The Premier League winners have not officially disclosed the length of time midfielder Rodri will be sidelined following a knee injury sustained during Sunday’s 2-2 tie with Arsenal; nevertheless, rumors indicate it may be a protracted layoff.
There are even concerns that he might not make a comeback this season.
Many people believe that Rodri, 28, is the most important player for City and is among the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or, which is awarded to the world’s finest player, next month.
In the 48 Premier League games that the Spaniard—who was awarded player of the tournament when his team won Euro 2024—has started, the defending English champions have not lost.
However, Rodri tasted defeat as City dropped four of the five games he missed the previous season not including penalty shootouts such as the Champions League tie with Real Madrid – the 2-1 FA Cup final upset by Manchester United.
Just how costly could his injury prove to be for their domestic and European hopes?
Teammate Kevin de Bruyne called Rodri the “perfect fit” for Manchester City after he made his debut in the 2019 Community Shield against Liverpool.
He was not in error.
The Spain midfielder’s impact has been remarkable since joining from Atletico Madrid; City has lost just 11% of its games while he has been in the lineup, compared to 24% when he hasn’t.
With Rodri in the lineup, City averages 2.36 points per game, although across all competitions. It’s just 2.04 without him.
Therefore, based on those statistics, City would end with 80 points if Rodri were to miss the remainder of the Premier League season, as opposed to a projected 91 points if he played every week.
Three of the previous four seasons’ worth of points would have been enough to win the title.
However, the last time a team won the league with as few as 80 points was Manchester United in 2010-11. City, with Roberto Mancini at the helm, finished third that year.
Why is he so successful?
To put it simply, he recovers the ball from the opposition and hands it to a teammate, all while maintaining metronomic accuracy.
Only Declan Rice, an Arsenal midfielder, has won possession more frequently since making his debut in a 5-0 victory against West Ham. Only seven players have made more tackles in the middle third of the pitch than Rodri has, and no one has won the ball back more frequently.
In his 260 appearances, the team has kept 73 clean sheets thanks to his combative style and keen understanding of the game.
(BBC)
