Premier League leaders Manchester City will face a significant challenge in their midfield at Newcastle United on Saturday, as they will be without the influential Rodri. Title rivals will be watching closely to see if the absence of the Spanish midfielder leaves the champions vulnerable.
Manchester City has confirmed that Rodri, their 28-year-old midfield anchor, sustained ligament damage in his right knee during last Sunday's 2-2 draw against Arsenal. While the club has not provided a specific timeline for Rodri's recovery, it appears likely that he will be sidelined for several months. This presents a significant problem for City manager Pep Guardiola, who will need to find a solution to a challenge that has so far proven difficult to overcome.
Statistically, Guardiola's City are a much stronger team with Rodri in the lineup. Last season, all three of City's Premier League defeats occurred when Rodri was missing. Since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019, City has lost seven out of the 21 Premier League games in which Rodri did not feature, resulting in a loss rate of 33%. With Rodri, who has played 174 Premier League games for the club and won four successive titles, the loss rate is significantly lower at 10.9%.
Guardiola describes Rodri as irreplaceable but acknowledges his responsibility to find a solution. "Last season, we were three months without Erling (Haaland), five months without Kevin (de Bruyne) and we found solutions," Guardiola said after City's 2-1 League Cup victory against Watford on Tuesday.
Sixth-placed Newcastle will present a tough challenge to City, who have 13 points from their opening five games. Former striker Alan Shearer believes the loss of Rodri could jeopardize City's bid for a fifth successive title. "There isn't anyone better in world football than Rodri at what he does, so to have him out for that amount of time is a huge blow to Man City," Shearer said.
Any slip-up by City at Newcastle could allow Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal, or even Chelsea to take the top spot. Second-placed Liverpool, along with Villa, have 12 points and will travel to bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday evening. Villa will face 17th-placed Ipswich Town on Sunday. Fourth-placed Arsenal, who have 11 points after their clash with City last weekend, will host Leicester City, one of six clubs yet to record a victory this season. Arsenal will be without injured captain Martin Odegaard, and Leandro Trossard is unavailable after being sent off at The Etihad Stadium last weekend. Chelsea, with 10 points, will look to continue their positive form as they welcome seventh-placed Brighton and Hove Albion. Manchester United will host Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
