Dismantled, Man City Turns Out To Depend On One Player

Manchester City always loses if Rodri (center) doesn't play (X/@ManCity).

JAKARTA - Manchester City may have a star. However, this tajir team turned out to depend on just one player. No, Erling Haaland but the defensive midfielder Rodri.

When Rodri was absent, Man City always lost. Finally, Man City had to admit the superiority of Aston Villa with a score of 0-1, Thursday, December 7, 2023, early morning WIB. In that match Rodri was absent due to card accumulation.

In that match, Villa's only goal was scored by Leon Bailey. His shot did hit Man City's players so that he changed course a little bit and outwitted goalkeeper Ederson.

The failure shows the existence of a hole in Man City's game when Rodri left.

Man City is indeed a top player. Ederson stood under the bar, then there were Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Bernado Silva, Phil Foden, to Erling Haaland.

However, when he lost Rodri made Man City confused. De Bruyne's absence from undergoing surgery due to a hamstring injury did not seem to affect The Citizens' strength.

It is different when the Rodri midfielder is absent. From the five matches without a complete player named Rodrigo Hernandez Casante, Man City has always lost.

Rodri is truly a midfielder defensive who is able to maintain the balance of the team's play.

He is good at tackles and has accurate passes. He is physically strong with a tall posture. This makes Rodri a beautiful water transporter.

Only the defensive midfielder position is not popular enough. In fact, the player is often called the unsung hero because he has an important role, but like an invisible figure.

Man City manager Pep Guardiola realizes that the team really needs a Rodri. According to him, the team must learn how to win the match even without Rodri.

"Rodri is indeed an important player. However, when he is not on the team, we have to figure out how to win the game," said Guardiola.

"We are six points behind (with the leaders of the standings). We actually want to be at the top of the standings. However, we have played series three times and lost once," he said.

The former Bayern Munich coach said that in previous years, he always found a way to win the game. However, this time Man City seemed to be experiencing difficulties.

"It's my job to find a solution. Change must be made to win the game. When the opposing team plays better than you, then you have to admit it," said Guardiola. Man City returned to play away matches after losing to Villa. This time, The Citizens visited Luton Town's headquarters on Sunday, December 10, 2023, WIB night.

"We have to admit Aston Villa played better. However, now we are focused on fighting Luton," he said.