Rodri went to the ground, in obvious pain and clutching his knee during Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal today. How badly injured he is knee is remains to be seen, but he seems to have twisted it during an entanglement with Gunners midfielder Thomas Partey.
“I don’t know yet, I didn’t ask the doctors,” City manager Pep Guardiola said.
EFL Cup 3rd Round FYIs
Manchester City vs Watford
Kick: Tue Sept 24 2024, 745pm, Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
Manchester City FC Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Book on the Premier League authored by The Sports Bank Founder Paul M. Banks: go here
Man City Team News
“Rodri is strong. He leaves the pitch in this action because he felt something, otherwise Rodri stays there. He’s the best holding midfielder in the world, he is a potential Ballon d’Or winner, I would love for him to win.
“But it happened in the first minutes. These games with Arsenal are like that and we have to handle it. We did it. We did really good things.”
Guardiola is not overstating the value of Rodri; not at all. Last season saw City really see a major drop in form when Rodri was out injured. He wouldn’t play against Watford in midweek anyway, but looking down the road, they’ll really miss him, if he is sidelined for awhile.
The other major injury concern is also in the middle of the park. Pep made it sound like Kevin de Bruyne (groin injury) could have been in contention to feature today, but we all always kind of new that was nonsense.
De Bruyne was left out of the squad entirely. And again he wouldn’t play in an early round League Cup clash anyway, and we’ll just have to see how long he’s out for.
Nathan Ake and Oscar Bobb remain out long-term.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.