Manchester City are, obviously, a very good footballing side.

How dependent they are on the services of world-class holding midfielder of Rodri, however, is at least open to debate.

The Spanish international has been ever-present for the Sky Blues this term, making his 41st appearance for the club against Real Madrid in the Champions League – a figure that is taking a toll on the footballer.

“I do need a rest,” the former Atletico Madrid midfielder was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

“Let’s see how we speak, how we live the situation. Sometimes it is what it is.

“I need to adjust. It [rest] is something we are planning, yes.”

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How well do Manchester City do without Rodri?

Let’s take a look at the four domestic games Rodri missed through suspension, shall we?

Newcastle (A – Carabao Cup): 1-0 defeat

Wolves (A – Premier League): 2-1 defeat

Arsenal (A – Premier League): 1-0 defeat

Aston Villa (A – Premier League): 1-0 defeat

Four games, four defeats for the incumbent English top-flight champions. Admittedly, two wins were secured against Luton Town and Huddersfield in the FA Cup – two fixtures the footballer sat on the bench for.

That’s looking like a pretty stark, not to mention concerning, correlation for Pep Guardiola’s men should Rodri need to take a brief hiatus from the first-team.

With only seven games to go in the league, it could be the death knell for Manchester City’s title hopes.

Where and when will the rest be taken?

Critically, also, for how long will the Cityzens be without their star man?

One might imagine the defensive midfielder will be allowed a rest in a game you’d expect the remaining squad to carry the club over the line.

Saturday’s home clash with Luton Town, you would imagine, represents a particularly ideal opportunity.

They couldn’t drop points at home to Rob Edwards’ men, even without Rodri, could they?

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Luis Diaz was so nearly the hero that ensured Liverpool could record a huge victory against Manchester City, despite not offering the finishing touch though – none could fault the efforts of our No.7.

The Colombian’s run against Kyle Walker and Rodri was unbelievable and new angles have been shared thanks to the club’s YouTube account.

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It shows the 27-year-old weaving his way through Pep Guardiola’s side and the reaction of the crowd shows just how much we all appreciated it.

You can watch the full Diaz run (from 15:41) via Liverpool FC on YouTube:

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Luis Diaz may have spurned a couple of glorious opportunities for Liverpool in the second half against Manchester City today, but he also provided one breathtaking moment of brilliance.

With just under 10 minutes of normal time remaining, the Colombian took possession just outside the Reds’ penalty area and surged forward, exploiting a narrow gap between Rodri and Kyle Walker on the halfway line.

The 27-year-old continued to bomb towards the visitors’ box and the Spaniard was even brought to the floor when attempting to vain to halt our number 7.

Walker eventually got back to block Diaz’s cross and turn the ball out for a corner which came to nothing, but Lucho’s brilliance had everyone at Anfield out of their seats with excitement.

You can view the Diaz run from start to finish below, taken from Telemundo’s match coverage and shared via @ValverdeSZN on X (formerly Twitter):

this crazy ass Luis Diaz run pic.twitter.com/OU7m4gIodP

— GC (@ValverdeSZN) March 10, 2024

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Jamie Carragher has backed Dominik Szoboszlai to leave his mark on Liverpool’s impending tie with Manchester City.

The former Red suggested the Hungarian international could be pivotal in ensuring that Rodri and John Stone’s time on the ball is extremely limited.

Whilst it may be a ‘big ask’ for this midfield to get on top of the visitors’, according to Roy Keane, we’re certainly in no shortage of top talent in the middle of the park, despite our injury concerns.

It’s our biggest game of the season, but with the Anfield crowd behind these players, they’ll hopefully feel more than up to the challenge.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of Sky Sports:

"What he does give you is great running power" @Carra23 and Roy Keane discuss the Liverpool midfield pic.twitter.com/MnKbQo9jxc

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 10, 2024

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Danny Murphy has identified one Manchester City player whose influence Liverpool must curb today in order to get a result – and it isn’t one of their prolific forwards.

The firepower of the in-form Erling Haaland and Phil Foden will undoubtedly warrant plenty of attention from the Reds’ defence, but the 46-year-old believes that one of their teammates could be every bit as crucial today.

In his column for the print edition of The Daily Mail (10 March, page 95), the former LFC midfielder wrote: “All the evidence suggests when Rodri is allowed to run the game, City don’t lose. He’s unbeaten in his last 60 games for the club – a mind-blowing statistic. 

