The title race was within seconds of being blown wide open at the Etihad Stadium on matchday five, as Arsenal came within a whisker of beating Manchester City.
However, despite rescuing a point in that showdown against the Gunners, the reigning champions have drifted in the outright betting for the Premier League title following the news that Rodri will be missing for the remainder of the season after suffering knee ligament damage.
After City’s EFL Cup success against Watford, Pep Guardiola revealed that they would be without the influential defensive midfielder for a ‘long time’.
Rodri’s Influence on City
With the emphasis on Erling Haaland’s goalscoring heroics since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund, it is easy to overlook the importance of Rodri. His significance on the team isn’t lost on Guardiola, with the boss calling the midfielder ‘irreplaceable’ during their push for the title last term.
😳 Most pressured passes
🫨 Most passes breaking opposition back lines🏥 How much of an impact will Rodri’s injury have on Manchester City in the Premier League? pic.twitter.com/4dSB9p4xdt
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 1, 2024
Statistically, Rodri’s importance to the team is clear. The Spanish star has failed to end a Premier League match on the losing side in 48 games in which he has started. Meanwhile, City suffered defeat in four of the five matches Rodri missed in the Premier League last term.
In 21 matches without Rodri, City have picked up an average of 1.9 points per match, which is considerably lower than the 2.4 points achieved with the Spanish star in the team. Guardiola has reassured fans that a solution will be found in his absence.
Defensive Midfielder Within City Ranks
Despite having a wealth of talent within their squad, City don’t possess a typical defensive midfielder that stacks up against Rodri. Mateo Kovačić, İlkay Gündoğan, and Matheus Nunes could all be deployed in deeper roles, but City will likely need to find another way to play with a tighter midfield unit.
“Mr ACL” Rodri is quite literally bigger than your club
pic.twitter.com/afElxmzQMj https://t.co/QHhaTskxSV
— Erling Enthusiast 🇳🇴 (@ErlingProp) September 26, 2024
Therefore, a short-term plan could be to look into John Stones playing in the midfield. The England international is assured on the ball, and has previously played in the number six role with proven success.
Transfermarkt stats show that Stones has played in the defensive midfield position on 26 occasions for City, with the majority of those coming in the 2023-24 season.
Across those six matches, City picked up 1.67 points per game, which is still lower than City’s average without Rodri. Therefore, it would be little surprise to see Guardiola’s side dip into the transfer market in January.
Who Could City Target in January?
Rumours have teased that a re-call of Kalvin Phillips could be on City’s agenda, but whether Guardiola would impact the performances of a player that he previously apologised to for not playing remains to be seen.
Man City face a tough challenge with Rodri out of action 🫣👀 pic.twitter.com/SCJfnyCFaU
— 433 (@433) September 24, 2024
Based on the stats, Leon Goretzka is the player that rates closest to Rodri. Although not a traditional defensive midfielder, the Bayern Munich star is similar on the ball to the Spanish player having an 89% pass accuracy, and averaging 32 passes in the opposing half.
Spanish teammate Martin Zubimendi replaced Rodri in the EURO final, and ranks highly in terms of possession won at 5.73 per match. He was rumoured to be close to a move to Liverpool in the summer, before signing a new deal, meaning that a move for the Real Sociedad star may be one of the more expensive options on the table for City.
Adam Wharton is likely to rank among the top options, as many of Europe’s elite will consider making a move for the Crystal Palace star next summer. The 20-year-old certainly boasts the stats to offer defensive structure, averaging 3.31 tackles per game and 1.38 interceptions.
What Does Rodri’s Injury Mean for the Title Race?
The points City have dropped with Rodri out of the team means that a real title battle appears to be taking shape this term. Arsenal will fancy their chances of going one better this term, with Mikel Arteta’s setting his sights on ending their 20-year wait for a league title.
Liverpool could also be going under the radar under Arne Slot after winning four of their opening five matches, and conceding a league-low of just one goal.
Rodri’s injury is just the latest significant twist in the title battle, but it will not be the last.
