Man City's alarming Rodri statistic hands Arne Slot and Liverpool Premier League title incentive
Liverpool may have struggled to recreate their title winning campaign of 2019-20 in recent years but their rivalry with Manchester city lives on. Many outsiders expected the Reds to struggle after Jurgen Klopp's departure from Anfield, but it's been a positive start to life for Arne Slot on Merseyside.
The Reds sit in second place in the Premier League with four wins from their opening five top flight fixtures, their only defeat being a 1-0 loss against Nottingham Forest earlier this month. Slot's men bounced back in style with a resounding 3-0 win over Bournemouth, to go top of the league, prior to Man City's draw with Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola's men are a point clear of Liverpool heading into this weekend's fixtures but have suffered a major injury blow to one of their key players. The City boss confirmed Rodri will miss the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign after suffering knee ligament damage in their recent 2-2 draw with the Gunners.
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The Spanish midfielder landed heavily on his knee after challenging with Thomas Partey at a corner. The midfield general was unable to continue and forced off the field after just 20 minutes. City had hoped the injury would not be as bad as first expected earlier this week, but Guardiola has since revealed the Spaniard has had an operation and will miss the rest of the season.
"Next season he will be here. This season is over," Guardiola told the Manchester Evening News. "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."
Rodri's injury will be hammer blow for City and opens the door for their Premier League rivals, despite the campaign being just five games old.
Since arriving at City in 2019, Guardiola's side have won an impressive 74 per cent of games with Rodri in the starting XI, losing just 11 per cent of those fixtures. However, when Rodri has been absent, City have won 64 per cent of games won and lost 24 per cent of fixtures.
Given the transfer window is now closed, Guardiola will have to make do with the players he has at his disposal. The percentage of games lost when Rodri has been absent is an alarming statistic that City will be all too aware of.
There's plenty of football to play this season with Liverpool yet to face off against the reigning Premier League champions. They'll be hoping to take full advantage of Rodri's absence and impact that win, loss percentage further.