Manchester City are gunning for another Treble – and pundit Craig Burley has named one player Pep Guardiola just wouldn’t be able to cope with losing.
City made it 11 wins in a row last night, after they beat FC Copenhagen at Parken.
City will take a 3-1 lead back to the Etihad Stadium, with Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden getting the goals in last night’s game.
It was a fine display from City, who showed great control of the game throughout.
One man who really helped City to do this was Rodri, who continues to show just what a vital player he is for Pep.
In the eyes of Burley, he is the one player City just cannot do without…
Craig Burley hails Rodri and believes Man City wouldn’t cope if they lost him
De Bruyne, Foden and Bernardo are the players coming in for the most praise since last night’s game.
All three were terrific in and around the final third.
But Rodri was the man who made every tick, with Rio Ferdinand stating after the game that he was ‘phenomenal’, and the team’s conductor.
He said (ESPN FC): “Out of those three players you’ve mentioned (Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri), they’ve coped without two of them admirably. I don’t think they’d cope without Rodri for a sustained period.
“I think he’s the best all-round midfielder in world football at the moment. I just don’t think there’s anybody who can do what that guy does on a consistent basis.”
Irreplaceable Rodri
Burley is completely right.
The proof is in the pudding. City have lost three Premier League games this season, and Rodri was unavailable for all three of those matches.
City also lost to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup – again, Rodri couldn’t play because of suspension.
We’ve seen City do just fine without Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland. Both of these players are obviously world-class, but City have other players capable of creating and scoring goals.
Rodri is just a complete midfielder.
He doesn’t just sit in front of the defence providing protection. He completely controls games and even offers something in the final third, as evidenced by his six goals and seven assists.
Hopefully, Rodri can stay fit and available for City for the remainder of the campaign.
