Manchester City fans knew the moment Rodri had suffered an ACL injury that this was going to be a long old season.
There’s obviously plenty of football left to play in 2024/25, but Manchester City’s form recently has been alarming.
Prior to the game with Nottingham Forest, City had gone seven games without winning across all competitions.
City got back on track against the Reds at the Etihad Stadium, and many were hopeful that the tea would then kick on against Crystal Palace.
But City could only manage a 2-2 draw, and it’s clear that this team just isn’t what it used to be. And a big reason for the decline has been the loss of Rodri.
The Spaniard has been unavailable since limping off against Arsenal on September 22 – and now, a statistic has emerged to highlight just what a colossal loss he has been.
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Only Southampton have conceded more big chances than Man City since Rodri’s injury
Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Crystal Palace FC and Manchester City FC at Selhurst ...
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
On Match of the Day last night, Manchester City came under the microscope, with Shay Given highlighting just how poor City were out of possession.
Players were getting dragged out of position trying to cover space in midfield.
It was plain to see once again that City were missing their midfield general Rodri, who is just such an imposing, but also calming, presence in the engine room.
After Given had finished his analysis of a chaotic City performance, they then flashed up a graphic showing the teams who have conceded the most big chances.
Since September 22, which is the day Rodri got injured against Arsenal, only one team in the Premier League have conceded more big chances than City, and that is Southampton, who are bottom of the table.
City in shambles
This is a stat that should truly alarm Pep Guardiola.
To have conceded the second-most big chances in the Premier League since Rodri’s injury really does highlight the struggles City have had over the last couple of months.
It probably won’t come as too much of a surprise, because that City midfield has been sliced open at will since Rodri got injured.
Unfortunately, City just don’t have anyone in reserve who is anywhere near his level. Mateo Kovacic does a decent job, but he’s not a patch on Rodri and also struggles to stay fit.
City play a fairly risky style of football, with the whole team pushed up often into the opponent’s half. When Rodri plays, this style is far less risky, because he’s so good in terms of understanding where to position himself.
No one else has that same understanding and so, City are much more vulnerable – especially on the counter-attack.
The plan simply has to be the sign a special holding midfielder in January, which is something that should actually have been done a year or two ago.
Rodri himself has advised City to sign Martin Zubimendi, and he could potentially be an exciting addition, given his technical quality and understanding of the holding midfield role.
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