How much could an injury for Rodri impact Man City’s title hopes? | OneFootball

Manchester City’s title hopes received a huge boost over the weekend as they defeated Arsenal, but a worrying sight came for Pep Guardiola as Rodri limped off in the 88th minute.

The injury is not as serious as the one he suffered the last time City hosted the Gunners. That knee problem kept him out for the entirety of last season, and the Spaniard is still only now returning to his best levels.

However, an absence of any length could prove costly at this critical point in the campaign. Just six Premier League games remain of the season.

In recent years, Guardiola’s side have been heavily reliant on Rodri, but is that still the case?

This season City have won 10 of their 12 league games without Rodri, while losing away against both Aston Villa and Newcastle in his absence. They have also won just 10 of the 20 league fixtures that the Spaniard has featured in.

Of the 12 Premier League matches in which Guardiola’s side have dropped points this term, Rodri has started in seven, came off the bench in three and only missed two.

This is the first time in the last five seasons that City have averaged both a higher win percentage and points per game without Rodri in the side.

Of course the numbers alone do not paint a full picture. They would suggest that City may even be a stronger side without the Ballon D’Or-winning midfielder – something which is certainly not the case after his colossal performances in recent weeks. His performance level of late has certainly been above that of earlier on in the campaign.

After 15 months marred by his initial ACL injury and subsequent reaggravations of that problem, it is no surprise that it has taken the Spaniard some time to get back up to speed. He spent large parts of the campaign not fully fit or sharp, context that is not captured by the numbers.

However, the numbers do illustrate one thing for sure – that an injury to Rodri will not deal a fatal blow to City’s title hopes as it may well have done in the not-so-distant past.

Across the past 18 months Guardiola has been forced to get used to playing without Rodri, and has been aided greatly by the emergence of Nico Gonzalez. Another Spanish midfielder, Gonzalez had began to flourish in the first half of the season.

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However, after losing his place in the team, he has played just 44 league minutes since January. Gonzalez could now find himself thrown in the deep end. Should Rodri be kept out with a groin issue, then his compatriot will likely be the man who steps up in his place.

If Guardiola does not opt for Gonzalez, then another option in holding midfield would be Mateo Kovacic. The Croatian recently returned against Chelsea, after his own lengthy absence. Following ankle surgery, he has played just 49 minutes in all competitions for City this season.

Another possibility could be Nico O’Reilly. The 21-year-old has successfully been deployed in that role on a couple of occasions against Newcastle and Galatasaray. However, the youngster has thrived at left-back and moving him could disrupt City’s current harmony.

There is also the chance that Rodri will not miss out on any games. “The doctors said we’ll see,” Guardiola explained after the win over Arsenal. “Do a test tonight or tomorrow morning.”

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