Guardiola Admits City Feel Exposed Without Midfield Anchor
Pep Guardiola has openly admitted Manchester City’s defensive collapse is tied directly to the absence of Rodri, describing the midfielder as irreplaceable and warning that a return is still weeks away. The city boss made the comments after another chaotic night that exposed just how fragile his side has become.
Rodri has played just one minute of football in the last two months after suffering a hamstring injury in the 2-1 win over Brentford on October 5. That setback followed a serious knee ligament injury suffered more than a year ago, leaving City without their midfield stabilizer for yet another crucial phase of the season.
The 29-year-old will miss Sunderland’s visit to the Etihad this weekend and is also ruled out of the Champions League trip to Real Madrid next Wednesday. Those absences matter because City do not just miss Rodri’s tackles or passing; they miss the control he brings to the entire structure of Guardiola’s side.
Guardiola made that point brutally clear when reflecting on Tuesday’s wild 5-4 victory over Fulham, a match City almost threw away after leading 5-1.
“Rodri is another level,” Guardiola said in his post-match media duties.
He went further, explaining that Rodri’s influence goes far beyond touches of the ball.
“If Rodri came on for the last 20 minutes against Fulham, put right in the middle, do you know the effect? Just his presence. The other 10 players feel safe, better. They play better even if he doesn’t touch the ball. Just the fact that he is there.”
The numbers make uncomfortable reading for City supporters. Guardiola’s side have conceded 10 goals in their last four matches against Fulham, Leeds, Bayer Leverkusen, and Newcastle. Despite scoring 32 goals, the most in the Premier League so far, they have also shipped 16, a worse defensive record than any of the other top six teams, including this weekend’s opponents, Sunderland.
Guardiola insists that Rodri’s value is not just technical but psychological.
“There are irreplaceable players, not just for how good they play; it’s what they do for the other ones,” he said.
“The others say, ‘I have Rodri there,’ and they give him the ball and know he won’t lose it. He knows when the space is free to switch play; he’s unique.”
Behind the scenes, City are balancing urgency with long-term caution. December brings six matches across three competitions, but Guardiola has privately and publicly told Rodri to think beyond this winter and focus on longevity, especially with the World Cup next summer, where Spain will arrive as one of the favorites after their Euro 2024 triumph.
“I want desperately for him to come back,” Guardiola admitted.
But the manager is resisting the temptation to gamble with his fitness.
“He started to make training sessions on the pitch already. So hopefully in a few weeks, it can start. When he comes back, he has to do a preseason. He cannot play 90 minutes, 90 minutes, and 90 minutes. When you injure your ACL, your body is completely different.”
The subtext is clear. Manchester City can survive the next few weeks without Rodri, but they cannot truly fix their current chaos until he is back and fully trusted.
The question now is not whether City misses Rodri. It is how many more games they can control without him before the season starts to drift away.