In the past 14 period, the Spanish midfielder has found himself largely unavailable due to an serious knee injury suffered in a match with Arsenal, accumulating just 588 minutes of play with Manchester City because of multiple relapses, the most recent of which ruled him out from Wednesday’s 4-1 triumph over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Even though Pep Guardiola has indicated that “his absence won’t be long-term,” the 29-year-old is fundamental to the coach’s system. Below, we evaluate the replacements …
Nico Gonzalez
“The first option if Rodri is unavailable is definitely Nico. Nico is showing steps forward,” Guardiola remarked prior to Sunday’s 3-1 victory versus Bournemouth. Measuring 6ft 2in and only 23 at the time he was acquired for a significant fee from Porto in the recent transfer window, González is almost replica of Rodri. Actually, Guardiola described the former Barcelona player as a “young Rodri” in the past, yet against Bournemouth there were moments when he was pressured and lost possession in midfield in a way Rodri, at his peak, would not be. There is no disgrace, however, in not being in the same league as the Ballon d’Or winner.
The Croatian Veteran
The long-term loss of City’s sole other holding midfielder with an ankle issue could be a challenge for City in case Nico also suffer an injury during Rodri’s absence. Kovacic has shone regularly for City since moving to the club from Chelsea for £25m in June 2023 and has a track record that demonstrates he is a top-class talent. The Croatian’s previous teams feature Dinamo Zagreb, Inter and Real Madrid. He holds a plethora of honours to his name, like one La Liga title, one Premier League title and four Champions League victories.
The Academy Graduate
The young defender has accumulated 103 games for City, almost a fourth of which have been as a defensive midfielder. The homegrown player is versed in the spatial awareness, technique, challenges and stamina the duty requires in a Pep’s side, yet the manager has pointed to Lewis’s 5ft 7in height as a drawback in that role. “It’s important to have strength, for obvious reasons,” he said. “It was lower [needed] in Barcelona, Bayern Munich [Guardiola’s former teams].” Approaching 21 soon, Lewis is still developing and has room for development.
The Versatile Defender
“What he brings to the pitch is superb ability as a central defender and potentially as a pivotal No 6.” That opinion there by Thomas Tuchel and it reflects Guardiola concerning the ‘Barnsley Beckenbauer’. Among Stones’s 408 club games, 27 have come as a defensive midfielder and he shone in that role when stepping up from the back line to play alongside Rodri in City’s UCL final win over Inter. “The all-round vision was the toughest for me,” Stones noted about playing in the position. “I haven’t got that – I think I’ve improved, but that’s from figuring out where to receive the ball and how to handle it in particular moments.”
Reijnders
The midfielder joined City from Milan this past transfer window as a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne. As he put it himself at the recent Club World Cup: “Playing as an attacking midfielder is why they [City] got me. Now I have to fill the No 8 and do my best to show that I deserve to start.” With González dealing with a fitness issue, Reijnders started as a defensive midfielder in the recent 1-0 loss at Aston Villa and was pushed forward when the Spaniard was substituted on around the 60-minute mark, the episode offering a indication of where he fits in Guardiola’s plans, that is as a backup.
Matheus Nunes
Of Brazilian origin Portugal international has made merely nine times as a holding midfielder throughout his career with the single outing in the position for City taking place against Nottingham Forest in September 2023. He lasted the 90 minutes and contributed an assist in a 2-0 triumph.
Kalvin Phillips
City’s forgotten man is still only 29. He has played as a deep midfielder on 164 occasions throughout his career and did well enough in the role to be called up by England. Yet, it is apparent he does not have the confidence of Guardiola.
