No one wants to see the best operators in football ruled out of the game with nasty injuries.
Least of all Pep Guardiola after watching top holding midfielder Rodri limp off the field of play with a ‘serious knee injury’ during Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
Further tests are expected to take place to clarify an injury timeline. However, it appears likely the Spanish international will miss out on the remainder of the season, as reported on X by David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano.
Rodri expected to miss significant period with serious knee injury. Manchester City midfielder suffered problem in #MCFC’s draw vs Arsenal. Duration not confirmed – tests continue – but 28yo Spain int’l set for long absence. W/ @polballus @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/bZJBqym9hP
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) September 23, 2024
Rodri will undergo more tests in the next hours but Manchester City expect him miss the remainder of the season with ACL injury.
The initial feeling after first tests is for an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee, as @moillorens reports. pic.twitter.com/XVLvDa3tyP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 23, 2024
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Elsewhere, Gary Lineker weighed in on Liverpool’s start to the season and transition under Arne Slot.
READ MORE: 10-game ban could follow after Liverpool defender involved in biting incident
Where does the Rodri injury news leave Liverpool and Arsenal?
Again, we wish to emphasise there’s no desire on our part here at Empire of the Kop to see Rodri sidelined for the rest of the season.
Nonetheless, the inescapable fact remains that the Euros-winner’s absence for the 2024/25 campaign will have a significant knock-on effect as far as Liverpool and Arsenal’s title hopes are concerned.
Without the 28-year-old, Manchester City’s loss rate climbs from 10.9% to 33.3% (albeit from a small sample size), according to research carried out by Opta Analyst.
Assuming that carries over for the course of the season, there’s a very real possibility the playing field will level somewhat for the likes of Mikel Arteta and, potentially, Arne Slot.
We’re still not expecting our Dutch head coach to come away with England’s biggest prize in his opening term in charge. But boy does this awful piece of injury news make things a little more interesting as far as the title race is concerned.
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