MANCHESTER CITY’S recent collapse has coincided with the absence of their key talisman.
But just what do the stats say about the importance of Rodri?
The Spanish midfielder, 28, was agonisingly ruled out for the season after injuring his ACL against Arsenal in September.
The damage required surgery and the lengthy recovery will keep him out of action until the 2025-26 campaign.
And that means he will have to relinquish the Ballon d’Or trophy he collected in Paris last month as he was crowned the best footballer on the planet thanks to his exploits for City and Spain.
Asked about being the world’s best footballer, Madrid-born Rodri told Esquire: “It’s hard to explain and when you put it in those words, it’s even more astonishing, it’s scary. I never thought about it.
“Life surprises you and it’s an example that dreams can come true.
“Never looking beyond, but living day by day, trying to grow… in the end you realise that a boy like me, from a normal neighbourhood, can become the best in the world.”
The midfield metronome’s spell on the sidelines is being felt harder than even the most devout Rodri fans and Pep Guardiola could have expected.
City limped to a 1-1 draw with Newcastle and – after unconvincing one-goal wins against the likes of Fulham, Wolves and Southampton – have lost their last five matches in all competitions.
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The nightmare run started at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Carabao Cup before Bournemouth secured a 2-1 win on the south coast.
Ruben Amorim’s Sporting stuffed City 4-1 in the Champions League and then Brighton won 2-1 at the Amex.
Then on Saturday, Spurs thumped Guardiola’s men 4-0 in a jaw-dropping result.
And that result added further clout to the reliance on Rodri’s role in the team.
This season, Rodri has featured in just three matches – coming on at half-time in the 2-1 win over Brentford, the 0-0 draw with Inter Milan and then went off after 21 minutes after sustaining the horror knee injury against Arsenal.
It means he has missed 16 of City’s matches this season – and they have won nine, drawn two and lost five of those at a win rate of 56 per cent.
But looking back to the start of the 2022-23 Treble-winning season, when the Rodri Rolls-Royce truly started rolling at new levels, the stats laid bare make for astonishing reading.
From February 12, 2023 to May 19, 2024, Rodri was unbeaten for Manchester City – a staggering 74-match streak that was finally ended by rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
Of course, he scored some hugely important goals in that time, too – including against Bayern Munich and Inter Milan on their way to lifting the Champions League then versus West Ham on the final day of last season to clinch yet another Premier League crown.
Across all competitions, Rodri has started 103 times for City in that time.
Of those matches, City have won 75, drawn 23 and lost just five.
They average 2.5 goals scored and 0.8 goals conceded with a win rate of 73 per cent and a loss percentage of just five.
However, of the 35 matches he has not started across the same period, City have lost 11 – more than double despite a sample approximately a third of the size – as the loss rate soars to 31 per cent.
The 35 matches also feature 22 wins and two draws as the win rate falls to 63 per cent.
City also score fewer (2.3 goals per game) and concede more (1.2 goals per game) when Rodri does not start.
And the Premier League figures within that time tell a similar story with the win rate dropping from 75 per cent to 58 per cent – while the loss rate jumps from six per cent with Rodri to 37 per cent without.
The goals scored tally takes an even bigger hit, too, from 2.6 per game to just 1.8.
And the points per game rate is a staggering 2.4 with Rodri and 1.8 without.
All in all, the facts are clear.
City suffer without Rodri and lose six times more matches when he is not in the starting XI.
Guardiola is reluctant to make sweeping changes – backing up his stance with a trophy cabinet overflowing with medals.
Speaking ahead of the Champions League clash with Feyenoord, he said: “What should I change? What should I change?
“If I had changed in my first season when I was asked to change we would not have won six Premier Leagues in seven years.
“Now I’m not going to change. We are big believers in the process and the fundamentals we have to do.
“Injured players have to come back to their best form, players who have played a lot of minutes because of the injuries need rest, one good result can change our mind.
“When we were winning a lot I was thinking this too shall pass and right now this too shall pass. Nothing is eternal.
“What we have to do is insist. 26 [shots] is not enough? Create more, and try to concede fewer.
“One day we’re going to win a game and our mind will be clear. I hope Tuesday, if not Sunday. The desire is there and we are going to try.”
But with Rodri not coming back into the team anytime soon, Guardiola needs to figure out his midfield minefield – and figure it out fast – to get back to winning ways consistently before the season completely collapses.
