Manchester City supporters are sure to be sweating over the fitness of star midfielder Rodri, after he was forced off with an injury in the first half of Sunday's pulsating 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League.
Rodri was given an extended break over the summer after playing 63 games for club and country last season, winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title with City as well as celebrating Euro 2024 glory with Spain - coming off at half time in the final with a hamstring problem.
The 28-year-old was subsequently not involved during pre-season or in any of City's opening four competitive matches, before returning as a substitute against Brentford just over a week ago.
Rodri was then handed his first start of the campaign in the Citizens' 0-0 Champions League draw with Inter Milan, playing the full 90 minutes, and unsurprisingly retained his starting spot for the Premier League showdown with Arsenal on Sunday.
However, City's influential lynchpin was taken off in the 21st minute after he appeared to jar his knee during an innocuous coming-together with Arsenal's Thomas Partey at a corner.
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Man City were leading 1-0 prior to Rodri's injury thanks to Erling Haaland netting his 100th goal for the club, but just a minute after their No.16 had left the pitch, Riccardo Calafiori equalised for Arsenal with a stunning side-footed strike.
Pep Guardiola was unable to provide a significant update about Rodri's injury at his post-match press conference, but he admitted that the Spaniard had to leave the pitch because "he felt something".
However, reports have since emerged claiming that Rodri could be ruled out for the rest of the season as tests show that the midfielder has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee.
Labelled by Guardiola as "the best holding midfielder in the world" and 'a potential Ballon d'Or winner' at next month's ceremony, Rodri's absence would be considered a huge blow for the Citizens.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at Man City's record without Rodri in their side.
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Man City have won 74% of matches in all comps with Rodri
Since Rodri joined Man City from Atletico Madrid for around £62.5m in the summer of 2019, the Citizens have won 74%, drawn 15% and lost just 11% of the 260 matches in which he has played in across all competitions.
In comparison, the Citizens have won 64%, drawn 11% and lost 24% of the 45 games they have played without the Spaniard.
Man City have recorded a total of 129 wins from a possible 174 Premier League matches since Rodri's debut in the 2019-20 season, as well as drawing 26 of those fixtures and losing just 19 times.
The midfielder is remarkably still unbeaten in 51 league games - his last defeat came against Tottenham Hotspur (1-0) in February 2023 - which is the longest run any player has had in Europe's top-five leagues since he joined Man City in 2019.
Guardiola's side boast a win percentage of 74.14% with Rodri on the pitch and have picked up an impressive 413 points in that time, while they have only come out on top in 61.9% of their top-flight matches without the Spaniard - that percentage has increased by over 5% this season thanks to City winning their opening three league games this season without Rodri.
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Man City have failed to win almost 40% of PL games without Rodri
In total, Rodri has been absent for 21 Premier League games and Man City have won 13, drawn one and lost seven of them, accumulating 40 points and dropping a further 23 in the process.
The reigning champions average 2.37 points per game when Rodri is strutting his stuff on the pitch, but that figure decreases to 1.86 when he is not available.
Indeed, Rodri's absence was truly felt last season as Man City lost all three Premier League games that he was suspended for - all away matches against Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa. He also watched on as an unused substitute during a 5-1 win over Luton Town.
As previously mentioned, Man City have since coped without the presence of Rodri at the start of this season, winning their opening three Premier League matches against Chelsea, Ipswich Town and West Ham United - the Spaniard was an unused substitute for the latter fixture at the end of August.
Who could replace Rodri at Man City?
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Man City arguably do not have a like-for-like replacement for Rodri, but they still have a number of midfielders and versatile options at Guardiola's disposal who could fill the void.
Mateo Kovacic was handed a start in each of City's first four competitive matches of this season in the absence of Rodri and would be expected to feature regularly in a deep-lying role once again.
Rico Lewis has been at standout performer for the Citizens this term, operating in a hybrid right-back role that allows him to drift into midfield, and Guardiola is set to continue using the highly-rated 19-year-old in that position, regardless of Rodri's availability throughout this season.
Guardiola may also consider using fellow defender John Stones in a similar way, while Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Matheus Nunes are three other first-team options who could play in a deeper midfield role, although the former is currently nursing a groin issue and while he is not expected to be sidelined for too long, his potential return is currently unknown.
Man City, who sit top of the Premier League after drawing with Arsenal, have little time to prepare for Tuesday's EFL Cup third-round tie at home to Watford, before travelling to St James' Park to take on Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.
Guardiola's men will then prepare for a Champions League trip to Slovan Bratislava and a Premier League home game against Fulham before the next international break in mid-October.
Oliver Thomas
