NEWCASTLE — No Rodri, no occasion. However loads of questions. Manchester Metropolis supervisor Pep Guardiola cannot escape the shadow of his injured midfielder — arguably the very best on this planet in his place — and his exasperated response to being requested concerning the 28-year-old after Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Newcastle United gave away simply how huge a loss he’s going to be to the Premier League champions.
“Guys, I do know you’ll ask me on a regular basis,” Guardiola stated after the sport. “However [Rodri] is just not there. “Kova [Mateo Kovacic], Bernardo [Silva]. Rico [Lewis] did properly, however I’ve to seek out options. I’d love Rodri to be right here.”
This was the primary recreation that Metropolis had performed since affirmation got here this week that Rodri, shortlisted for the Ballon d’Or, will miss the remainder of this season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his proper knee throughout final Sunday’s 2-2 draw in opposition to Arsenal.
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When Rodri left the sector in opposition to Mikel Arteta’s aspect within the twentieth minute because of his harm, Metropolis have been 1-0 forward and comfy. Within the earlier 51 Premier League video games that Rodri had performed, courting to February 2023, Metropolis hadn’t misplaced any of them.
However with Rodri off the pitch, Arsenal rapidly overturned their deficit to steer 2-1 and missed out on profitable the sport solely by conceding an equaliser within the eighth minute of stoppage time.
At Newcastle, Metropolis as soon as once more took the lead, with defender Josko Gvardiol scoring within the thirty fifth minute following good work by Jack Grealish, however couldn’t maintain onto their benefit and Anthony Gordon’s 58th-minute penalty in the end earned Newcastle a degree and left Metropolis questioning when they are going to win once more with out Rodri.
Metropolis will, after all, discover a technique to win with out the previous Atlético Madrid participant. Let’s not neglect that Guardiola’s staff received their first three league video games this season with out Rodri within the squad on account of him being given an prolonged break following his exertions in serving to Spain to Euro 2024 glory in Germany.
However the actuality of his absence for the rest of the season has delivered each a variety drawback and a psychological blow to the champions. Their document with and with out Rodri — they’ve didn’t win their final 5 video games (L4, D1) with out him and Kevin De Bruyne within the beginning XI — factors to his significance and the squad now know that they’re going to must discover a technique to cope with out him. Even Guardiola, a training genius, admits he’s nonetheless looking for an answer.
Rodri is maybe much more essential to Metropolis than prolific centre-forward Erling Haaland. Metropolis have so many attacking choices that they will normally discover a technique to rating when Haaland is not on the scoresheet, however Arsenal have been in a position to overrun Metropolis’s midfield within the interval between Rodri’s departure and Leandro Trossard’s pink card on 45 minutes final week, and Newcastle additionally loved lengthy intervals of dominance in the course of the pitch at St James’ Park.
Guardiola deployed a 4-1-2-3 formation with Kovacic within the Rodri function, and Lewis and Ilkay Gündogan providing an extra layer of safety in between Kovacic and the entrance three.
Kovacic is a top-class participant, a Champions League winner with Actual Madrid and Chelsea, however he’s not Rodri. If Rodri is an A+ midfielder, Kovacic may be B+, which continues to be not dangerous. However the whole lot about Metropolis is their ranges of excellence and, regardless of Kovacic’s pedigree, he doesn’t give Metropolis the assuredness on the ball or the imaginative and prescient of Rodri.
As for Lewis, the 19-year-old continues to be studying the sport and never able to be certainly one of Guardiola’s important options. Gündogan has all of the pedigree and he has completed it earlier than, however the former Germany worldwide is 34 subsequent month and appears a shadow of his former self after returning to the Etihad this summer season following a season at Barcelona.
Gündogan was substituted early within the second-half after a poor efficiency wherein he seemed properly off the tempo. He would possibly enhance as soon as his health ranges get higher, however his age means that may be an optimistic suggestion.
Tellingly, maybe, Guardiola referenced Bernardo Silva fairly than Gündogan when speaking of his midfield choices in opposition to Newcastle, however the Portugal worldwide is extra an attacking participant than a possible Rodri answer. Defender John Stones is one other, however spent the sport on the substitutes’ bench, whereas the injured De Bruyne didn’t make the squad.
Like Gündogan, De Bruyne has all of the credentials to fill the Rodri void, however he’s additionally 33 and turning into affected by common harm issues.
So how does Guardiola exchange the irreplaceable?
At Newcastle, Metropolis had good intervals within the first half, however misplaced management of the midfield as the house aspect constructed up momentum within the second interval.
The midfield of Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães had extra vitality and tenacity than Metropolis’s, whereas the peak and power of Joelinton was an issue that Guardiola’s staff could not cope with in Rodri’s absence.
Metropolis now have a snug run of league video games in October in opposition to Fulham, Wolves, Southampton and Bournemouth, in order that they have the chance to show to the world, and themselves, that may cope with out their greatest midfielder.
The chances are high that Metropolis will win all 4 of these video games and just do that, however there isn’t any doubt that they aren’t the identical pressure with out Rodri and the acid check will come in opposition to their title rivals.
Newcastle did not do this Saturday, however they uncovered Metropolis’s frailties and higher groups than Eddie Howe’s aspect will probably be rather more ruthless.
