Rio Ferdinand has said that Manchester City would not have lost to Wolves if Rodri was in contention to play.
Speaking on FIVE’s official YouTube channel, the popular pundit gave his two cents on the £63 million (Independent) man, who served the second of his three-match suspension on Saturday.
However, Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester City would not have suffered a 2-1 defeat to Wolves had Rodri been in the side.
Rio Ferdinand says Manchester City lost to Wolves due to the absence of ‘indispensable’ Rodri
Branded as ‘complete’ by Frank LeBouef, the Spanish international is widely regarded as the best defensive midfielder in the world.
Due to Kalvin Phillips’ struggles in sky blue, Pep Guardiola’s men lack an understudy to the 27-year-old who could fill his boots to a commendable extent at least.
As that was evident against Wolves with Manchester City new-boy Mateo Kovacic having a game to forget, Rio Ferdinand emphasised the importance of the suspended Rodri at the Molineux Stadium.
“I think Rodri, it’s already proven that they lost against Wolves, they would never lose against Wolves with Rodri there, I think. This guy is indispensable for that team”, he said.
No Rodri against Arsenal is a huge blow for the treble-winners
Well, if Manchester City can look as out-of-sorts as they did against Wolves without Rodri, as Rio Ferdinand said, imagine the effect his absence could have against Arsenal next Sunday.
With Bernardo Silva and John Stones’ injury statuses being up in the up air, the team could also well lack the perfect partner to the makeshift defensive midfielder against the Gunners, be that Mateo Kovacic or Matheus Nunes as Kalvin Phillips’ prospects of starting seem unlikely.
Rodri’s presence is not only vital due to how incredible he is defensively and how much of a role he plays in halting transitions.
But going forward, the three-time Premier League winner’s powerful ball-carrying, clever chance-creation and threat in the final third due to his increasing goal threat make him such a key cog to his side.
As a result, Manchester City could well be affected both offensively and defensively against Arsenal due to his unavailability.
