After stories emerged suggesting Rodri may miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season with an ACL harm, we take a look at Manchester Metropolis’s file with out the Spanish midfielder.
When Rodri fell to the bottom after an innocuous conflict with Arsenal’s Thomas Partey within the nineteenth minute of Sunday’s 2-2 draw on the Etihad Stadium, it didn’t appear to be a second that might change Manchester Metropolis’s season.
Nonetheless, 24 hours later, stories now counsel Rodri will miss a big interval, and even perhaps the rest of the 2024-25 season after apparently tearing his anterior cruciate ligament.
There’s no query that Manchester Metropolis are weaker with out Rodri within the aspect. Coach Pep Guardiola is aware of this too, as he used his compatriot extra typically than every other participant in all competitions final season.
Rodri began extra matches (50) than any of his teammates in 2023-24, whereas he additionally performed essentially the most minutes (4,325). He then went on to play at Euro 2024 for Spain, beginning six of their seven matches earlier than struggling an harm and being withdrawn at half-time of the ultimate victory in opposition to England.
That hamstring harm additionally saved him out of Man Metropolis’s opening three league video games of this season, earlier than he returned as a half-time substitute of their 2-1 win over Brentford on Matchday 4.
Having performed the complete 90 minutes in Metropolis’s 0-0 draw with Inter within the UEFA Champions League final week, followers would have hoped Rodri’s harm issues have been behind him, however their worst fears have now seemingly come to go.
Since signing for the membership in 2019-20, Rodri has solely missed 21 of Manchester Metropolis’s 195 Premier League matches. In all competitions, he’s performed extra video games than every other Premier League participant in that point (260), whereas no outfielder has began as many (238). He’s additionally second (20,555) to solely Bruno Fernandes (20,727) for minutes performed in all competitions by Premier League outfielders at membership stage since 2019-20. You may add in 50 nationwide group appearances for Spain in that timeframe for good measure.
Solely final week did Rodri stress that gamers might need to take industrial motion relating to the variety of matches they’re anticipated to play in fashionable soccer, suggesting some might select to go on strike if the scenario doesn’t change. His potential season-ending harm in opposition to Arsenal just a few days later was a merciless reminder of the stresses positioned on modern-day footballers.
What would possibly Rodri’s harm imply for Manchester Metropolis then? Nicely, the stats clearly present they’re weaker when he’s absent.
Since his Premier League debut in August 2019, Metropolis have misplaced a 3rd of their video games with out Rodri within the aspect (7 of 21). Three got here within the first half of final season, with defeats in opposition to Wolves, Arsenal and Aston Villa coming earlier than his return to the aspect steadied the ship and helped ship a file fourth consecutive Premier League title.
Total, their win charge is over 12 share factors decrease when he’s lacking in comparison with when he’s appeared throughout these seasons, whereas they’re much less dominant at each ends of the pitch, averaging a constructive objective distinction of 1.70 when he performs in comparison with 1.29 when he doesn’t.
Their common points-per-game determine with out Rodri will alarm Metropolis followers, too. In averaging 1.90 factors per sport when he’s lacking, Metropolis would tally 76 this season if that common have been to proceed throughout their remaining 33 video games of 2024-25; that may be 15 under their league-winning whole final season (91). After all, that’s a really fundamental evaluation utilizing top-level knowledge, however it will nonetheless be sufficient to fret Guardiola.
Rodri was on the centre of all the pieces Man Metropolis did within the Premier League final season. He was the one participant to common greater than 100 profitable passes per sport (103), whereas nobody noticed as a lot of the ball as he did, along with his 126 touches per 90 minutes 24 greater than any of his teammates within the competitors. He additionally led the Premier League rankings for open-play sequence involvements per 90 (2,000+ minutes performed), with 8.4.
On the time of his substitution yesterday, Metropolis have been profitable 1-0 in opposition to Arsenal and arguably in management. Simply 43 seconds later, they surrendered their lead after Riccardo Calafiori’s excellent equaliser and fell behind simply earlier than half-time.
True, Metropolis coped simply high-quality with out him of their opening three video games of this season with routine wins over Chelsea, Ipswich and West Ham, however harder challenges await the champions, together with a difficult away sport at Newcastle United on Saturday.
It was steered that John Stones’ dramatic late equaliser in opposition to Arsenal might be a big second on this season’s title race, however maybe it wasn’t essentially the most vital second of Sunday’s sport in spite of everything.
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