According to ESPN, defensive midfielder Rodri will need surgery after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee after a seemingly harmless collision with Arsenal's Thomas Partey. The incident occurred in the 20th minute of the match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad.
Rodri's painful reaction before leaving the pitch hinted at bad news to come. Pep Guardiola admitted after the match that Rodri was a very strong player. This shows that the Spanish midfielder will not leave the field unless he suffers a very serious injury.
The bad news came to Rodri after a photo shoot in Spain and was a big blow to Man City. The loss of striker Erling Haaland could be considered a bigger problem for Guardiola to solve.
Earlier this year, Guardiola made it clear that The Citizens are heavily dependent on the 28-year-old. "He's an unbelievable player. He is the best midfielder in the world by far. Because he can do everything.
That is the speed he has, especially his personality when things are not good. He moves forward to penetrate the penalty area, moves back, and plays short and long balls. He's always ready," said Guardiola.
Rodri is irreplaceable at the Etihad and that is reflected in the numbers. Therefore, his absence is a headache for Guardiola. Man City have lost just one game in 2024 with Rodri in the team, the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United at Wembley last season. And the Citizens' Premier League record is even more impressive with Rodri in the squad.
In the 21 Premier League games that Rodri has missed since 2019, Man City have lost seven (33%). Rodri, meanwhile, has lost just 19 of his 74 Premier League appearances, a rate of 11%.
Overall, Rodri is the best player in the world in his position. The Spanish midfielder led the Premier League last season in touches (4.124), successful passes (3.359), progressive passes (521), runs (2,529) and running distance (11.662m).
Rodri also ranked second in terms of re-els with 235 times, behind Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes twice. The 28-year-old also leads Man City in tackles (70), successful tackles (43), successful duels (174) and unsuccessful upper-level duels (55).
The Arsenal clash was Rodri's 52nd consecutive Premier League appearance for Man City and a winless one. This is a long streak of matches since the defeat to Tottenham in February 2023. But when he missed two Premier League games through suspension last season, Man City lost both - to Newcastle and Wolves.
If it had not been for John Stones' dramatic equaliser in stoppage time against Arsenal, Man City would have lost without Rodri. With Man City having to visit Newcastle again this weekend, the risk of another defeat is extremely high.
