Rodri likely OUT for the season due to ACL injury [FULL REACTION] | ESPN FC

ESPN FC’s Dan Thomas, Ale Moreno, Nedum Onuoha, Mario Melchiot and Steve Nicol react to Manchester City’s Rodri suffering an ACL injury that will likely keep him out the rest of the season.
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[@Joswag]

This will hurt City in the UCL more than the prem

[@gmae5342]

totally agree. Ucl is done now, you can give up on it, you need Rodri for games against Real Madrid, Bayern, Barca, inter, even arsenal and psg

[@mamadousy9632]

5 days after he complained about going on a strike and too many games wow

[@Photosoflife]

@mamadousy9632 It’s almost like he knew exactly what he was talking about.

[@ethanmcbee9556]

He played 60 minutes this season...​@Photosoflife

[@juancmr47]

He can rest now all year

[@valenciafantv]

Acl has nothing to do with fatigue

[@jamesk3784]

@@Photosoflifeit’s almost like karma as he don’t appreciate his privilege hope this damages his career

[@RohanSharma-xt7fr]

Ale might be one the most defensive person I have ever seen. Any one try to counter his argument, he gets so defensive

[@e.m.9497]

He's an imbecile

[@Photosoflife]

@RohanSharma-xt7fr That’s a sign of insecurity and someone having to be in control.

[@claudemakelele2856]

That's how he is. A complete clown

[@yyzsupra8338]

he is a tool subscribing to the Stephan A Smith school of thought.

[@johnhuczel9995]

Stevie is right there with him

[@yyzsupra8338]

Nedum with the Vincent Price laugh on "thriller" by Michael Jackson. ha ha ha ha ha. classic!

[@BC-mj7gj]

There’s no doubt Rodri has been the best and most consistent player for City in the past 2 or 3 seasons. It’s hard to find direct replacement for players like Busquet and Rodri. What you do is replace them with a system. It’s part of the reason Barca suffered a lot last season, Pep is an experienced manager I’m so he’s gonna come up with a solution. It’s the same way when people were questioning Flick and Barca to have spent money on a DM and not on Olmo, in the end Flick knows he doesn’t have to play a single pivot.

[@stefanstefanescu3202]

Heavy injuries all over the place. Don't know why. I have the feeling it wasn't this bad in the 1990s and early 2000s/2010.

[@jamesk3784]

Short term memory many top players were injurie prone in them era

[@Boss53807]

Yeah a lot of the best players had injuries and problems, Messi and Ronaldo are just freaks of nature/ blessed

[@jr.3308]

Suddenly, Zubimedi doesn't mind leaving home now...

[@otterpoopie]

Probably see KDB & Illay drop down alongside Kova. Might even see a Kova + Lewis duo. Stones would be ideal, but he is too injury prone and def cannot be trusted for entire season. Kova + Gvardiol would be interesting in that Gvardiol can cover a lot of space, but learn alongside Kova.

[@omardevonlittle3817]

Nedum and Jules need a show with Mario. The rest need the sack

[@daghul4785]

City will only be concerned if Paul Tierney and Michael Oliver get injured

[@Nateogg]

Strange since Michael Oliver cost city both their goals against Arsenal. Allowing a restart after summoning Walker and then ignoring the blocks on Ederson which has been overturned in other games. Almost as if Oliver is the reason Arsenal even scored

[@tomodul2619]

Has City beaten Arsenal when Michael Oliver or Paul Tierny isn't the refs?

[@Nateogg]

@@tomodul2619 yes they literally beat them 3-1 at the emirates last year with neither refereeing… but the fact you think Michael Oliver is the reason city beat Arsenal 4-1 last year is pure delusion

[@PeepsWaxPacks]

@@tomodul2619 I barely remember Arsenal winning anything 🤷

[@Hairyman13]

@@Nateogg you have you years wrong Michael Oliver was the ref at last years game and Arsenal won 1-0. Maybe check the fixtures before you start chatting nonsense

[@Footie4ever]

It’s a blessing that Gundo came back.

[@_Forza]

Arsenal had 5 central defenders. No cross was getting through when the only player over 5ft is Haaland

[@tobaepebinuade5830]

