How Do Man City Cope Without Rodri?

[@WuRuYi]

Loving the discussion in these comments. JLA community has the most knowledgeable footballing minds anywhere.

[@LordSeth-hf8ew]

not even a competition, maybe tifo a couple years ago

[@Eizengoldt]

Discuss all you want, I will keep praying for a botched surgery

[@nextabe1]

Love to see my man @diffknock in here. Great discussion.

[@ManCity-5Peat-Loading]

This is way better then "we rattled them" and "you have no trophies though" constant bickering. Big up lads

[@keobakilesekhoto9060]

This is football heritage

[@ManCity-5Peat-Loading]

@@keobakilesekhoto9060 good one... Some others "you have no history" or "you are living in the past, no trophies recently" etc... insert other talking point.

[@Louback33]

Gundogan has played the 6/8 for City in the past, and seems to be a more natural replacement, along with Kovacic

[@bosenngantor9160]

yes....but now-version of Gundo in my mind is no longer has the sparks he used to be, his impact is not as strong as let's say 2 years ago, we can't really depends on him for entire season, but yeah he's another capable solution

[@keobakilesekhoto9060]

I think akanji should be played at right back in pivotal games so that stones can play in midfield with kovacic with foden as the 10 and kdb as the deeper lying Playmaker, walker has been a liability for the past two years

[@Siithabiso]

Considering Guardiola doesn't necessarily want to trust Rico in big games and how undroppable Manu has become, that's a fair shout. But you'd actually need John to stay fit for it to work.

[@guedrini2045]

After pep tried gundo as the solo holding mid in the UCL final vs Chelsea, I’ll just never feel like it can work in a big/tight game again. All our other midfielders lack either size, physicality, restraint, on ball ability, or enough defensive competency to start there. Stones I believe is the best replacement but inevitably when he starts picking up those constant knocks ruling him out every few weeks I think we’re really gonna struggle

[@rajvishnu5132]

i think alex is right. it depends on each big games and what exactly city has to do particularly on that game and which profile suits to deliver it. City currently having so much options there gotta be helpful then.

[@CB-lw7ty]

Personally I wouldn't be surprised to see him stick with Kova and/or Matheus against the lower sides in the division then go 3 at the back and push Stones into DM against the big boys.

[@josefwhitlam3560]

Wouldn’t be surprised to see o’rielly in there think he adds brilliant prescience and size as well as technical ability and pep mentioned it preseason

[@guedrini2045]

@@josefwhitlam3560 he had a chance to give Pep reason to bring him into the squad more against watford but he was a little bit pedestrian, not bad but not a strong bid for a spot. If ake didn’t get injured I could totally see pep trying to sneak gvardiol into that stones type “midfield” slot. Recently when we’re attacking and dominating, gvardiol is higher up than grealish and our entire midfield. He’s got the competence and quality on the ball and the size/physicality to excel there. Only question mark is would he be able to seamlessly adapt his game intelligence and mental sharpness to the level that holding mid requires like Stones did.

[@WillishBroadbino]

Ripple effect, if John Stones does step forward and perform the CDM role for City, he could be the missing piece for England. We're well stocked at CB with Guehi and Konsa impressing at the Euros as well as a wealth of other talent

[@gooner72]

This season City have decent squad depth in every position apart from two....... they cannot properly replace Haaland and they cannot replace Rodri and for me, they could manage for a bit without Haaland but they will definitely suffer without Rodri. For me, he's the most complete midfielder on the planet.

[@EthanG298]

This will probably be one of those moments similar to when Pep won the league without a 9 where City will just play the same without Rodri and still just win the league anyway becasue they're that good lol

[@linamayella]

All the comments, pundits, podcasters are saying that it would be difficult to win without Rodri, not even taking into account the bald genius manager that City still has! 😂🤌

[@tojhnsn]

Akanji or Stones to be CDM for the time being i'd say.

[@tojhnsn]

we also have Kaden Braithwaite. Started against Watford last night - a laporte type player love his style of play.

[@rafinanjum3767]

Stones is my natural pick as Kovacic is more of a 8 than a 6. Nunez might not click yet. Rico Lewis is better as a wing back as he's kinda petite. Stones is the pick for these reasons. Also about Gundo, feels like he's dropped much since leaving city

[@teemedias1470]

3-4-2-1 against Ipswich town, starting lineup kovacic and lewis at the base of midfield probably we see the return of Gundogan as pivotal in the attack for pep Guardiola's team.

[@Max-rs7cx]

I would play Stones as Pivot in Midflield and Lewis invert from right back, switching between Box Midfield, Diamond and 1-3 in the midflield, depending on the situation.

[@MrCrushus]

I love the idea of Lewis getting a shot at being a sort of roaming DM. He might be a bit too progressive for what pep wants, but his ability to break up play with his pace and then carry the ball forward would bring a really interesting dynamic. Though as you say, Walker has struggled so much that they might just need Lewis to take his position at RB and find someone else to play in the middle.

