Rico Lewis is accustomed to winning trophies since becoming a first-team player at Manchester City — winning successive Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy in a treble-winning season, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Rico Lewis will be hoping that Manchester City can replicate their success since his breakthrough this campaign as well.
Lewis has started 25 league games under Pep Guardiola in total — more than any other teenager he has coached in his career.
The Manchester City youngster has even started seven out of eight Premier League games for his boyhood club this campaign — as he continues to make a case for why he should be his boyhood club’s starting right-back for the foreseeable future.
However, Rodri’s season-ending injury has complicated matters for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Phil Foden hailed Rodri as Manchester City’s “most important player” after the Englishman scored a hat-trick in his side’s 4-1 clobbering of Aston Villa last season.
- READ MORE: Who is Rodri? Get to know Man City’s modest midfield maestro who won a Champions League final
Rico Lewis reveals how the Man City players must handle Rodri absence
Ilkay Gundogan backed Pep Guardiola to be able to replace Rodri by finding a novel solution to his absence.
Ian Wright claimed Rodri’s absence is a “massive problem” for the Premier League winners as well.
Ahead of Manchester City’s contest against Sparta Prague, Lewis claimed that his teammates must come to the collective goal of not letting the Spaniard’s injury-stricken absence affect them this season.
The 19-year-old said via BeanymanSports: “I mean, everyone knows how important he is and that’s been seen over the last two, three seasons of how big of a player he is. I think it’s more the manager coming up with solutions and then we’ve just got to figure out on the day, in the game, on the pitch of how to execute them more so than us trying to figure it out ourselves.”
“I think Kova’s [Mateo Kovacic] done such a good job of doing that already in the recent games but even though he’s such an important player, us as players have to come together and say, we’ve got to do it this season without him.”
A few weeks ago, it was claimed that Manchester City are likely to sign a replacement for Rodri in January; with their ideal target being a player with Premier League experience.
Joao Palhinha was ruled out as a Rodri replacement last month — as he struggled to nail down a starting berth in Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich side.
But in the meantime, all Pep Guardiola and Co. can do is adapt in the 28-year-old’s absence.
Pep Guardiola addressed whether Man City are missing Rodri
In the first week of October, Guardiola addressed Rodri’s absence by answering whether his City side are missing his all-conquering presence in midfield.
“I think it’s too easy to say this analysis. With Rodri, we drew two games, without him, we won all the games this season.”
“If it’s one player who makes all the time, a mistake, a mistake, a mistake, next game, he’s not going to play, it’s simple. We have a business, we have to perform well. But it is not the case.”
Pep Guardiola added that where Manchester City might have to tighten up as a side is while defending counter-attacks and during set-pieces; areas where Rodri would play a key role in keeping opposition sides at bay.
“Maybe we have to reflect on the goals, how is it, normally, it’s in transition, in set-pieces, because without Rodri, we lose this power because he’s another guy, he’s so strong in this position.”
“But we have to live without him and see what we can do with the ball. So yeah, we’ll talk, we’ll see, we’ll reflect on what we miss to be more consistent.”
Much like Lewis, Guardiola does not seem ready to accept that just because Rodri is injured, all hope is lost for Manchester City.
Regardless of how the Sky Blues end up dealing with the former Atletico Madrid midfielder’s injury, it is clear to see that the mentality within the squad is tailor-made to continue being successful.
Pep Guardiola will likely be satisfied by Lewis’ latest declaration.