“Nullifying Rodri is a hugely difficult ask and Klopp will point to the firepower in his own team to question why he should adapt for the opposition. I also think Liverpool have someone in their ranks who can do the job.

“Dominik Szoboszlai has the athleticism to try to do it and it would help Liverpool get a result. If Wataru Endo was deployed to push up onto Rodri, it would take him into an area of the pitch he doesn’t normally play, so it would be Szoboszlai for me.”

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For all the garlands understandably heaped on the likes of Haaland and Foden, Rodri is the beating heart of this Man City team.

He’s been their best player this season according to WhoScored performance metrics, winning more tackles (2.1) and averaging more passes (105.4) per game than any of his teammates, along with boasting the joint-best match average for aerial duels won (1.8) at the Etihad Stadium.

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Despite playing as a defensive midfielder, the Spaniard carries a notable threat going forward, already netting seven goals this season (Transfermarkt) and taking the fourth-most shots per game (2.1) of anyone in Pep Guardiola’s squad (WhoScored).

Stopping him at source could be crucial to Liverpool’s hopes of victory today, and as Murphy explained, Szoboszlai could be the ideal candidate to pin him back.

The Hungarian may well have a massive role to play at Anfield this afternoon, and if he can stifle Rodri’s influence, it might go a long way towards the Reds getting one over on their title rivals.

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One of Manchester City’s most prominent players has paid Liverpool a big compliment in his assessment of potential challengers for the Premier League title.

Pep Guardiola’s side have won the division in five of the past six seasons, with only the Reds in 2019/20 breaking that monopoly, although we’re currently on course to do so again, carrying a three-point lead just beyond the midway point of the campaign.

Rodri was speaking to City’s official YouTube channel when he gave his two cents on the other teams vying to wrestle the trophy away from the Etihad Stadium, singling out Jurgen Klopp’s side for probably the highest praise of the lot.

The Spaniard declared: “If you ask me, our real contenders are Liverpool because they have the experience of winning in the last years.”

As the only team to stop City from winning the title since 2017, Liverpool have proven more capable than anyone of thwarting Guardiola’s side.

The Reds are well placed to go toe-to-toe with their Manchester rivals once again this season, although they’ll be wary of the Sky Blues’ remarkable ability to put together extended winning sequences at this juncture of the campaign.

Just take it one game at a time, LFC, and hopefully land a direct blow on City when they come to Anfield in March!

You can view Rodri’s verdict on City’s title challengers below (from 2:36), via Man City on YouTube:

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To say that Saudi Arabia have disturbed the status quo in football would not be an understatement but if there’s one club in England who can’t really moan about the power of money in the game – it’s Manchester City.

Despite this, Rodri spoke with the media and had some painfully ironic comments on the Saudi Pro League: “Evidently, European football loses with this situation and it is a very particular opinion of the players who decide to go out to these leagues.

“It is totally understandable due to the amounts of money they offer. I think it’s a personal issue for everyone to decide for themselves.

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“We Europeans don’t really like it. It must be controlled in some way this drain of talent because at first it seemed like it was just veterans in the twilight of their careers, but there are young people now who are leaving. They are respectable decisions, but the people who take action must control this situation.”

Saying that the spending of the new league ‘must be controlled’ is certainly a statement to make for a man who plays for a club who is currently being investigated for over 100 financial breaches themselves.

The argument the Spaniard is making isn’t wrong but when you play for a club that bought its way to success and have consistently overspent in order to get there – you’re not the right person to put the case forward.

You can watch Rodri’s comments on Saudi Arabia via @SkySportsNews on X:

Manchester City midfielder Rodri believes people in charge of football need to take control of the exodus of top players joining the Saudi Pro League. pic.twitter.com/0PIn3j2JWX

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 8, 2023

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Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has explained why Manchester City man Rodri should’ve been sent off against Liverpool last weekend.

The Spaniard had already been booked for a cynical foul after dragging the shirt off a Reds player and shortly after receiving that caution he committed the exact same offence – only for his actions this time around to go unpunished.

Pep Guardiola’s side secured a 4-1 victory on the day and simply outclassed us during the second half at the Etihad, but had the former Atletico Madrid man received his marching orders with the scoreline at 1-1, the game could’ve panned out rather differently.

“I think he was very lucky,” Hackett told Football Insider.

“The thinking with referees is that the second yellow has to be more of an orange card. That shouldn’t be the case.

