Man City in memory of Rodri
At St. James' Park, Man City still showed dominance with a ball possession rate of up to 63%. However, coach Pep Guardiola's students lacked many things to be able to win. As many experts from Guardian and Sky Sports analyzed, the difference between Man City with and without Rodri was too big. Against Newcastle, central midfielders such as Mateo Kovacic, Rico Lewis, Ilkay Gundogan all passed the ball accurately over 90%. That is a high rate, but still lower than Rodri's average passing accuracy rate last season: 93.4%.
Rodri injured in match against Arsenal
Man City's ability to launch attacks and control the game will certainly be greatly affected by Rodri's absence. Since the beginning of the 2023-2024 Premier League season, he has led in many important indicators such as touches, passes, and passes into the opponent's third. In terms of regaining control of the ball in the middle of the field, this midfielder ranked second. In addition, Rodri also scored 4 goals from outside the penalty area, ranking 3rd in the tournament. It can be said that he is Man City's best long-range shooter, able to break the deadlock every time the team has to face opponents with dense defense.
In the second half of the match against Arsenal, Man City struggled to find a way into David Raya's goal. At this point, people were waiting for a shot from distance like Rodri's, but the rest of Man City's players could not do it. It was not until the extra minutes, thanks to a bit of luck, that they scored the equalizer. But it is not just about the ability to keep the ball, or tackle, block the ball or create chances, Rodri is a master at influencing matches in a way that statistics cannot capture. He always knows how to be in the right position, influencing the positions around him.
Man City's defense lacks solidity
Even in the “dark art of defense”, that is, tactical fouls to prevent counter-attacks, Rodri is also a top expert. At many points in the match against Newcastle, Man City were under a lot of pressure. If Rodri was on the pitch, The Citizens’ defense probably wouldn’t have had to struggle so much (withstanding 11 shots).
The most important piece
Not Kevin de Bruyne, Erling Haaland or any other attacking star, Rodri is the most important player in the tactical system that coach Pep Guardiola built. Sky Sports also commented that Rodri's injury will have a big impact on the whole season. Looking at the bigger picture, Rodri is the person who has had the biggest influence in the second half of Pep's reign at Man City. During this period, the Etihad team won 10 major titles, with 4 consecutive Premier League championships and a treble.
Haaland will really need Rodri's presence
Since February 2023, Man City have not lost any match that Rodri has played. And every time this midfielder is absent, "The Citizens" have lost up to 4 out of 11 matches. Man City will have to face the longest period without Rodri ever. Since arriving at Etihad in 2019, the Euro 2024 champion has shown incredible durability. During this period, he has played a total of 260 matches, more than any other player in the top 5 European national championships (England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain).
Not only is he persistent, he also maintains a very high level of performance. Man City without Rodri only won 63%. When this star started, this rate increased to 76%. Pep still has a good midfielder like Mateo Kovacic or Ilkay Gundogan. In addition, he can let Rico Lewis, John Stones or even Manuel Akanji fill the gap left by the Spanish midfielder. But it is difficult for these players to play at the same level as Rodri.
Man City are having many difficulties in the Premier League
Therefore, the absence of Rodri for the entire season will certainly affect Man City's strength. And this is also an opportunity for other championship candidates such as Arsenal and Liverpool to usurp the throne, ending the dominance of the Etihad team.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/den-luc-ngai-vang-cua-man-city-bi-lat-do-185240930181819655.htm
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