Manchester City’s Premier League title ambitions have taken a huge hit with the news that star player Rodri has suffered a season-ending injury.
Rodri limped off just 16 minutes into the epic 2-2 draw against title rivals Arsenal last Sunday after jarring his right knee whilst battling Thomas Partey.
The Ballon d’Or frontrunner fought back tears as he was helped off the pitch and while City are yet to offer an update on the 28-year-old, the signs do not look good.
Latest updates suggest he has ruptured his ACL and will miss the rest of the 2024/25 campaign.
Widely considered the best defensive midfielder in the world, his absence could cost City their chance at reclaiming the Champions League and winning a record fifth-straight top-flight title.
Pep Guardiola needs to find a solution to this problem and fast. We take a look at three options he could turn to…
Kovacic to step up
The obvious answer, Mateo Kovacic replaced Rodri in City’s XI for the first few games of the season while the Spain star was still recovering from an injury picked up during the Euro 2024 final
Though his natural position is a little further forward in midfield, the former Chelsea star has spoken a lot about retraining to play in a deeper role, and he now has the perfect opportunity to show off what he has learnt.
The Croatian was the one subbed on to replace Rodri against Arsenal, which suggests he is – initially at least – Guardiola’s plan A.
Alternatively, Ilkay Gundogan can also drop into the pivot if need be, but given Kevin De Bruyne’s injury issues he might be needed more in an advanced role.
Lewis’ time to shine
City’s line-up fluidly switches between a 4-3-3 and a 3-2-4-1 formation, with one the defenders pushing into centre of the pitch alongside a defensive midfielder.
Centre-back John Stones played this role very well in the treble winning season, while the versatile Rico Lewis did so in the first few games of this campaign.
As they typically would play alongside Rodri, neither would be an effective replacement on their own, but together they could replicate his energy, tenacity and creativity.
Lewis, who notably played as an inverted left-back for England recently, has also said that he sees himself as midfielder rather than a full-back: ‘I’ve always been able to play in midfield positions.
‘Towards the end of last season I definitely played there more and had more exposure in training to those kind of roles.’
The return of Phillips
Kalvin Phillips was meant to provide competition and cover for Rodri when he joined City in 2022 for over £40million, but injuries and Guardiola’s lack of enthusiasm for the England star scuppered that.
He’s made just 31 appearances for the Citizens – five of them starts – and has looked average at best when actually allowed onto the pitch.
Time for a redemption story? Maybe, but there’s one big problem – Phillips is on loan at Ipswich Town and can’t be recalled until January.
But who knows, if he performs well for the Tractor Boys and City find themselves in dire straits, Guardiola may have to take a chance on the 28-year-old he’s barely cared for for two seasons.
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