Rodri's resurgence: Why Man City's Defensive midfielder is their most important player right now.ย
Many experts believe that Manchester City's loss to Chelsea in last year's Champions League final was down to Guardiola not playing Rodri in the defensive midfield position. Even though City raked up 36 wins in only 44 games to cap off a remarkable 2021, that loss against Chelsea would have stung Guardiola a lot.
The Catalan was heavily questioned over his decision not to play a defensive midfielder. Rodri's form since then would have made even Guardiola wonder why he didn't start the Spaniard in the first place.
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The teams are IN for the Champions League final ๐คฉ
Mahrez-Foden-Sterling in attack for City, Mount-Havertz-Werner for Chelsea ๐ฅ
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The rise of Rodri
One has to look at City's record with Rodri in the team to understand just how important he has been for his team. Of the 32 games that City have played this season, he has not started only seven of them. City have lost three of those games.
Guardiola demands a lot from a player who plays in that position and the Spaniard has been surpassing expectations. Considering the kind of players that excelled in this position in Pep's system (Sergio Busquests, Xabi Alonso, Fernandinho), many expected the Spaniard to struggle in Pep's setup.
Even players such as Riyad Mahrez and Joao Cancelo initially struggled to get going at City, even though their role is not as demanding as that of Rodri's. Guardiola demands his holding midfielder be spatially-aware, a highly energetic player who can also anchor attacks while sitting deep.
Holding midfield is one position that is difficult to measure in terms of statistics. But if we were to compare three of the best holding midfielders from the Premier League, the 25-year-old has come out on top when compared to Fabinho and N'Golo Kante.
According to Whoscored, Rodri has outperformed his closest rivals in various key metrics such as average passage per game, passing percentage, key passes per game, etc. He has always been fit enough to start games this season, and has already clocked 2000+ minutes in 26 games throughout the season.
A defensive midfielder needs to master his craft in both aspects of the game - attack and defense. And it looks like Rodri is already a master in his craft.
He knows where to position himself to disrupt the opposition's rhythm, when to take up attacking space, etc. He even knows when it's time to commit a tactical foul to break opposition counter-attacks, something Fernandinho used to great effect during his stint as a regular in City's setup.
Perhaps the greatest example of the Spaniard's influence is a moment of magic he produced at Anfield this season. With the game delicately poised at 2-2, he produced possibly the block of the season to deny Fabinho a clear-cut scoring opportunity in the dying minutes of the game.
Rodri breaks silence on incredible block vs Liverpool to save point for Man City #mcfc ๐ Rodri breaks silence on incredible block vs Liverpool to save point for Man City #mcfc
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It seems as if being omitted from the starting 11 is a distant memory for the midfielder, who, at present, is usually the first name on the team sheet. With City remarkably chasing yet another treble this season, his form will go a long way in deciding what they will achieve this season.