If Manchester City are to win an unprecedented fifth consecutive Premier League title, they may need to do so without Rodri, their most important player.
The midfielder, one of the frontrunners for the Ballon d’Or, reportedly suffered a serious knee injury against Arsenal in Sunday’s 2-2 draw, with doubts over whether he can return this season.
City are yet to confirm the severity of Rodri’s injury but he was pictured arriving in Barcelona on Monday, with reports suggesting he is undergoing further tests.
For all the debate and deliberation over the flashpoints in Sunday’s title showdown, Rodri’s injury could prove to be the incident that has the biggest impact on the season.
Rodri has been City’s most influential figure in the second half of Pep Guardiola’s reign, a period in which they have won 10 major trophies, including four consecutive league titles and a treble.When Rodri is in the team, City do not tend to lose. Neither do Spain. The Euro 2024 winner has been on the losing side just once in the past 18 months.
City have not been beaten in a Premier League game Rodri has started since February 2023. Four of the 11 matches he has missed resulted in defeat.These are the fine margins that could decide the title race with Arsenal, runners-up for the last two seasons, breathing down their necks.
Sunday’s game may well have ended differently had he been on the pitch. City responded well to his removal initially but toiled with Arsenal a player down for the second half. They did not quite look themselves. Something was missing.
A stretch of three games this time last year perfectly illustrate the problems City may encounter. Rodri was suspended after receiving a straight red card and City followed up defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup with losses to Wolves and Arsenal in the league.
City have never had to cope without Rodri for a prolonged spell since he joined from Atletico Madrid in 2019. He has been an ever-present, playing more club games (260) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues in that time frame.
You would be hard-pressed to find a player that has delivered as consistently in world football. It is no coincidence that City have taken their dominance to new heights since he signed.
A Rodri-less City, based on this small sample size dating back to last year, win 63 per cent of their games, compared to 76 per cent when he is present from the start.
This is a clear drop-off, but perhaps reflective of City’s understandable reliance on Rodri. They have never really needed to consider a Plan B because he has always been there.
If City cannot call upon him for an extended period of time, it creates an urgency for Guardiola to come up with a solution. You would not bet against him finding one.
There are plenty of options up his sleeve. Mateo Kovacic is the most obvious understudy, having been the chosen stand-in so far this season. He came on for Rodri against Arsenal.
Guardiola is no stranger to throwing curve balls, however, and could well change the way his side sets up to make up for the possible absence of their holding midfielder. We’ve seen John Stones and Rico Lewis pushed up into midfield in hybrid roles.
Rodri’s injury comes just a week after he warned of a potential player strike over the exhaustive and ever-expanding footballing calendar. The demands, he said, are becoming too much.