Due to Rodri’s ban, Man City lost all three of his games; however, as soon as the Spanish midfielder took the pitch, they won.

Rodri started and Man City beat Man United 3-0. The Guardian imageIf there is any doubt about Rodri’s significance to Man City, one only needs to examine the team’s performance without the midfielder.Following his red card against Nottingham Forest, the Spanish player was suspended for three games, all of which Man City lost. They lost to Wolves and Arsenal in the Premier League after Newcastle knocked them out of the Carabao Cup.The 27-year-old made a comeback in Man City’s 3-1 victory over RB Leipzig on their Champions League away trip. Rodri made two appearances in recent Premier League games against Manchester United and Brighton. It’s also not surprising that The Citizens prevailed in both games.A team’s “heartbeat” is sometimes attributed to its key players, whereas Rodri is more like to Man City’s “brain”. Earlier this month, Pep Guardiola declared, “Rodri is probably the best, or in the Top 2 or 3 holding midfielders in the world.”It is hard to argue with the Spanish strategist’s viewpoint. Rodri, who arrived in England with little fanfare, has emerged as the competition’s greatest midfield player.It often takes Pep’s new contracts a year to adjust. And after they pass that point, they frequently become into excellent players. The most common example is Rodri.Kalvin Phillips (blue shirt) cannot be a replacement for Rodri at Man City. Photo: The Guardian

Man City may not have the legendary playmaker Kevin De Bruyne or “goal-scoring machine” Erling Haaland, but they are unable to replace Rodri. Out of the 40 games that Rodri has not started for Man City since the 2020–2021 season began, 11 have ended in losses. Conversely, out of the 146 games he started, they only lost 15.

The former Atletico Madrid midfielder does a great job of protecting the defense, but he is not the kind of player who goes after ball control. Rodri is one of just four Premier League players this year who has recovered possession of the ball more often when in a midfield position. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that he makes 2.4 tackles on average every ninety minutes.

The most noteworthy feature, though, is Rodri’s ball handling skills. Because of Rodri’s almost perfect ball handling accuracy, Man City is able to control games.

This season, Man City has dominated the Premier League in terms of both ball possession (63%) and passing success (89.8%), and Rodri’s input has been crucial. More passes are made by Rodri than by any other midfielder in the top five leagues in Europe, averaging 103.1 per game. His successful pass percentage of 94.3% also leads the Premier League.

The fact that Rodri can pass makes him even more unique. Instead of making quick passes to hold onto the ball, the midfielder looks to advance play. This season, Rodri has made more accurate long passes per game than any other player in the league with an average of 6.6.

More than any other club in the Premier League (32%), the Citizens attack from midfield, and Rodri’s passing range is essential. Without Rodri, Man City cannot keep up this pace. They have lost three straight games at home without scoring a goal.

Finding a midfielder of Rodri’s level is almost impossible. Photo: AFP

Man City cannot lose Rodri again if they want to repeat last season’s treble. Ilkay Gundogan has moved to Barcelona and The Citizens no longer have a central midfielder as effective as Rodri.

Pep’s army lost their position in the Premier League championship race when Rodri was absent. Currently, Man City is ranked 3rd, behind Tottenham and Arsenal, both teams are undefeated. Therefore, the blue half of Manchester must find every way to keep Rodri fit in the near future.

If Rodri is forced to sit out for a while longer due to injury or suspension, opportunities will open up for other teams…