the top two or three best, holding midfielders in the world. When you have an absence as important as him you have to have a solution. I am not going to deny how important Rodri is, like how Kevin [De Bruyne] is, but when they are not here we cannot start to cry. The moment in my mind when a player is not there, he is completely out and I don’t think about it. He is not there.” But the elite manager will be thinking, if he is to lose Rodri to another lengthy suspension, the title may just get away from his team this season.
Most Valuable Premier League midfielders
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