Rodri’s importance to this Manchester City side became clear as day once again after their latest 1-1 draw against Newcastle United.
Pep Guardiola recently confirmed Rodri’s season is “over” as he suffered an ACL injury during City’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal.
Unsurprisingly, Mateo Kovacic was earmarked as the 28-year-old’s replacement — considering he was deployed as the Sky Blues’ starting defensive midfielder in the latter’s absence at the start of the campaign,
However, Kovacic did not have his finest game in a Manchester City shirt on Saturday.
The Croatian’s positioning can be called into question in the lead-up to the penalty Anthony Gordon won.
Kovacic was simply positioned far too deep as Bruno Guimaraes was afforded all the space in the world to thread through an incisive through ball behind City’s defence.
- Who is Mateo Kovacic? Step inside the life of the elegant Man City midfielder
Man City have a player who should replace Rodri now
However, the former Chelsea midfielder also struggled in possession against Newcastle.
The decorated technician’s performance was an indicator that he lacks the expansive passing range Rodri has in his locker — both in terms of his long and short passing to help Pep Guardiola’s men up the pitch.
While the former Atletico Madrid orchestrator is one of the best passers in world football, his absence meant the visitors had a difficult time trying to build out from the back at St. James’ Park.
Rodri is an irreplaceable presence in this City side but in such trying circumstances, a player who could prove to Guardiola’s best possible option as an alternative in the number six position is Ilkay Gundogan.
Unlike the likes of Kovacic or other potential alternatives such as Rico Lewis, Matheus Nunes and John Stones, the German has plenty of experience playing at the base of midfield at the highest level.
For Barcelona last season and during his previous spell at the Etihad Stadium, Gundogan has been tasked to play as a holding midfielder on several instances and more often than not, he has been a class act.
Considering the £230,000-a-week (Sport Rac) man turns 34 in October this year, the risks of playing him in such a taxing role could be the physicality it demands in terms of covering ground and contesting duels.
However, much like Rodri, Gundogan’s positioning tends to be excellent — making up for his lack of mobility at times.
Furthermore, unlike Kovacic, the five-time Premier League winner is a brilliant passer of the ball.
In the 2018/2019 season where Manchester City won the Premier League, Gundogan’s passing from that role was sublime — as he virtually operated as a world-class deep-lying playmaker and pulled the strings.
During the veteran’s final campaign as a City player before his return to the club, his excellence in receiving the ball in tight spaces, turning away from pressure and progressing the play was evident during his side’s 6-3 thrashing of Manchester United as well as their 2-1 win against Leeds United.
Out of possession, Gundogan might not be the imposing presence and tackler that Rodri is but he could offer the same degree of technical security and passing range.
Furthermore, the ex-Borussia Dortmund technician is the only player at the club apart from the injured Spaniard who understands Pep Guardiola’s demands from a holding midfielder.
With Manchester City set to face Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Tuesday, Gundogan could give City supporters a taste of what he could bring to the side in a deeper role if Guardiola decides to alter his position.
However, Pep Guardiola could well keep the faith in Kovacic after another run of games.
