In part two of our Q&A, BBC Radio Manchester’s Mike Minay dissects why Rodri is so instrumental in Manchester City’s success.
Zachary asked: Why is Rodri so important to the line-up and who should replace him while he recovers from his injury?
Mike answered: In cold, hard statistics, Rodri’s importance last season was shown by the fact he did not lose a game all season (for City or Spain) up until the FA Cup final.
Mateo Kovacic told me last week that he considers Rodri to be “best player in the world” and the club are really pushing for him to be a Ballon d’Or winner this year.
It is his all-round play that makes him stand out. The central midfield role means you have to have a 360 degrees view and understanding of the pitch. Nobody can handle that better than Rodri.
He is there to break up play, be the metronome in midfield, provide key passes at crucial moments and also score big goals (Istanbul 2023, anyone?).
That is why his season-long loss is such a blow, but I would instantly back Kovacic to help fill the void. He has impressed me in just over a year at the club. But there is a need to have a partner and I’m not sure who that is.
Ilkay Gundogan seems a little ‘off’ at the minute, while Rico Lewis can play there but is only just learning the role. John Stones, for whatever reason, is not getting the game time right now but from the Treble season, we know he can do it.
Listen to Total Sport on BBC Radio Manchester every weeknight at 18:00 and listen to every Manchester City game – home and away – live on BBC Radio Manchester.