With a long-term absence, Rodri leaves a big gap in his playing style that Man City will find difficult to fill in a short time.

Since joining Man City in 2019, Rodri has always been considered the world’s top central midfielder. Not only helping the Etihad Stadium team rotate and control the ball better, the Spanish international also supports the defense and launches important punches from the second line

Rodri is the most important to Man CityStatistics prove the huge influence of this midfielder. When Rodri is on the field, Man City wins 74% of the matches, while this rate drops to 64% when he is absent. Even Man City’s loss rate increases from 11% to 24% without Rodri in the squad.

Times assessed that in the last two seasons, Rodri is more important to Man City than Kevin De Bruyne or Erling Haaland. In the last 52 matches that Rodri has started in the Premier League, Man City has not lost a single time.

When Rodri was suspended in the Premier League last season, Man City suffered two consecutive defeats against Newcastle and Wolves. Therefore, the Spanish international tore his anterior cruciate ligament and was almost out for the rest of the season, raising concerns about Man City’s ability to compete for the title in the coming time.

Over the past year, coach Pep Guardiola has repeatedly affirmed the special importance of Rodri. He shared that his compatriot midfielder “is currently the best in his position”, and deserves to compete for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award.

The match against Arsenal in the 5th round of the Premier League was the clearest proof of Rodri’s importance to Man City. The blue half of Manchester started well, leading the opponent when Rodri was on the field.