16 | Rodri - 2023/24

[domalino]

Oof, just seen Pep’s press conference… Rodri is in the doggiest of dog houses!

Reporter, ‘are you angry with Rodri? the other day you said he was the best midfield player in the world’

Pep, ‘Angry?! Yes the other day I did, but today Rodri is not the best midfield player in the world [scathing look and ironic smirk on his face while shaking his head], angry, yes!’

Peps got no reason to be angry with him.

Rodri has played 439 games in his career and gotten 1 red card. He’s played for at least 2 years knowing he’s the only decent defensive midfielder we have, and can’t risk getting sent off or get injured. Eventually one happened, as it was always going to.

It’s pep and the club who deserve the blame for not having a squad that’s OK when one player gets injured.

Why is Phillips still here? We’re starting an 18 year old RB in midfield over him. I’m sure Phillips is a lovely guy and he’s got every right to get paid the contract he agreed to, but he’s not entitled to a squad place, he’s not entitled to be dead weight in a squad that could really do with a defensive midfielder instead of him.

 

[eyalluvitt]

If we are blaming him for the 3 losses without him we seriously have a bigger problem on our hands tactically and from a squad perspective.

No team should ever be that reliant on one player.

In our heads now, when he misses a game the press say we are doomed, the fans think we are doomed and the team play like they are doomed

 

[super_city_si]

Lewis looked great midweek, Rodri was playing. Kovacic was dynamite start of the seaosn, Rodri was playing. Its amazing how good Rodri plays and by defualt he elevates those around him. I think weve discovered our most important player. 3 games he missed and we lost them all.

we are absolutely fucked if he gets injured

 

[Damanino]

next straight red can be 4 games ban for him so better be careful. that will be 4 lost PL games in a row for us.
or maybe this a way for him to get the much needed rest lol

 

[John Wayne]

next straight red can be 4 games ban for him so better be careful. that will be 4 lost PL games in a row for us.
or maybe this a way for him to get the much needed rest lol

Well this might be a point. As Pep said yesterday, it's a long season and Rodri needed a breather at some point. He's had a break now and we're only two points off the top. With Kev to come back, he will not be so fatigued in the late stage of the season after a layoff.

Rodri has had one red card in his career when he momentarily lost his temper. It was out of character but hardly GBH and he could not reverse the moment of madness once it had taken place. Yes, he needs to shoulder the blame, but we should go easy on someone who is an all-time City great and has done far more good than bad.

The bigger problem is not having adequate cover when he doesn't play. Gundogan could do that job very well when called upon, but now we don't appear to have anyone. Rodri was always going to miss games at some point and we were always going to be in this position.

Rodri's red is the short-sighted view of our problems. Kalvin Phillips is the real problem. He was brought in exactly for reasons like the last two weeks and is not deemed by the manager to be fit for purpose. He needs to be offloaded as a matter of urgency and replaced by a more suitable option. Paqueta's betting investigation is something I'll follow keenly because he can be that man who deputises for Rodri but also makes a more advanced position his own (ie Gundogan). A club like City can be forgiven perhaps for not having an adequate third-choice player in a chosen position, but we should always have an adequate second-choice player. In Rodri's case, we don't.

 

[Keeper!]

Lewis looked great midweek, Rodri was playing. Kovacic was dynamite start of the seaosn, Rodri was playing. Its amazing how good Rodri plays and by defualt he elevates those around him. I think weve discovered our most important player. 3 games he missed and we lost them all.

we are absolutely fucked if he gets injured

100% this, even when Jon Stones cam on we looked 100% better but sadly he was clearly lacking fitness and was blowing after 10 mins.

We are going to have to get Rodri some help, he has been asked to carry this team for too long.

 

[John Wayne]

100% this, even when Jon Stones cam on we looked 100% better but sadly he was clearly lacking fitness and was blowing after 10 mins.

We are going to have to get Rodri some help, he has been asked to carry this team for too long.

Dare I say it, but might a little bit of action for England be exactly what Stones needs? *tin hat*

 

[meeesh]

Peps got no reason to be angry with him.

Rodri has played 439 games in his career and gotten 1 red card. He’s played for at least 2 years knowing he’s the only decent defensive midfielder we have, and can’t risk getting sent off or get injured. Eventually one happened, as it was always going to.

It’s pep and the club who deserve the blame for not having a squad that’s OK when one player gets injured.

Why is Phillips still here? We’re starting an 18 year old RB in midfield over him. I’m sure Phillips is a lovely guy and he’s got every right to get paid the contract he agreed to, but he’s not entitled to a squad place, he’s not entitled to be dead weight in a squad that could really do with a defensive midfielder instead of him.

Soon be January

 

[B\connellblue]

Why is Phillips still here? We’re starting an 18 year old RB in midfield over him. I’m sure Phillips is a lovely guy and he’s got every right to get paid the contract he agreed to, but he’s not entitled to a squad place, he’s not entitled to be dead weight in a squad that could really do with a defensive midfielder instead of him.

Unfortunately we can't force him to leave. So if he doesn't want to find another club we're stuck with him.

 

[domalino]

Unfortunately we can't force him to leave. So if he doesn't want to find another club we're stuck with him.

No, we aren’t beholden to give him a squad place and 20 apps if he refused to leave.

If he wants to sit on a contract, fine, why is that derailing our entire season because there’s no Rodri replacement?