Manchester City's 2024-2025 season is truly a must-forget. Midfielder Rodri suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury after just 21 minutes of play in his first game against Arsenal in September.
This defeat will certainly have a big impact on The Citizens' journey. Can't lose a comprehensive player like Rodri without feeling the consequences, but the fact that they ended the season 13 points behind champions Liverpool still surprised many people.
Of course, this defeat did not entirely stem from Rodri's injury, but the connection is completely reasonable considering the influence of the Spanish midfielder.
Since February 2023, Man City have lost just one of their 77 games in all competitions featuring Rodri. This number skyrocketed to 5 defeats in 16 matches he was absent.
In the last season, Rodri's absence saw The Citizens lose 16 games in all competitions - 4 more than in any season under Pep Guardiola.
The reason why fans easily associate Man City's difficulty with Rodri's absence is his extremely important role in the ball control play.
In the 2023-2024 season, Rodri will average to make 111.2 passes per 90 minutes with an accuracy of up to 92.3% - the highest among players in Europe's top five leagues. He even had more passes per 90 minutes than his nearest opponent.
These figures help Rodri set a Premier League record (since the 2003-2004 season) for successful passes (3359) and successful passes away from home (2,22) in a single season.
Rodri is the only player in the Premier League to average over 100 successful passes per game (103). No one touches the ball as much as him, with 126 times per 90 minutes - 24 times more than any other teammate in the tournament.
He also leads the tournament in the number of times participating in open-ended attack streaks with one shot (for players playing 2,000 minutes or more), averaging 8.4 times per 90 minutes.
Not only playing a core role in midfield, Rodri also elevated himself in the 2023-2024 season to become a real spearhead on the attack front. The Spaniard has contributed 22 goals (9 goals, 13 assists) - his best individual achievement in a season.
Therefore, the news of Rodri's groin injury in pre-season, which is expected to keep him out until at least the September international break, is a big shock. However, Man City hopes Rodri will return in time and contribute more than last season - almost a new contract for the upcoming journey of conquest.