“This was a foul, for which Hooper awarded a free-kick. It was a pullback, the hands are on the body – it’s a caution every day.

“Some people will say that’s harsh, but not for me.

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“If he wasn’t on a booking, he would have been shown a yellow card. In law, it is required.

“He should have gone, there’s no question.”

Another former top-flight referee Dermott Gallagher also weighed in on the incident recently and he claimed that referee Simon Hooper had made the right decision.

We don’t want to see players sent off but Rodri does certainly seem to get away with a lot of cynical fouls during games and there appeared to be no consistency in the decisions.

There is definitely room for improvement regarding the standard of officiating in the Premier League and even with VAR introduced into the game, we’re still seeing some questionable decisions.

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Liverpool fans mightn’t agree with Dermot Gallagher’s views on the potential red card for Rodri in the Reds’ 4-1 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.

The Spanish midfielder was shown a yellow card in the 33rd minute of the Etihad Stadium clash, at which point the teams were level at 1-1.

Barely a minute later, the 26-year-old bundled Cody Gakpo to the ground, with several players from Jurgen Klopp’s side making a point to referee Simon Hooper about it potentially being a bookable offence.

However, the official kept his cards in his pocket and, after City went on to win emphatically, one might wonder if the contest would’ve been closer had Rodri been dismissed.

Gallagher said that the decision not to send the Spaniard off was correct, believing it didn’t merit a second yellow card.

Speaking on Ref Watch for Sky Sports News, the former Premier League referee stated: “I think the first [booking], the referee’s clever. He doesn’t actually book him for that. If you look, he books him for an accumulation. You see him point and say ‘there’s been fouls here, there and elsewhere.

“The second one [on Gakpo] is a foul, there’s no doubt about that. I think Rodri knows what he’s doing. Is it worthy of a yellow card? I think not. Is it worthy of a second yellow card red card? I think definitely not.”

Gallagher might be an experienced official at the highest level in football, but we can’t go along with him on this one.

The Man City midfielder’s upending of Gakpo was a clear attempt to impede the player without trying to win the ball and merited a yellow card in its own right, irrespective of whether (or whenever) he was previously booked.

Given the gulf in quality between the two teams on Saturday, the result would probably have still been the same if Rodri were sent off after 34 minutes, but Liverpool perhaps might’ve made it more of an even contest had they been one player to the good.

You can see Gallagher’s comments on the incident in full below from Sky Sports News, shared via @footballdaily on Twitter:

No second yellow card

Dermot Gallagher believes Rodri's foul on Gakpo was not worth a second yellow card, despite being awarded one earlier for a similar tackle pic.twitter.com/9k5gXOPOpY

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 3, 2023

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Ashley Williams voiced his bewilderment that Rodri wasn’t sent off during the first half of Manchester City’s game against Liverpool.

In the 33rd minute of today’s Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium, the 26-year-old was shown a yellow card for pulling back Diogo Jota.

In that circumstance, you’d expect a player to toe the line, but barely a minute later the Spain midfielder unceremoniously bundled Cody Gakpo to the ground, with several Reds players making the point to referee Simon Hooper that the incident merited a booking.

The official was unmoved, and Williams – a boyhood Liverpool supporter – was left baffled by the refusal to punish Rodri further.

The former Everton and Wales defender said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “As a fan watching this game, that’s a yellow card, all day long that’s a second yellow card. It’s a confusing one for me. How many of them do you see that get a yellow card?”

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Williams is exactly right to ask why the Manchester City midfielder wasn’t shown a second yellow card for taking out Gakpo.

Irrespective of whether or not he’d just been booked, the incident merited more than just the mere awarding of a foul from Hooper.

Had the referee deemed it a second bookable offence and Rodri been sent off at 1-1, leaving the home side with more than half of the game to contend with being a man down, the subsequent 55 minutes or so could’ve taken on a rather different complexion.

City were evidently the better of the two teams on the day, as the sobering final scoreline shows, although one can’t help but wonder if they’d have had a tougher afternoon of it if they’d been reduced to 10 men when they ought to have been.

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Liverpool defender Andy Robertson was defiant in the wake of criticism from Rodri after Scotland’s 2-0 win over Spain on Tuesday night.

Following the visitors’ defeat at Hampden Park, in which the latter captained La Roja, the Manchester City midfielder derided the style of play from Steve Clarke’s side as ‘a bit rubbish’, accusing them of ‘wasting time’ and indulging in provocation while also sniping ‘this is not football’ (Viaplay).

