Rodri received a red card against Nottingham Forest, and he was suspended for the next three matches. Manchester City faced Wolves in the next Premier League game and lost their first match of the season. The treble winners were unable to find spaces in Wolves’ defence and saw their 100% record end.
This shows how much a player can influence a match. Pep Guardiola is known for his midfield tactics, and his plays involve a lot of participation from the defensive midfielder. Rodri is the centre of everything for Pep Guardiola, and his team often struggles to keep momentum when Rodri is not there. In the last two seasons, Rodri has added a bit more to his game. His contributions on both ends of the pitch are what have encouraged the player and the fans. Let’s take a look at some of the stats that show why Pep Guardiola relies on this Spanish midfielder.
Rodri plays in the heart of the midfield for Manchester City. Pep plays with a three-man midfield, and Rodri sits in front of the two defenders. Last season, Pep made a few changes and made Rodri play alongside John Stones in the midfield. This was the time when Rodri started to contribute more to the attack and showed his qualities on the field.
Rodri has been a perfect fit for Manchester City in the heart of the midfield. He averages more than 100 passes per 90 minutes in the current season and has a massive accuracy rate of 94.5%. Last season, Rodri had an average of 79.5 passes per 90 minutes combined in the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup. With Kevin De Bruyne missing, Rodri gets more hold of the ball in the centre of the park. The above viz shows that Rodri has distributed the ball from the centre to both flanks. He has even tried to find a teammate on the run with some lofted-through balls. This shows the creative side of this young midfielder.
Element of surprise
The 27-year-old scored some sensational goals and created a few to help his side win the treble in 2022–23.
Last season, Rodri chipped in with four goals. The Spanish midfielder likes to test himself from long-range and scored a banger from outside the box. His accuracy rate was a bit low at 28.8%.
Playing in a more advanced role due to De Bruyne’s absence, Rodri already has three goals to his name. From averaging just over one shot per 90 minutes in 2022-23, the player now takes 2.7 shots per 90 minutes and has improved his accuracy rate to 47.4%. This season, he found space in different areas in the opposition penalty box and converted these three chances.
The Spanish midfielder added five assists to his name from 25 shot assist chances in the 2022–23 season. Most of these passes were attempted from outside the penalty box. This season, Rodri has an assist to his name. Although the shot assists have been delivered from similar positions, the player has managed to find more space just outside the penalty box.
From attack to defence, Rodri is present in every situation, which could help his side win matches. Pep Guardiola depends a lot on him, and no one is close to replacing Rodri whenever he is off the field. Pep will demand that Rodri remain fit and keep his discipline to play every match in the remaining season.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
