A blockbuster Premier League encounter turned on its head after Manchester Metropolis noticed midfield linchpin Rodri limp off in loads of discomfort.
Metropolis had began their tussle with Arsenal in red-hot type. An Erling Haaland toe-poke handed Pep Guardiola’s aspect an early lead, and it appeared the perennial Premier League champions have been going to make an early-season assertion in opposition to the group that has come closest to dethroning them in back-to-back years.
However Rodri’s departure set the stage for a Gunners resurgence. A 1-0 deficit quickly turned a 2-1 lead, and Mikel Arteta’s aspect got here inside seconds of claiming what would have been a monstrous win and three factors, regardless of enjoying the whole lot of the second-half with ten males.
It was a efficiency that will’ve inspired Arteta, his squad, and a fanbase seemingly in denial over their group’s mastery of some ‘darkish arts’. Arsenal proved themselves to be Metropolis’s equals on enemy territory, and their title aspirations have solely been emboldened amid hypothesis relating to the severity of Rodri’s harm.
This is the most recent on Rodri’s long-term harm and when he might return to motion.
Rodri collapsed in a heap and clutched his proper knee after making an attempt to make a front-post run at a nook. He was matched stride-for-stride by Thomas Partey, however the Arsenal midfielder didn’t make contact with the Spaniard.
Rodri’s knee buckled within the turf and he was proven to be in appreciable ache whereas receiving remedy. The Spaniard was pressured off which Guardiola hinted post-match was the primary signal of simply how severe the harm was.
“Rodri is robust. He leaves the pitch on this motion as a result of he felt one thing, in any other case Rodri stays there,” he stated after the chaotic 2-2 draw. Guardiola didn’t then know the severity, however reviews emerged the next day which recommended Rodri had torn his ACL.
Manchester Metropolis are but to verify the widespread reviews, with extra exams to comply with. Nevertheless, it does appear possible that Rodri’s knee harm will hold him out of motion for the lengthy haul.
That may rely upon the severity. If the preliminary reviews of a torn ACL are confirmed, Rodri can be sidelined for not less than six months.
Gamers may be out of motion for as much as a 12 months after full ACL reconstruction. Final season, for instance, Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber missed nearly all the marketing campaign after tearing his ACL on the opening weekend of the season. He did not make his second look for the Gunners till the ultimate matchday.
The perfect-case state of affairs of a six-month absence takes us to the top of March as a possible return date for Rodri. Nevertheless, there’s unlikely to be a significant rush for the Spaniard to return for the sake of his profession. If he has torn his ACL, he’ll probably sit out for the rest of the 2024/25 marketing campaign.
Guardiola described Rodri as “irreplaceable” again in March, however the Metropolis boss goes to must discover a method of mitigating the Spaniard’s possible long-term absence.
Kalvin Phillips is not on the town, however Metropolis can as soon as once more name upon Ilkay Gundogan following his return from Barcelona. The German beforehand shone in a holding position earlier than Rodri signed for the membership, with Gundogan enjoying a key position in Metropolis’s 2018/19 title success. The skilled midfielder was additionally utilised because the deepest midfielder at occasions down the stretch throughout the treble marketing campaign.
John Stones has additionally had success enjoying in midfield alongside Rodri, however the Englishman has primarily carried out a hybrid position which concerned shifting between the centre of defence and the midfield pivot relying on whether or not Metropolis have the ball.
Can he carry out a extra conventional #6 operate?
Reasonably than choosing a like-for-like alternative within the 3-1-6 configuration he is opted for in the beginning of the brand new season, Pep is extra more likely to deploy a double pivot forward of three defenders. Rico Lewis, Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic, and Matheus Nunes are all contenders for elevated enjoying time.
READ THE LATEST MAN CITY NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