Last season all 3 of their defeats when he was suspended and yes it’s true that Erling Haaland is scoring goals for fun they have a lot of talent in their team (Kevin de Bruyne Phil Foden Savinho Jeremy Doku Jack Grealish Ilkay Gundogan Bernardo Silva Ruben Dias Manuel Akanji Josko Gvardiol Rico Lewis Kyle Walker etc) and they won their first couple of games of the season without him but how can they go a full season without the best CDM in the world when they’ll be playing against much better opposition as the season progresses which means that they could drop a significant number of points and his absence in the team will be noticeable since he’s the one who makes everything tick for them his presence in the team makes everyone around him better and they’re able to elevate their game as Pep Guardiola is going to find solutions, he could tinker something in the team and also the January transfer window means that they could go in the market and sign a defensive midfielder to cover for him until he returns to fitness. Not to mention that they’re too reliant on Haaland as he’s the only one scoring goals for them consistently and he doesn’t have a natural backup on top of that, he doesn’t have a good injury record at times as when he gets injured, he misses a chunk of games during the season. They didn’t sign a backup striker for him in the summer transfer window. When you factor in his long term injury, their record without him and their title rivals looking very good on paper, City winning the title it could still happen, it’s not going to be as easy as we think it’ll be. Nobody would even be talking about a potential title race this season if it wasn’t for his ACL injury as people think that these guys would run away with the league again, now, the title race so open and this is whether it’s Liverpool or Arsenal this is their best opportunity to actually end their dominance this time around as that’s good for the competitive balance of the league until he comes back from injury or they get relegated to League Two before coming back to the Premier League. I don’t want to see anyone tore their ACL, at the same time, it’s a blessing in disguise for the premier league because from the perspective of the fans, you want to see a high level of competition and a proper title challenge instead of watching the same team dominating the league year in year out since the premier league as this is supposed to be the “best league in the world” and if City are able to win the title without Rodri, then the premier league is an absolute joke of a football league.

[@Egalitarianism-qx8mf]

I love how in this conversation Liverpool aren't in it at all. I'd love them now to go on a massive run and win the league. Yes, we lost to Forest at home, but after that game we responded and slapped Milan 3-1 away and then beat Bournemouth 3 nil at home. I think Liverpool should be in this conversation!! Look at the attack of Liverpool, Salah, Gakpo, Nunez, Diaz, and Chiesa!! Those are 6 solid attacking players right there!!!!

[@csh28]

Yes, it's a loss. But they still have KDB, Gundogan, Nunes, Kovacic, Bernardo, Foden, Bobb. I know few of them sometimes play higher, but they've played a lot in midfield and they still have Grealish, Savinho, Doku. Other teams have had more than this in previous years.

[@manofthenorth6372]

Where's K. Phillips when you need him?

[@Photosoflife]

@@manofthenorth6372 Going to get relegated. That’s where.

[@popps33]

Rodri iS HUGE loss! He is such an intelligent player.

[@Photosoflife]

Rodri is most certainly a loss for City. But anyone claiming this will ruin City’s season are not paying close attention. City are absolutely stacked in the midfield with Kovacic, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Foden, Silva, Grealish, Doku, Savinho, Nunes, and Bobb (when he returns from injury). City already have a style of play where the likes of Lewis, Akanji, and Stones all essentially drop into the defensive midfielder role when City are in possession. City will do just fine without Rodri.

[@josiahwanjiku9187]

The 4 epl games he missed last season, guess how many they lost....4 out of 4!

[@Photosoflife]

@josiahwanjiku9187 And you know the 4 EPL games he didn’t play to start the season and how many they won…4 out of 4.

[@_A7X]

Well duh becuz he's a Spaniard..He was born with greatness..He was born to be one of the very best

[@loz501]

​@@Photosoflife The season is early so many more games to come and City is a team that's consistently competing on all fronts. Rodri has been City's best player for the last few years so this injury is massive and I would definitely be worried. You can maybe make the argument that kovacic and stones can cover it but Rodri is simply in a league of his own. The other more pressing position is the striker position. If Haaland gets injured for an extended period of time it's almost game over for City.

[@Photosoflife]

@@loz501 It’s City. It’s not even close to game over with Rodri out. Or even if Haaland gets hurt again.

[@bernardfox9078]

Kovetic has played brilliantly lately as Rhodris replacement. I agree that he will be more of a loss in champions league.

[@kadarabdullahi]

Last year we pretty much had to do without KDB and this year Rodri. Huge blow for sure but it is what it is.

[@Egalitarianism-qx8mf]

Don't worry, there will be more blows to come. Like when you get done in your case to hear your 115 charges of CHEATING!!!! City is garbage with your cheating, which has ruined the league!!! I hope they fine you, demote you to the bottom leagues, and ultimately strip you of your titles which you cheated your way to!!!!!

[@vice0774]

Hopefully pep at least play the players like nunes or mcatee or call back philips from loan and give philips a chance cuz kovacic cant play every single game back to back.

[@kylephaneufmusic]

Everyone knows Rodri is the key and it’s clear arteta told his team to go after him. Just look at Havertz seconds into the game. Arsenal is disgustingly.

[@lothianslegacy9409]

115

[@YuanDamaris]

😢 stupid cityfans, never watch arsenal play

[@andrewshiu5872]

Stop spouting nonsense, no one targeted him, no one

[@izradadon8918]

Its a pain, but they'll find a way like they always do.

[@Enterthedarkness23]

Oil City will find a way to win regardless. They have already escaped 115 FFP cases, whats 116th going to do? They will be probably spend 100 million in January for a Rodri-lite player.

[@Triple_X_X]

Barça was gonna take back their crown with or without Rodri..Now without him in City, it won't be fair at all becuz we were gonna run rampant all over them.. They were on course to feel our w rath ☠️💙❤️

[@Rageebait]

bot

[@illyaedwards7188]

City destroy Barca

[@AA-ki6zn]

Nedum didn't say "as such" one time in this entire segment. