Rodri - 2019/20 Performances

[Phil1]

Hopefully gets that cement out of his boots before his next game.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

I thought he was running in treacle for most of the game today. It would be interesting to see if he’s slower than Gundy

Pace wise I doubt there’s much in it. It’s the speed of thought that worries me about Rodri, his actions seem to take .5 of a second too long.

 

[alexmcity]

Before the red card Spurs didn't have a single shot on target and Rodri was part of that defensively solid performance. Slating him for today's game is daft. He's a great player coming in a transition season for us. Our defensive struggles have a lot to do with the injuries at the back which have disrupted the whole team.

 

[worsleyweb]

Not seeing it at all.

 

[Esteban de la Sexface]

Rodri is going to be an absolute beast. He has the right mentality. Moves the ball ok. Hes brave and looks a leader

 

[ws01]

He's got a lot of classy attributes and I think there's potentially a top player in the making, but I have a lot of doubts about him at this stage.

History tells me that having a player that limited in his speed and agility playing in the position he does will be a consistent liability in the Premier League long term.

 

[Txiki Txiki Bang Bang]

This seems like the Javi Garcia project all over again. A player like Ndidi acting as a sweeper in the midfield along with Rodri might just be what we need to make this work.

 

[City_Sean]

He's far too slow. He gets caught way too high up the pitch and lacks the recovery pace to get back.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

This seems like the Javi Garcia project all over again. A player like Ndidi acting as a sweeper in the midfield along with Rodri might just be what we need to make this work.

I said months ago that I did not understand how we looked at Fern, who has been the best CDM in the league for the past two seasons and thought 'we need to replace him with someone who plays that position in a completely different way'. Rodri has his attributes but for me he is more like Gundogan than Fern, so signing Rodri whilst also giving Gudogan a new contract was a no, for me it was one or the other, not both.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

In the 10 league games we lost in Pellegrini's final season, Fernandinho started 9 of them. In 4 of those games, he was hooked before the 60th minute. In Pep's first season, he played the full 90 minutes in every game we lost other than the 2 he was suspended for.

We got caught on the break time and time again and Fernandinho could do absolutely nothing to stop that. Where he really excelled was in the previous two seasons to this one where we absolutely excelled with a single pivot and two offensive midfielders pushed in front of him as part of a front five keeping relentless pressure on the opposition in their own half.

Where he's not shone as brightly is as half of a double pivot which, oddly enough, is what we've regressed to for much of this season. It hasn't suited us for some time and I don't think it's really correct to hold Rodri at his worst to Fernandinho at his best when the setups have been completely different.

I don't think it's right to play Rodri and Gundogan together because they both add pressure onto one another by occupying similar space and not pressing aggressively into the opposition third.

Return to what made us so successful for the last two seasons in front of him and then judge him. Personally, I see an absolute mountain of talent who is more than capable of doing what Fernandinho did for us but we won't know for sure until he's handed the same role and responsibility.