Rodri once again played the full 90 minutes for Manchester City and delivered an impressive performance in the Premier League draw against Chelsea, emerging as one of the standout players at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City were unable to secure all three points, but the Spanish midfielder was a clear positive on the night. After being eased back with limited minutes in the previous match, Rodri returned to the starting XI and showed his importance by controlling the tempo and dictating play throughout the contest.
According to SofaScore, the number 16 recorded 95 touches, produced four key passes, recovered possession ten times and won eight of his ten duels. His all-round display earned him a rating of 7.8, second only to Tijjani Reijnders.
Rodri also played a decisive role in the opening goal. The midfielder combined quickly with Rayan Cherki in a sharp one-two move, creating the space that allowed Reijnders to break forward and open the scoring. His influence was particularly evident during Manchester City’s dominant first-half performance.
Guardiola praises Rodri’s influence but raises concerns
Following the match, Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Rodri, highlighting the midfielder’s intelligence and composure as key elements in City’s playing style.
“He’s an extraordinary player. His composure makes us play better in many ways,” Guardiola said, as quoted by City Xtra.
Despite the strong performance, the City manager admitted there are concerns ahead of a demanding schedule. With another difficult fixture approaching in just three days, Guardiola suggested that squad limitations could force Rodri to play again.
“That’s the big question mark now. In three days we have another tough opponent. And he has to play or not Kovacic and Nico Gonzalez are not ready, so we’ll see how we manage,” Guardiola explained.
Injury struggles continue for Rodri this season
Rodri’s season has been disrupted by injury problems since winning the Ballon d’Or in 2024. According to Transfermarkt, the midfielder has already suffered four separate injury setbacks, spending a total of 107 days sidelined and missing 20 matches.
So far this campaign, Rodri has featured in just ten games across the Premier League and Champions League. He has yet to register a goal or an assist, logging 550 minutes on the pitch as Manchester City continue to manage his fitness carefully.
