#16 | Rodri - 2020/21 Performances

[lightning Rodri]

No one in the league is making more line-breaking passes. Which puts a massive hole in the theory he only passes backwards.

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It would be very interesting to see where Harry Keane appears in this. He is dropping deep quite a bit and making forward passes I thought.

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

Not at all.

It's almost impossible for a striker to pass through a line of defence given they usually receive the ball on or behind the last line. You can see Sterling is bang in line with Son, for example. I expect most of those unnamed dots below 2 are strikers.

Jesus I'm a little surprised by because he does drop deep, but thinking anecdotally he usually dribbles past players and then passes, so that would explain it.

I mean in terms of numbers received related to their end contribution

 

[oldius]

Rodri has exceptional stats this year; I saw something recently that said he was 1 or 2 in nearly every midfield category. He really is a part of the solution and not a contributing problem.
It is tricky to find the answer because not only did we lose DS, we also lost Vinnie and Aguero (for most of the year). We have Fern approaching the end of his career and we need to also note that KDB is nowhere near his form level, in fact, he is currently fairly unproductive with the ball and his shooting is well off. As he is now the main provider, we are facing a very sticky time.
Most opposition teams now simply sit with 10 behind the ball so there is no space in behind. This relies on exceptionally creative players (hence missing DS) to find the gaps and also a high degree of movement up front. We need to stick together and support the club because we are in a period of transition, no matter how long people say it is. We have huge talents who could become part of the future but they are 16, 17 and 18 and they are not quite ready.

 

[Skybluezoo]

The problem for me is he drops that deep he's stood next to the two centre half's, so yeah he's making forward passes. Can't stones and dias or laporte bring the ball out? I think he's a good player with gundogan but it's painful watching the forwards get out numbered every week

 

[oldius]

The problem for me is he drops that deep he's stood next to the two centre half's, so yeah he's making forward passes. Can't stones and dias or laporte bring the ball out? I think he's a good player with gundogan but it's painful watching the forwards get out numbered every week

It is, but they're outnumbered by a ten-man defence, nearly every week. I think John Stones is recognised as key to this as he can bring it into the midfield and allow the midfielders to play further forward; it was clearly not his instruction in the United game.

 

[samarasra]

I believe his role is Or should be to shield the defence, link up the play and move the ball quickly.
I believe we were after a prime busquets type player but he is not anywhere near that level
I think he is bypassed too easy leaving our defence exposed (hence the double pivot) I don’t think he senses the danger and I don’t think he does anything quickly.
Much like gundogan

Thank you for your reply. I agree with your first sentence but would add that he has the role of retaining possession which is not necessarily always compatible with moving the ball quickly. Looking for a Busquets type player may well be close to the mark but you rightly stress "a prime" Busquets, which was not a 24 yr. old, Busquets. A prime Busquets or a prime midfielder is a not a readily available commodity imo, probably very expensive. We have a pattern of buying players who have yet to reach their prime, if you recall Vinnie, D Silva, Sergio, Ferna etc. reached their prime after they came to City and a few others we bought didn't turn out so well. I disagree somewhat that he is bypassed too easily, if you look back at times this has happened I think you will find that the other midfielders are awol when this happens eg. the recent game where he was slated here for not keeping pace with an attacker chasing down the wing while the rest just looked on. I don't think that a central midfielder should need to patrol both wings as well, it is imo supposed to be a midfield unit, not a 1 man show. I have always believed that a double pivot should be made up of a primarily destructive and a primarily constructive partnership like Giles/Bremner or Neeskens/Cruyff, a provider and a creator rather than a Ferna/Rodri pairing. Next time you watch a full game take note of how often he touches the ball or intercepts without any comment from the "commentators", maybe 70/80% of the time, why might that be, from what I have seen it is because he blocks and passes or receives and passes, even if only a short pass quickly, unnoticed. One of the oldest training practices is the wall pass. The wall doesn't move but the creative player collects the pass from the wall to do his/her creative stuff. Nobody praises the wall, they all love the creator. Look at Domalino's stats graph, how often the ball goes to and from Rodri. Maybe he is being used on the pitch as a moving wall, where solidity is more important than speed and mobility, that's for the one's benefiting from his presence and protection. You may not agree but I think pairing a new creative midfielder ( a genuine midfield player not a part time forward or defender), with positional discipline, will make Rodri a better player and vice versa and consequently City a more balanced team.

 

[SanPellegrini]

“Line breaking passes” - the most important stat you’ve never heard of...

 

[mccity]

“Line breaking passes” - the most important stat you’ve never heard of...

Plenty of people have used the term. Many have used it in reference to John Stones for years.

 

[oldius]

Av seen sourdough bread turn quicker than him!!!

And similarly, the results are worth the wait.

 

[mosssideblue]

Av seen sourdough bread turn quicker than him!!!

No you haven't