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, suffered a serious knee injury against Arsenal in Sunday’s 2-2 draw, with doubts over whether he can return this season.
Speaking after City’s Carabao Cup win over Watford, manager Pep Guardiola said: “Still, we don’t have the definitive. He’ll be out for a long time, a while, but there is some opinions that maybe it will be less than we expect.
“Unfortunately he was injured. Right now, still, I cannot tell you [how long] because we’re waiting the last phone calls from him and the doctors to know exactly what, definitely, he has and the type of surgery that he has to get.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights from the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal
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 Guardiola’s reign, a period in which they have won 10 major trophies, including four consecutive league titles and a treble.
Guardiola added: “We don’t want this, but we will still have a good season. I trust a lot in my players, I have a duty to find a solution.
“Rodri is irreplaceable and the team won’t play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time. Of course it’s a big, big blow for us.
“But it’s football, it’s happened, and my duty is to find a solution, to be competitive like we have been for many years.”
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.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
A look back at the moment that could alter the course of the Premier League title, should Rodri’s injury keep him out for a prolonged period
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.
“I think we are close to [a strike]. I think if you ask any player he will say the same. It is not the opinion of Rodri or whatever. I think it’s the general opinion of the players.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen but it’s something that worries us because we are the guys that suffer.”
FIFPRO calculated that Rodri had just 22 rest days in the 2023/24 season. City were fighting for the title until the final day, reached the FA Cup final and were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Spain went all the way at the Euros, too.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The Daily Mirror’s John Cross believes a potential lengthy injury absence for Rodri should highlight how a footballer’s workload is getting too much
Sunday’s game against Arsenal was Rodri’s first league start of the season, with City managing his workload after such a mammoth campaign. It may be his last for a while.
How City cope remains to be seen. If Guardiola can navigate this potential loss, and go five in a row, it could go down as one of his most remarkable feats.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Listen to Erling Haaland’s comments to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta at full-time at the Etihad – just one of a number of fiery exchanges during Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal
Man City’s remaining fixtures in 2024
Newcastle (A) – Premier League – Saturday September 28
Slovan Bratislava (A) – Champions League – Tuesday October 1
Fulham (H) – Premier League – Saturday October 5
Wolves (A) – Premier League – Sunday October 20, live on Sky Sports
Sparta Prague (H) – Champions League – Wednesday October 23
Southampton (H) – Premier League – Saturday October 26
Bournemouth (A) – Premier League – Saturday November 2
Sporting Lisbon (A) – Champions League – Tuesday November 5
Brighton (A) – Premier League – Saturday November 9, live on Sky Sports
Tottenham (H) – Premier League – Saturday November 23, live on Sky Sports
Feyenoord (H) – Champions League – Tuesday November 26
Liverpool (A) – Premier League – Sunday December 1, live on Sky Sports
Nottingham Forest (H) – Premier League – Wednesday December 4
Crystal Palace (A) – Premier League – Saturday December 7
Juventus (A) – Champions League – Wednesday December 11
Manchester United (H) – Premier League – Saturday December 14
Aston Villa (A) – Premier League – Saturday December 21
Everton (H) – Premier League – Thursday December 26
Leicester City (A) – Premier League – Sunday December 29
