Manchester City are still unbeaten in all competitions this season.
With five Premier League games played, as well as the Community Shield final and their opening matches in the Champions League and Carabao Cup, City have not lost any of their games.
Pep Guardiola’s side have managed to do that whilst dealing with numerous issues involving the fitness and availability of some of their players.
For example, the likes of Oscar Bobb, Kevin De Bruyne and Nathan Ake have been hit with injury issues at different stages of the campaign.
Now though, one pundit and former City player has shared his thoughts on a piece of news he’s heard recently about one key figure at the Etihad Stadium.
- READ MORE: Who is Micah Richards? Step into former Man City right-back and larger-than-life pundit’s world
Micah Richards reacts to Rodri injury news
After it was reported that Rodri could be set to miss the remainder of the season with the knee injury he picked up against Arsenal, Micah Richards had this to say about the situation in a recent edition of The Rest Is Football.
He said: “Yeah, it’s staggering. He’s the best holding-midfielder in world football. I think we all agree on that.
“I think it’s been a little bit of a masterstroke, getting [Ilkay] Gundogan back in. And obviously [they] didn’t know Rodri was going to get injured.
“People forget, they’ve still got Matheus Nunes, who they got from Wolves, who’s a very good player.
“But in terms of the system that Man City want to play on the ball and the way they dictate play, Nunes has not stepped up enough yet, with the games he’s been given. And it’s been difficult.
“But now we know Rodri can play number six, he can play number eight, he can play a number 10. But it’s a huge miss.
“It’s not just his stature, it’s not just his passing. He knows the tactical plan. He controls the tempo of football matches and not a lot of players can do that.
“And if you see where he receives the ball, just when you think the opposing team is pressing and they’re going to get the ball, Rodri just somehow managed to wiggle his way out, starts the attack for Man City and they get out.
“I’m absolutely devastated for him. It’s a sad day for Man City.”
Rodri is an important figure for City
Looking back over the previous Premier League campaign, Rodri appeared in all but four of City’s 38 matches.
To highlight how significant his absence is, the three league games City lost last season were the three matches the Spaniard missed through suspension.
The midfielder ended the campaign with the highest total of successful tackles (43), recoveries (235), progressive passes (376) and shot-creating actions (157) at the Manchester club.
This all makes it understandable why Richards thinks potentially having Rodri out of action for a significant period of time is a big blow for City.
