Manchester City’s defeat against Arsenal means that the Premier League champions lost all 3 games during Rodri’s suspension.
The midfielder is a key part of the Citizens’ starting lineup and his sending-off against Nottingham Forest has ended up really costing them.
Asked whether Pep Guardiola‘s side are too reliant on Rodri, the vast majority of fans on X agreed:
We were exposed. It shows that we don’t have a cover of those key players
— Phill Mufamadi (@PhillMufamadi) October 9, 2023
Really too dependent on him man….
— Always Blue(City) (@CmNjam) October 8, 2023
Yah we need a backup for him even if we had to sell phillips
— Natnael (@Natnael01084820) October 8, 2023
Both him and KDB are the spine of our midfield losing both has been a massive blow
— Ash (@Qwuiplash) October 8, 2023
We lost all three games where he wasn’t playing..
— Black_MRC⁴⁴ (@Black0239) October 8, 2023
We depend on him!!!!….He’s our pivot
— 16💡 (@_RodriRole) October 8, 2023
Any team would miss Rodri’s influence
The Spanish international has been a world-class holding midfielder over the last couple of years so his absence was always going to be felt.
Rodri has shown himself to be a key pillar for City, and his influence on results is demonstrated by the team’s win ratio with and without him so far this campaign.
City also had other key absentees
It should be pointed out, though, that one of the main problems against Arsenal, in particular, was City’s lack of creativity. They managed just 4 shots, with 1 on target.
With Kevin De Bruyne out injured, there was very little threat in the final third of the pitch, with most of the chances that the Citizens had coming from Arsenal mistakes.
As Bernardo Silva was asked to play in a deeper-lying midfield role, the onus was very much on Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez to get forward and support Erling Haaland, and it’s fair to say that they didn’t have the best of games.
Combined with Rodri’s suspension, De Bruyne’s injury has also seriously impacted City’s ability to perform well.
