Pep Guardiola has become the master problem-solver during his eight years at Manchester City to keep his side at the top of English football.
He has had to manage without club icons such as Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero for extended periods in the past, and still found a way to win.
But now, he may have been handed his biggest dilemma yet – coping without Rodri. City’s star midfielder went down in agony during the ill-tempered 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday and the club now fear he set to miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.
Rodri is arguably City’s most important player, dictating the tempo of the game week after week, but Guardiola must now find a different solution in the middle of the park to ensure his team remains a dominant force.
Mail Sport has taken a look at the options available to the Spanish manager as he prepares to deal with the loss of the Ballon d’Or contender.
Rodri has suffered a serious knee injury that could keep him out for the rest of the season
Pep Guardiola must find a way to cope without Rodri if his side are to defend their title
Recall Kalvin Phillips
Kalvin Phillips‘ career has gone downhill rapidly since he joined City back in the summer of 2022.
Having arrived for £45m from Leeds, he struggled to get any game time in his first 18 months at the club, before being loaned out to West Ham for the second half of last season.
That spell in east London did not go to plan, as Phillips failed to rediscover his best form, leading to him missing out on England’s Euro 2024 squad.
He has since been sent out on loan again to newly-promoted Ipswich Town, but could City recall him to strengthen their midfield?
This option is actually not available to City as there is no recall clause in Phillips’ contract. Therefore, he will remain at Portman Road for the remainder of the season, and Guardiola will have to look elsewhere to fill the void left behind by Rodri.
Kalvin Phillips will not be going back to City as there is no recall clause in his Ipswich contract
Dip into the transfer market
City had a relatively quiet summer transfer window as they only added winger Savinho and re-signed Ilkay Gundogan.
They have also been reluctant to do any business in January in recent seasons, but may need to re-think their strategy this time around.
If Guardiola is not convinced he has the perfect Rodri replacement at his disposal, a dip into the winter market cannot be ruled out.
Martin Zubimendi came on for Rodri at half time in the Euro 2024 final against England when the City man picked up an injury in the first half, and did a fine job as Spain went on to lift the trophy.
He was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool in the summer before opting to stay at Real Sociedad, but City may decide to test his loyalty to the Basque club again in January by making a tempting offer.
City also looked at Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes over the summer, and he may be back on their radar.
Guimaraes is yet to produce his brilliant best at St James’ Park this season, but is a player that Guardiola has admired ever since the Brazilian arrived in England.
Martin Zubimendi (pictured) turned down Liverpool in the summer, but City could try to tempt him to England in January
Guardiola likes Bruno Guimaraes, but the Newcastle captain has struggled in the opening weeks of the season
Gundogan to the rescue
Gundogan produced a number of clutch moments in his first spell at City, and may now need to take on even more responsibility upon his return to the club.
Guardiola is a huge fan of Gundogan’s versatility, trusting him to play in multiple positions on the pitch.
But is Gundogan a natural No6? He was selected for this role ahead of Rodri for the 2021 Champions League final and it didn’t work out as City slipped to a shock defeat at the hands of Chelsea.
The German star also turns 34 next month, and it would be a big ask for him to reach Rodri’s level on a consistent basis at this stage in his career.
Gundogan may be able to do a job in some matches, but whether he can stand up in the big matches against England and Europe’s elite as a No6 is a different matter altogether.
Ilkay Gundogan could replace Rodri, but expecting him to reach the Spaniard’s level as he approaches his 34th birthday is a big ask
Turning to John Stones… again
City were at their unstoppable best when Guardiola decided to move John Stones into midfield for the final weeks of the 2022-23 season.
They overhauled Arsenal in the title race and saw off the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Inter Milan to win the Champions League for the first time.
Stones has been used more sparingly in the last 12 months after some fitness setbacks. It also should be pointed out that he flourished in midfield alongside Rodri rather than instead of him.
But the ball-playing centre back has looked at home when he has moved into midfield, and he proved his importance to City on Sunday by popping up with a last-gasp equaliser to deny Arsenal a famous victory at the Etihad.
The 30-year-old has run the show before on the biggest stage, and Guardiola could hand him an extended run back in midfield this season to cover for Rodri.
John Stones proved his importance to City by scoring a last-gasp equaliser against Arsenal
Stones starred in midfield in the 2023 Champions League final against Inter Milan, but has been used more sparingly over the past 12 months
A change in formation
Guardiola could also look at relying on Mateo Kovacic, Rico Lewis and Bernardo Silva moving forward.
Kovacic is vastly experienced and has made a strong start to the season, scoring a brilliant solo goal against former club Chelsea on the opening day.
Then you have Lewis, who is only getting better and starred for England during the recent international break. The teenager can play in either full back position or as a central midfielder, and looks set to be a star for City for years to come.
But at just 5ft 6in, he lacks the physicality of Rodri, and this may concern Guardiola when his side play the best teams in Europe.
Meanwhile, Silva is even more adaptable, but is not an obvious Rodri replacement, which could lead to Guardiola tinkering with his formation and reverting to a two-man midfield pairing to offer extra protection.
This could see two out of Gundogan, Kovacic, Lewis and Silva get the nod, at least in the interim period, starting with Saturday’s trip to Newcastle.
Mateo Kovacic has started the season well, and scored against former club Chelsea on the opening day
Teenage star Rico Lewis is an option to play alongside Kovacic in a two-man midfield
Bernardo Silva could also drop deeper to offer more protection to the back four
Is Rodri irreplaceable?
Just days before suffering his ACL injury, Rodri suggested players could go on strike if the football calendar does not change as he raised concerns about too many matches being played.
Of course, his schedule could have been eased by Guardiola if the City boss had rested Rodri from time to time, but he has been very reluctant to do this in recent seasons and it isn’t hard to see why.
Since his arrival in 2019, City have won 74 per cent of their matches when Rodri has played, compared to 64 per cent without him.
His importance has only grown over time. Last term, Rodri did not play in four league games, and City lost three of them.
Guardiola has been heavily reliant on Rodri, but must now cope without his star midfielder
He is the player that makes City tick, and seeing his name missing from the teamsheet will offer hope to opponents for the rest of the season.
Can City find a way to be successful without Rodri pulling the strings? Don’t put it past Guardiola to come up with a magic formula once more.
