It’s the news Manchester City feared. Rodri has suffered a cruciate ligament injury. Perhaps the most important player in Pep Guardiola’s side will be sidelined for a significant part of the season, according to CBS Sports sources.
The Spain international collided with Thomas Partey in the 15th minute of Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday and quickly fell to the ground after landing awkwardly on his right knee. Unable to continue, Rodri was immediately replaced by Mateo Kovacic. Although he remained at the Etihad Stadium for the rest of a dramatic match, he soon underwent tests in Spain which revealed the news that would come as a hammer blow to Pep Guardiola’s side.
It almost seems easy to debate how City could replace Rodri. There is a reason why a defensive midfielder (although such categorization vastly underestimates his qualities) has a compelling candidacy for the Ballon d’Or. Even Guardiola, who normally does not indulge in price talk, pitched him for the same price after the draw for Arsenal, describing him as the best performing midfielder in the world.
Rodri offers City everything. No one on their side, perhaps on any side, passes the ball more often, more accurately, or more progressively. His dominance in duels allows those ahead of him to push high both with and without the ball, knowing that if the opponent breaks through City’s first line they will not reach the second. Then there are the goals, which always seem to come at the most crucial moments. Cup final winners, title race swingers: these are Rodri’s stock trades.
Even his brief absence is deeply felt. Since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019, Rodri has been on the losing side of 11 percent of the games he has played in city colours. When he watches from the sidelines, his team loses 24 percent of their games. If this trend continues in the coming months, City will need the favors of Arsenal and Liverpool to win five Premier League titles in a row.
Within City’s squad, Kovacic seems the logical option to step into contention, as he did impressively at the start of the season. Al-Nassr’s hopes of signing the Croatian in January have undoubtedly suffered a major blow. However, the Croatian international is 30 and has had many muscle problems in recent years. Ilkay Gundogan, John Stones, perhaps even Matheus Nunes and Bernardo Silva could also get some of Rodri’s minutes. No one could do this better than the man they are replacing.
City have weathered injury storms before. Kevin De Bruyne played in less than half of their Premier League games last season; Erling Haaland also had his problems then. However, Rodri has been a constant, giving them around four thousand minutes of elite production in arguably the most important position in their side. Guardiola is the best coach of his generation because he sees solutions that no one else sees to his team’s biggest problems. But for this one, he may not be able to do anything.