Manchester City’s latest 2-1 defeat to AFC Bournemouth was proof that they are still missing the injured Rodri.
Pep Guardiola likened Rodri to Lionel Messi recently in terms of how important the midfield maestro is to his City side and admitted that his team are “less strong” in his absence.
Frank Lampard lauded Rodri as “the best midfield player in the world” in a recent interview as well.
Ian Wright touched on Rodri’s injury as a “massive problem” for Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s side could have pointed to their unbeaten record this season as evidence that the Spaniard is not being missed by them.
However, back-to-back losses to Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth exemplify Rodri’s influence on this City machine.
- READ MORE: Who is Rodri? Get to know Man City’s modest midfield maestro who won a Champions League final
Pep Guardiola should test Jacob Wright as Rodri replacement
Against Spurs, one player who impressed was Jacob Wright.
Described as a “highly technical player” by former EDS manager Brian Barry-Murphy via Manchester Evening News, the 19-year-old is a defensive midfielder by trade — who has been compared to Jorginho by figures in the academy — as per the report.
Wright played in a more advanced role against Tottenham, as he was given the license to bomb forward — a responsibility that the youngster seemingly enjoyed as he came close to scoring on two instances.
In Manchester City’s defeat to Bournemouth, a major area of concern for the visitors at the Vitality Stadium was how they struggled to win duels — especially their midfielders such as Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden.
| PLAYER | DUELS WON (GROUND AND AERIAL) |
| MATEO KOVACIC | 2/6 |
| BERNARDO SILVA | 3/6 |
| PHIL FODEN | 5/10 |
| ILKAY GUNDOGAN | 4/5 |
Guardiola admitted Manchester City’s biggest weakness against Bournemouth was their inability to cope with their intensity — which stemmed from having an injury-ravaged squad and a side that was physically outdone once again.
Unlike Kovacic (30), Bernardo (30) and Gundogan (34), Wright is still a very young player and has bundles of energy to offer in terms of covering distance and getting stuck into challenges.
In Rodri’s absence in particular, the two players who have been trialled as stop-gap solutions have been Kovacic and Gundogan — who unlike the Englishman are not natural holding midfielders.
While the Croatian has chipped in with three league goals this campaign, his natural game is not contribute in the final third.
Gundogan, on the other hand looks out of form so far.
Wright, in his brief cameo against Tottenham looked extremely sharp, direct and fearless in his intent.
Furthermore, Manchester City are in need of a level of freshness to their midfield that continues to be dismantled by opposition sides.
Wright, much like a young Rico Lewis did so in defence during the 2022/2023 campaign could prove to be a breath of fresh air if given the responsibility to start in holding midfield.
If the experiment fails, Pep Guardiola would at least have realised that the teenager is currently not fit for first-team football but regardless, it is a punt worth taking as the current options in midfield are failing to convince.
What Guardiola has previously said about Wright
Guardiola was full of praise for Wright after he made his senior debut for Manchester City in their 5-0 drubbing of Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup last season.
The Catalan said via Manchester Evening News: “Jacob has been training with us, and has been progressing really well.”
“That is what the academy is for…to provide players to play minutes when we need them.”
“These young lads have dreams and they have desires and they have to get their rewards. Everything they get, they have earned and won and I’m really pleased for him and the others. I hope the academy continues doing great things for many, many years.”
With Pep Guardiola pointing out how well Wright is progressing, he must rate him very highly.
Perhaps Guardiola might feel that even though the highly-rated midfielder is talented, starting a game might come too early for him.
However, Wright has the makings of a top defensive midfielder and much like in the cases of Phil Foden and Lewis in the past, the best way to see whether he is ready for senior football is by playing him.