The Scottish captain was later asked about the ‘temperament’ of the two teams, stoutly defending the home side’s approach to the game while commenting on the Spaniards’ apparent theatrics.

Speaking to Viaplay, Robertson said: “I think they were going down a little bit easily. We were trying to say that.

“We were always going to try and be physical. We wanted to be in their faces. We wanted to win our headers. We wanted to win our challenges. I think we did that and I don’t think we crossed a line.

“In the first half they were rolling around a wee bit much, but they used their experience and they got a couple of us booked, which is fair enough to them. I did think we won that battle and I think we got under their skin a wee bit, especially in the first half.”

Robertson and Rodri won’t have to wait too much longer to line up against one another on the same pitch, as Liverpool go to Manchester City this Saturday.

Ideally the Scottish defender will be on the winning side again in that fixture!

You can see the Reds’ left-back’s post-match thoughts below (comments above from 5:58), courtesy of Viaplay Sports UK on YouTube):

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As the clock ticks towards full time with Manchester City leading Liverpool 3-2 at the Etihad, tempers have flared with Fabinho and Rodri squaring up to each other.

The Reds midfielder committed a foul on the Spaniard who didn’t take too well to the challenge, he leapt up off the turf and went head to head with our No. 3 before Ilkay Gundogan sprinted over and pushed him to the ground.

Rather surprisingly, the former Borussia Dortmund man avoided any card from the referee while both Fabinho and Rodri were shown yellow cards.

There was nothing really in the challenge, but it’s the second time during the game that the City midfielder has reacted poorly to a tackle on him.

Check the incident out below, courtesy of Sky Sports:

Things getting a little bit heated at the Etihad pic.twitter.com/F6yKXmT5Mg

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 22, 2022

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Thiago Alcantara enjoyed another dominating performance in the middle of Jurgen Klopp’s midfield and two incidents involving him and Rodri have been highlighted by some Liverpool supporters.

The first occurred as the Manchester City midfielder appeared to barge his shoulder into the face of our No.6, something which went unpunished by the referee at the time but our man looked hurt by the clash.

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Next comes a tough tackle from the former Bayern Munich maestro where, although he slipped on his way towards his opponent, he absolutely cleared out the 26-year-old and certainly got his own back.

Let that be a lesson to anyone in the Premier League, if you try and get a cheap shot on the 31-year-old off-the-ball – he’ll be back to make amends quickly enough!

You can watch the video of Thiago and Rodri via @DONTLlKE on Twitter:

pic.twitter.com/nalgO89xpK

— . (@DONTLlKE) October 17, 2022

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Thiago Alcantara’s dribbling ability is matched only by a few footballers across the globe and fans on both sides of the M62 were shown why as the Spaniard expertly evaded the press of Pep Guardiola’s men to retain possession for Liverpool.

The former Bayern Munich man put Rodri on his backside before deftly avoiding the incoming Kevin De Bruyne and recycling the ball.

It was a positive first-half overall from Jurgen Klopp’s men, at the time of writing, with the Cityzens regaining control towards the end of the first 45.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of ITV Sport:

Thiago is so silky man pic.twitter.com/ePuigAvno6

— Caulkerloaner (@caulkerloaner) July 30, 2022

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Many will look back at small moments that help decide a title race and the missed handball from Rodri at Goodison Park will certainly be one of those moments.

Speaking with CBS Sport, the Manchester City man gave his surprising take on the events against Everton: “It’s part of football. Sometimes, it was in that picture, in that moment but I just move on. I don’t think much about it.

“We have a Premier League meeting where the referees come and we discussed that.

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“The problem in that game is they put the flag up so we were a bit confused – maybe he was just offside.

“Of course, now I’ve seen the image and the ball is in the part of the hand which you can say it’s a penalty.

“In that moment, I honestly don’t know. I was praying they didn’t give it because I remember it was a tough, tough game.

“Sometimes they give, sometimes they don’t – it’s like this.”

Quite how the 26-year-old can be quite so blasé about the decision is astounding, with the incident being one of the most obvious handballs that has ever been missed.

Seeing as Frank Lampard and his club were issued an apology for the lack of a penalty going there way, will probably help explain this to the Spaniard.

There were plenty of other things that also contributed to the title going to Pep Guardiola’s side but if anyone deserved an apology for Paul Tierney’s mistake, it was us.

You can watch Rodri’s thoughts on the decision via ¡Qué Golazo! on YouTube:

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