Manchester City’s record without Rodri is likely to give manager Pep Guardiola a headache ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Spanish midfielder Rodri picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in the 34th minute of City’s 3-3 draw with Tottenham at the weekend. Rodri cynically brought down Spurs’ Pedro Porro as his international teammate looked to start a counterattack.
He will therefore miss Wednesday night’s game at Villa Park – a match both sides will be desperate to win as Villa aim for Champions League football. City are currently third in the table, just one point above fourth-placed Villa.
But the champions will now travel down the M6 without probably their most important player. It’s been clear for some time that while he may not rank highest for goals or assists, Rodri is integral to everything that City do on the football field. He has become absolutely irreplaceable at the Etihad, as the stats show.
The 27-year-old has been suspended already this season, after picking up the first red card of his career against Nottingham Forest in September. Although they won that match, City would lose all three games he missed while suspended.
A 2-1 defeat at Wolves was followed by a 1-0 loss to title rivals Arsenal. City were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup during Rodri’s absence, losing 1-0 at Newcastle. While all three games were tricky away fixtures, City entered at least two matches as favourites, and would have expected something from the Arsenal clash.
To lose all three games highlights just how crucial Rodri is to Pep Guardiola’s system.
How Do Manchester City Play With And without Rodri?
According to the stats, City struggle immensely without their midfield talisman.
Since his debut in August 2019, City have lost six of the 16 Premier League games they’ve played without Rodri. That means the champions have lost more than a third of league games when missing the Spaniard.
By comparison, City have lost just five of the last 73 league matches in which Rodri has featured. They have won 56 and drawn 12 of those. A quick calculation shows that Guardiola’s men have lost just 6.8% of Premier League games when Rodri has played – compared to 38% of those without him.
The number six position is one of the few areas where City lack real squad depth. In Rodri’s absence, Kalvin Phillips has often deputised, but poor form and injury problems have affected the England international.
As a result, Rodri’s importance to the side cannot be overstated. They are simply not the same team when he isn’t playing, something Aston Villa will be hoping to capitalise on when they meet in Wednesday’s Premier League clash.
How Many Games Have Manchester City Lost Without Rodri?
The first of City’s six league defeats without Rodri came in 2020 when he was an unused substitute against Southampton. Che Adams’ long-range effort secured a 1-0 win for the Saints as City missed out on that year’s title to Liverpool.
Leeds United managed to win 2-1 at the Etihad in April 2021 despite having Liam Copper sent off in the first half, reinforcing how poor City are when Rodri is missing.
Pep Guardiola’s team have struggled against Tottenham for several years, and lost 1-0 in August 2021. Spurs were themselves missing former captain Harry Kane but triumphed over a lacklustre City side.
While City did manage a run of almost two years without a loss when missing Rodri, that was ended by Brentford. The London side beat City 1-0 in May 2023 before back-to-back league defeats without Rodri this season.
Wolves’ 2-1 win and Arsenal’s 1-0 victory in the Premier League followed the Carabao Cup loss at Newcastle in a run of three straight defeats for City without Rodri.
City’s Premier League Losses Without Rodri
5/7/2020 – Southampton 1-0 Manchester City
10/4/2021 – Manchester City 1-2 Leeds
15/8/2021 – Tottenham 1-0 Manchester City
28/5/2023 – Brentford 1-0 Manchester City
30/9/2023 – Wolves 2-1 Manchester City
8/10/2023 – Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City
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