The Spanish midfielder suffered a concerning injury to the same leg on which he had surgery last year against Brentford
Brentford 0-1 Man City (Haaland 9′)
GTECH COMMUNITY STADIUM — There were two familiar sights for Pep Guardiola on Sunday, one happy and one unhappy: Erling Haaland bullying a defender to score and Rodri going off injured, clutching his right leg.
The Manchester City striker is now only six short of a century of Premier League goals, and in just 104 appearances, but the number that his manager will be sweating on most is how many weeks, or months, Rodri may face on the sidelines.
The 29-year-old suddenly sat down in the centre circle with only 20 minutes gone at Brentford and looked over to the bench with a disconsolate expression, holding the same leg on which a Madrid surgeon operated a year ago last week.
He did at least exit under his own steam, and seemed optimistic afterwards that he might play the next City game. He was well enough afterwards too to walk over and clap the away fans, albeit with heavy strapping on his leg.
He was celebrating a win courtesy of Haaland’s ninth-minute strike, earned after buying Sepp van den Berg off the ball, but Rodri’s withdrawal 11 minutes later had the potential to derail it: after all, his absence for the majority of last season was blamed for the Manchester side finishing third in the table off the back of four straight league titles.
However long City have to spend without him this time – one certainty is that he will not be rushed back – they will lean on two players: his direct replacement Nico Gonzalez and their talismanic midfielder Phil Foden.
Gonzalez, 23, was signed from Porto for £50m in February in the knowledge he would have to hit the ground running, but the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner’s shoes are big ones to fill. In Guardiola’s own words, the understudy still has a lot to learn.
“Even Rodri, in the first season, struggled. It’s normal,” Guardiola said earlier this week.
“New environments and you need a process to understand it. Nico is Nico. He has to use his talent as Nico. He can improve a lot.”
Guardiola says he is “open-minded and incredibly coachable”, which probably explains why he and Gonzalez were the last off the pitch, deep in tactical debrief, when City beat Huddersfield Town 2-0 last month.
It is clear Gonzalez has the technical ability to succeed in probably Guardiola’s most challenging position at the base of midfield, charged with working passes out of defence through the high press and playing a hybrid role in City’s own pressing structure.
One pass he hit in the first half against Brentford, facing his own goal and knocked square with side spin to allow Matheus Nunes to drive forwards from right-back, was a reminder that he had spent 10 years total in the Barcelona academy and then senior squad.
The other player who will try to absorb some of the burden is Foden, who is cutting a resurgent figure at City this season, even if England manager Thomas Tuchel is yet to be convinced. Off the pitch, the so-called Stockport Iniesta admitted this week he had been through some mental turmoil in 2025, but on it he is starting to look back to his best.
Playing on the left of the midfield three initially, and then later the right, his movement between the lines is integral to breaking down the low block that City often face in the Premier League.
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When teams press high, they are not afraid of a long ball to Haaland, such as Josko Gvardiol’s to the centre-forward which led to the goal, but the more set, deep defence requires a more subtle touch. Foden can play passer or recipient in those scenarios, and interchanged with Haaland in the central zone more than once to distract Brentford’s defenders.
The England international ended the game without a goal or an assist, although he perhaps should have done better with a first-half chance 15 yards out that he could only curl beyond the far post with his weaker foot. He led the team in shots though, and forced more than one smart save from Caoimhin Kelleher.
If City are looking for leaders to stand up in Rodri’s absence, they could do a lot worse than shining the spotlight back on Foden.