MCFC will be without Rodri as the 27-year-old midfielder serves his final game of his three-match ban and replacing him will be the biggest headache for Guardiola when Manchester City take on Arsenal this weekend.
The defensive midfielder is one of the best in the world so his absence will be a big blow but on paper, the MCFC boss has players who are like-for-like replacements for Rodri. City have Kalvin Phillips and Matheus Nunes plus there’s also John Stones who can play as a defensive midfielder.
Stones is yet to play for Man City this season but he’s returned to training and everyone thought the England international will be available for selection for Sunday. However, Pep Guardiola has made it clear that John Stones will not be ready for the Arsenal tie.
The manager told the press on Friday: “No. He’s not ready to play. Maybe for the national team, but not us.”
With Stones out of the picture, the manager is left with Nunes and Phillips as his next best options but Pep said on Friday that he is yet to decide who is going to partner Mateo Kovacic in the middle of the pitch and it’s a clear indication that he trusts neither of them.
Guardiola said: “We will see – we start to talk today with my staff. This afternoon I will analyse and prepare for the game tomorrow.
“(Rodrigo is) maybe the best or in the top two or three best holding midfielders in the world. Like I said, he’s not here and we’ll have to find a solution with our players and how we want to play.
“Imagine what they can do…. at the moment, in my mind, the player is out, and I don’t’ think about it. I’m thinking of the solution we have.”
Phillips has been a second-string player for MCFC and since joining from Leeds United in 2022, the midfielder has played only 26 games for the club. Matheus Nunes joined from Wolves in the summer with a lot of hope but even he is struggling to find his feet at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola has even come out to claim that he had ‘overexaggerated’ when he called Matheus Nunes ‘one of the best players in the world’.
The manager had said last month(h/t Goal): “Maybe I overexaggerated a little bit. He’s not. He is a really good player but sometimes, maybe I said this comment after 1-5, it was 5-0? But he’s an exceptional player.”
Phillips has hardly gotten game time since joining from Leeds but Nunes did play in 34 Premier League games for Wolves last season so at the moment, the 25-year-old has a better chance of starting on Sunday. Rodri’s void cannot be fulfilled, that’s for sure, but at least Nunes has played 337 minutes of league football this season as compared to Phillips’ 70.
This one will be a very evenly matched contest and after Wolves beat MCFC 2-1 last weekend, Arsenal will be hopeful they can also cause an upset, especially since they are playing at home.
