In the past 14 months, the Spanish midfielder has been predominantly unavailable due to an serious knee injury suffered against Arsenal, accumulating a mere 588 minutes on the pitch with Manchester City owing to recurring issues, the latest of which ruled him out from the midweek 4-1 triumph over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. While Pep Guardiola has mentioned that “his absence won’t be long-term,” the 29-year-old remains fundamental to the manager’s vision. Below, we examine the alternatives …
Nico Gonzalez
“The first option in the event that Rodri is unavailable is definitely Nico. Nico is showing progress,” Guardiola stated ahead of Sunday’s 3-1 success against Bournemouth. Measuring 6ft 2in and aged 23 at the time he was signed for a substantial sum from Porto this season, the midfielder is practically mirror image of Rodri. In fact, Guardiola referred to the ex- Barcelona player as a “young Rodri” in the past, however in the match with Bournemouth there were moments when he was caught and dispossessed in midfield as Rodri, at his very best, would avoid. It is little shame, though, in falling short of being in the same league as the Ballon d’Or winner.
Mateo Kovacic
The ongoing unavailability of City’s sole other deep-lying midfielder due to an ankle injury could be a challenge for City should Nico also pick up an injury during Rodri’s absence. Kovacic has shone consistently for City since arriving at the club from Chelsea for £25m in June 2023 and boasts a resume that demonstrates he is a top-class talent. The Croatian’s past employers feature Dinamo Zagreb, Inter and Real Madrid. He possesses a plethora of accolades to his name, like one La Liga title, one Premier League title and four Champions League winner’s medals.
Lewis
The young defender has made 103 appearances for City, nearly a fourth of which have been as a holding midfielder. The local talent is proficient in the 360-vision, technique, tackling and energy the role requires in a the manager’s side, yet the manager has highlighted Lewis’s relatively short stature as a drawback in that role. “It’s important to have presence, for clear reasons,” he said. “The need was reduced [needed] in Barcelona, Bayern Munich [Guardiola’s former teams].” Turning 21 soon, Lewis is young and should only continue to improve.
The Versatile Defender
“His contributions to the pitch is outstanding skill as a central defender and possibly as a key No 6.” That opinion there by Thomas Tuchel and it reflects Guardiola in regards to the ‘English defender’. Out of Stones’s 408 matches at club level, 27 have come as a deep midfielder and he shone in that role when moving forward from central defence to play next to Rodri in City’s 2023 Champions League final victory over Inter. “The all-round vision was the most difficult for me,” Stones admitted about playing in the position. “It doesn’t come naturally – I feel I’ve improved, but that comes from learning where to take possession and how to control it in specific scenarios.”
Reijnders
The midfielder joined City from Milan during the off-season as a stand-in for Kevin De Bruyne. In his own words at the recent Club World Cup: “Playing as an attacking midfielder is why they [City] signed me. My task is to play in that position and do my best to prove that I deserve to start.” As Nico nursing a knock, Reijnders started as a defensive midfielder in the recent 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa and was pushed upfield when the Spanish player came on shortly after the 60-minute mark, the episode giving a glimpse of where he ranks in Guardiola’s considerations, that is as a backup.
The Portuguese Midfielder
Born in Brazil Portugal star has made merely nine matches as a defensive midfielder throughout his career with his sole outing in the position for City taking place against Nottingham Forest in September 2023. He lasted the 90 minutes and contributed an goal-setting pass in a 2-0 triumph.
Phillips
The club’s forgotten man is just 29. Additionally, he has played as a holding midfielder on 164 instances in his career and did well enough in the role to be called up by England. Yet, it is evident he does not have the confidence of Guardiola.
