Man.City begins a new era

Last season, Rodri missed three consecutive matches due to suspension. The result? Man.City lost three matches in a row - starting with the match against Newcastle (in the League Cup). That was the season Man.City made history as the first team to win the national championship four times in a row in the homeland of football. Great, of course. But that speaks even more to the importance of Rodri. Every loss Man.City lost in the Premier League last season was a match in which Rodri missed.

Man.City relies heavily on Erling Haaland's *(right)* scoring ability

Since losing to Tottenham on February 5, 2023, Man.City have played 94 matches in all competitions. They lost 5 of the 16 matches (nearly 1/3) that Rodri was absent, and only lost 1 of the 78 matches that Rodri was present. Since Rodri moved to Man.City (in 2019), the club has lost 24% of the matches without Rodri. That means 1 loss for every 4 matches played - a ratio that almost no one would think of for a Man.City that has won every match under coach Pep Guardiola. The statistics speak for themselves. But in fact, the impact of Rodri's absence this season is greater than the numbers show, because Rodri has been playing better and better, much better than when he first moved from Atletico Madrid.

At the beginning of the season, when Man.City did not use Rodri, everything seemed to be fine. Mateo Kovacic replaced him in midfield and succeeded in the 2-0 win at Chelsea. Mr. Guardiola kept the same formula and Man.City still won all 4 matches. But that was only on the surface. Man.City fell behind when playing Ipswich and Brentford at home. In those matches, Kovacic was substituted off the field in the 50th minute. Man.City's midfield did not control the space well in those matches. Today, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes in the Newcastle squad can rest assured to dominate the midfield area, as the visitors begin the period without leader Rodri.

In addition to Kovacic, Ilkay Guendogan and Rico Lewis are other solutions for coach Guardiola when he chooses a replacement for Rodri. But of course, none of them are as good as the "original". Man.City plays according to a tactical system, in which Rodri is the most important link. This is not simply replacing one player with another. Not only viewers or commentators, coaches of other teams in the Premier League are also looking to see how Man.City's midfield plays without Rodri, so that they can prepare tactical plans when facing each other.

If they win, Newcastle can move up to the same points as the current leaders. This is a rare season where the top 6 teams in the Premier League have all lost points after only 5 rounds and any team in this group can switch positions with each other after only 1 match. But Newcastle themselves are also at a disadvantage in terms of form, having just lost 1-3 to Fulham in the last round. Today, the central defender pair Dan Burn - Fabian Schar could have a nightmare when facing Erling Haaland. It is likely that both sides will prioritize caution in the Newcastle - Man.City match.