[@saisojjos5429]

Tdk Alex on JLA before GTA 6 😍

[@paulocezardinizjunior346]

Walker has never been particularly switched on. He is very prone to defensive lapses, his pace got him out of trouble in those moments, Kyle has a tiny bit of his pace, this small loss of pace doesn't allow his speed to bale him out of jail no more.

[@gerghghherb880]

Just some important context to add as to why KDB being injured "wasn't a big deal in the biggest game of the season". Arsenal also have important players out. Odegaard, Merino, Zinchenko, Tomiyasu etc

[@lethaborasebotsa]

Where is Leeds Philips when you need him

[@Nippleless_Cage]

Loaned out to a relegation team 😂

[@95konoha]

they must go for zubamendi in january

[@trevorstatham4451]

Do you think Zubimendi would be fine being benched perpetually when Rodri returns?

[@95konoha]

@trevorstatham4451 I think city will try to move on from rodri

[@olumidefalomo614]

​@@trevorstatham4451 Zubimendi can also play other positions, so he shouldn't be lacking for minutes

[@leeroy3573]

​@@95konoha Well that's mental, fuck all chance they move on from a 28 year old that's been top 3 players in the world for last couple years just because he's had 1 injury

[@peterspaulding5584]

I agree with JLA about Odegaard over Rodri. Rodri is amazing, but City have so so so many insanely technical players who could do a job there, but Arsenal don’t have a 10 anywhere near Odegaard.

[@nunoboss8]

Matheus nunes, since his time at sporting, seemed so much more like a liverpool midfielder, in terms of profile, not really a city one. Also, don't know how he is too much like kovacic, not similar at all for me

[@Itzxkazer]

They both good ball carriers but yeah apart from that i’d agree with you.

[@Alinooor17]

4:30 please stop lying to people we currently don't have depth you can compare us to the 2023 season and the difference is just staggering. We don't even have 22 players to play a B team.

[@ameenaftab2803]

One player playing multiple position is not squad depth. This narrative around us has always been false.

[@user-df5kr3ld4r]

Get well soon Rodri😭😭😭

[@gooner72]

Well, things must be bleak as, according to their "so called" fans, they don't want the former Chelsea man in there as they don't think he's good enough.

[@TheAecke]

Guy didn‘t even listen to what James said had his point rdy and just shot it out …

[@samago1994]

I’ve not heard a single Arsenal fan question Ødegaard’s role within the team 🤔

[@willlloyd9480]

He’s too angle biased? What the heck does that mean

[@dangraham3361]

Nothing

[@Moneyonly490]

Being one footed I think

[@BaggyCreature49]

These speccy KZbin tacticos come up with more and more waffle every season 😂 I love James but these two are just trying to sound like they know what they’re talking about.

[@ghostjacker]

Sound affects are distracting and a pain.

[@Niz96]

please change that transition sound effect, super jarring

[@Babatunde-se8kw]

i want to nunez play more

[@findingaether]

Michael Oliver is still available for selection. They will be alrite.

[@trevorstatham4451]

Doesn't he play for AFC? Looking at the refereeing in the first half, you would think so

[@Herbalattraction3000]

​@@trevorstatham4451You're asking an Arsenal fan to look at things objectively. Mate, it just won't happen.

[@jayfreedom]

Arsenal fans dont want Odegaard in the team? Clowns 😂😂😂😂

[@Lindo2101]

Love it when people who know nothing about city and the culture...have soooo much to say

[@jeffbeasley8283]

Yes the vast culture of 14 years

[@logangaray2726]

The vast culture of spending billions of dollars on players, staff and referees, and then lying about for a decade 😂 such great culture.

[@Rock__Dawg]

Man City haters hello😀😀😀

[@dans2971]

You’re speaking to the entire world.

[@Rock__Dawg]

@@dans2971 exactly, the whole world cares about City😊

[@dans2971]

Oliver slots in seamlessly into the middle of the park and controls the match for FC115.

[@G-MAN-f9u]

Rattled

[@reshiraj9782]

11:25 “There is a ton of Odegaards out there” is crazy

[@sicarius6349]

He explains himself literally 1sec later

[@SomethingSomewhereJustOnce]

Bruh! He clarifies himself in literally the next sentence.

[@Herbalattraction3000]

And he's a absolutely right. While Odegaard is a good player, there's plenty of creative 10's. Could mention atleast 10 on Odegaards level or above. I don't think it's unfair to say at all

[@twotimes6694]

It’s easy, just have Michael Oliver and the greedy refs officiate your game. Second answer, 115 charges. Third answer. Oil.

[@jonathanfryer9497]

Rattled

[@dans2971]

@@jonathanfryer9497Fraudulent.

[@jonathanfryer9497]

@@dans2971 Treble :)