Pep Guardiola gives stunning response when asked if Man City can cope without Rodri
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Pep Guardiola has suggested Rodri's season-ending injury could cost his side this season's Premier League title.
The Manchester City boss confirmed his star midfielder will miss the rest of the season after limping out of Sunday's 2-2 against Arsenal.
The Spaniard underwent surgery for a knee ligament injury in Spain on Friday after falling awkwardly without contact from any other player.
City had hoped the injury would not be as bad as first feared but Guardiola was given the worst possible news this week as Rodri opted for surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament tear.
It will put the midfielder out of action for around nine months which will see him return for the start of the 2025/26 campaign.
Guardiola must somehow find a way to fill the huge void left by the Euro 2024 winner but doing so may come at a huge cost to the club's ambitions for the season.
The Man City boss told reporters of the magnitude that Rodri's absence will have on his side.
“If we don’t win, it’s because we miss Rodri," Guardiola told his press conference on Friday ahead of Saturday’s lunchtime's trip to Newcastle.
“We are stronger with him. But he’s out for eight to nine months.”
He continued: “Next season he will be here. This season is over. It is what it is at that level. We are here to support him. Good recovery, step by step and we move forward.
"What he gives us we don’t have a similar player but all the players together can replace what Rodri has or has given us since arriving to us.
"We have to find a way to play a lot of months without an important player for us – everybody knows it. We want a speedy recovery for next season.”
Guardiola will hope his side can adapt quickly to life without their talismanic midfielder at St James’ Park this weekend.
Rodri has repeatedly shown his importance to the Premier League champions on the pitch, backed by a statistic showcasing City’s results without him.
According to Opta Joe, each of Manchester City’s last four Premier League defeats have all come when Rodri has not featured in the side.
He boasts a stunning record of 42 wins and 10 draws in his last 52 Premier League games stretching back to February 2023.
In a double injury blow, Guardiola will also have to do without Kevin De Bruyne this weekend.
A groin injury ruled the 33-year-old out of the midweek win over Watford and De Bruyne could even remain on the sidelines until after the international break.
