Pep Guardiola remains calm, at least publicly. The head coach of “Manchester City” believes that Rodry will return to the field earlier than many think. But maybe a specialist only passes off wishful thinking as reality. Or he says what the fans want to hear. Be that as it may, the “townsmen” will defend the title without the player who played a very important role in the ego conquest. For sure, Guardiola has a plan B. Injuries happen, and the coach must be ready for this. But at the same time, it is difficult to overestimate the role of the Spanish midfielder for the “citizens”.
Rodry has been playing for Manchester City since 2019. Since then, he has played 195 Premier League matches for City, and has missed just 21 games. During this time, he took part in 260 matches of his team in all tournaments – this is the highest indicator among all players from the Premier League. In addition, he started more often than all outfield players – 238 times. It should also be taken into account that the 28-year-old midfielder is an important player in the Spanish national team. During the same period, he played about 50 matches for the national team, which is also a solid figure.
It is noteworthy that it was in the national team that Rodry received his first injury, which was followed by the next, more serious one already in the new season of the Premier League. The Spaniard damaged his hamstring in the final match of the European Championship against England, which caused him to miss the start of the club season. Guardiola protects his protege. The Spaniard first appeared on the field only in the 3rd round of the Premier League, playing 45 minutes in a match against Brentford. After that, he played a full match against “Inter” in the Champions League, and then there was a match with “Arsenal”. The key defender of City lasted only 21 minutes against the Gunners, after which he was eliminated for a long period.
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Joseph Guardiola and Rodry Guardiola has repeatedly stated how important Rodri is to the team’s ego. This is confirmed by numbers. Last season, the Spaniard appeared on the field 50 times in the starting lineup – this is the highest figure among all Manchester City players. He also spent the most minutes on the field. After such an intense club season, the football player went to the European Championship, where he started in six out of seven matches. It is noteworthy that the “townsmen” lost all three matches of the last season of the Premier League, in which Rodri did not participate. This emphasizes how important the Spaniard is to the team.
Manchester City’s win rate with Rodra on the field is 74.1%. Without it – 61.9%. At the same time, the number of victims with the Spaniard is only 10.9%, and without him – 33.3%. Of course, the “townsmen” in principle play more often with Rodra than without him, so the success rates are higher, but these are still important numbers. Last season, the Spaniard was the only Manchester City player who made more than a hundred accurate passes on average per match. And this is a very important moment, since Rodry not only performs defensive functions, but also controls the game of the team as a whole.
“Citizens” actually lose a lot after the Spaniard’s injury. First of all, a high-quality supporter. Rodry understands the game very well. He sees the pass even before the opponent gives it. The midfielder works a lot on himself, watches matches, analyzes. This helps him become even better. The loss of such a professional is already a problem, and in the case of Rodra, it is a very big problem. He has time everywhere – to intimidate the defenders, and disperse the attacks. Last season, the Spaniard scored 9 goals and provided 14 assists in all competitions, which is his best performance in his entire career.
Rodry can accelerate his attacks and stop others’ attacks equally well. He correctly uses his size, pushing opponents away from the ball and creating an additional threat or insurance (depending on the situation) on the second floor. So yes, Rodra’s loss will be felt. But will she become the reason that crosses out the whole season for Manchester City? Not a fact. “Citizens” have already been in difficult situations. They twice lost Kevin De Bruyne – also an important player – and won. They won trophies without a clean forward, which Arsenal can’t do yet. Guardiola loves challenges, and so far he has been quite successful with them.
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Ilkay Gundogan will probably replace Rodra in the center of the field It will be difficult to replace Rodry, but there are options. For example, Ilkay Gundogan, who returned to the Etihad just in time. The German has experience as a defensive midfielder, including in Manchester City. There are also Mateus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic. Both are inferior to the Spaniard in almost all indicators, although the Croatian is gaining more and more trust from Guardiola. There is also Rico Lewis, who can be used in the center of the field, and John Stones. In the latter, there is experience in the position of defender.
Guardiola has options. Gundogan will probably be closest to Rodra in terms of understanding the game. But Ilkay is already 33 years old, which may affect his speed. Even Kovacic, who is 3 years younger, often lets his opponents go behind his back. But, in principle, Guardiola has working options, although with one clarification. Whoever moves to the support zone instead of Rodra will need support, and the Spaniard himself was a support for both defense and attack. However, Manchester City is a team that can cope with difficulties.
Sergey Zavalko
Source: sport.ua