With Kevin de Bruyne out for a long time, many people are worried about Manchester City. But the reality is that the team is still fine. That means De Bruyne is not necessarily the most important factor for The Citizens.
When Rodri was seriously injured and had to rest for a long time, it seemed that the worry had really set in. Because people remembered that Man City's 3 losses in the Premier League last season were all when Rodri did not play.
Overall, Man City have won 75% of their games with Rodri in them (59/78 - D18, L1) and only 63% of their games without the Spanish midfielder (10/16 - D1, L5).
Everyone understands that this is a big gap - a very big gap, for coach Pep Guardiola to fill. At the moment, the transfer market is not open to add reinforcements from outside, so of course we will have to focus on existing solutions.
The most likely candidate is Mateo Kovacic, who started the first four Premier League games of the season without Rodri. City won all four to quell any talk of Rodri's importance. But that's only part of the story.
City went behind in their home games against Ipswich and Brentford, with Kovacic being substituted within 50 minutes on both occasions. Some of the touches were loose and the experienced midfielder was not at his best in Rodri's absence.
Last season, Man City lost three games to Newcastle, Wolves and Arsenal when Rodri was suspended for three games. They struggled to control space - and the problems were not limited to the defence.
Kovacic's distribution duties were criticised by Guardiola after the shock defeat to Wolves.
One would expect Kovacic to play a lot of games in the holding midfield role, but don't expect Pep to be comfortable with that. There is little chance for the 30-year-old Croatian to develop in that role - Guardiola knows what Kovacic can't do.
The surprise return of Ilkay Gundogan could be City's saving grace. He was even picked in place of Rodri for the 2021 Champions League final, which was ultimately defeated by Chelsea. Rodri has not been left out of a major game since.
Gundogan has a knack for playing the No. 6 role, having played it at Borussia Dortmund and at times to great effect at Man City, and it could even be a natural move for him later in his career, when mobility becomes a bigger issue.
There will be no psychological problem for Gundogan in adapting to another role.
Such tactical flexibility is not reserved for the experienced. In fact, Guardiola has often praised Rico Lewis for his awareness and ability to adapt to whatever is required.
Lewis has been trusted to start six of Man City's games this season.
Last year, Guardiola revealed that the player - then 18 - needed very little instruction from him. "With Rico, I don't have to say much but he reads it," Guardiola told Sky Sports.
Lewis's intelligent positioning and speed on the counter-attack make him a prime candidate for the deepest position in midfield. His ability to distribute the ball safely is seen as an advantage in helping his team maintain possession.
Centre-back John Stones is another option, having been pushed into a central midfield role and playing well. Bernardo Silva, Nathan Ake and Matheus Nunes could also be options.
Of course, no one does as well as Rodri, but when this player is out for a long time, Pep will have to be flexible in using personnel, even changing tactics to promote the abilities of the remaining players instead of trying to focus on one diagram.
