Manchester City have managed to get through their first five Premier League games of the season without losing.
With four wins and one draw under their belt, Pep Guardiola’s side are at the top of the table on 13 points.
In their latest game, City managed to avoid getting beat by Arsenal on Sunday by drawing 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium thanks to a very late equaliser from John Stones.
With a few days now passed since this big clash, a pundit has been left disappointed by a recent piece of news he’s heard about one particular City player.
- READ MORE: Who is Rodri? Get to know Man City’s modest midfield maestro who won a Champions League final
Stuart Pearce left gutted by Rodri injury news after Man City vs Arsenal
Speaking on talkSPORT, (24/9 8:26 AM), Stuart Pearce had this to say when asked about Rodri and the news that the injury he picked up against Arsenal on Sunday could keep him sidelined until the end of the season.
He said: “He’s arguably, for his position, well I wouldn’t say arguably, the best in the world, the best in the Premier League in his position there’s no doubt about that.
“Their win ratio with him in the team compared to him not being in the team speaks volumes as well.
“He’s an outstanding talent, it’s really sad, we want the best ones fit and we want them playing week in, week out.”
Rodri will be a big loss for City
Rodri only made his second league appearance of the season against Arsenal after he spent the first few weeks of the campaign recovering from a hamstring injury.
Having been nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or and even backed by former Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas to win the award over Vinicius Junior, this backs up Pearce’s point about the Spaniard being the best one of the best players in the world.
In terms of how City cope without him, the three league games they lost throughout the previous campaign happened to be the three games Rodri missed through suspension.
However, the Blues managed to win their opening three matches of this campaign before he made what has now turned out to be a rather short return to fitness.
Moving forward, Guardiola will have to find a way to keep his side as strong as possible without having Rodri in it.
