With Manchester City's Rodri reportedly sidelined for an extended period, Pep Guardiola now faces the daunting challenge of finding a suitable replacement for his irreplaceable midfielder.
The 28-year-old, who is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or next month, limped off during Manchester City's thrilling 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, clutching his right knee.
According to ESPN and Spanish sports daily Marca, tests on Monday confirmed an ACL tear.
It’s the news City fans feared and is a huge blow in their quest to win a fifth consecutive Premier League title.
When the Spaniard has started, City have not lost in the last 48 Premier League matches. In the five games he was absent from the side last season, City lost four of them.
Nobody controls the game and wins back possession as much as he does.
That leaves City manager Guardiola with a predicament, who comes into the team to match his output?
You won't find a player who makes the game look as effortless as Rodri, but City aren’t lacking in quality on the bench to fill the gap in midfield.
Mateo Kovacic is the natural choice to step in and pull the strings.
The Croatian midfielder started the first four Premier League games of the season in Rodri’s absent and was particularly impressive in their opener against Chelsea last month.
City's No. 8 was tasked with playing a deeper role than usual to cover for Rodri, and he adapted to the more disciplined position with great success.
He showed great composure on the ball, demonstrating excellent judgment on when to retain possession and when to advance it through the lines. His performance was so assured that City didn’t seem to feel Rodri’s absence.
In the second half, as Chelsea grew into the game, his defensive duties increased, yet he still positioned himself well, made crucial interceptions and handled the defensive side of his role impressively.
He then put the finishing touch on the 2-0 win, capping off a surging run with a flawless right-footed shot that found the bottom left corner of Chelsea's net.
Though he did lose possession a few times, Kovacic didn’t let those mistakes faze him. His confidence and composure on the ball allowed him to brush off the errors and continue dictating play.
That same confidence also helped young Rico Lewis seamlessly slot into midfield alongside him, freeing up Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva to play higher up the pitch in pockets of space.
Kovacic's fine performance also wasn't lost on Guardiola, with the Spaniard telling media after the match: "Rodri is massively important for us so it's important to have Mateo [Kovacic] here because he is an experienced player and a great person. He made a good performance."
While Kovacic is the obvious choice to step in, it's unlikely he will be tasked with anchoring the midfield alone, as Rodri does. He will likely need support from players like Lewis or Ilkay Gundogan, who has dropped deeper when required.
Losing arguably their most influential player isn’t ideal for City, but Kovacic has shown he has the tactical awareness and defensive acumen to ensure City don’t miss Rodri too much.
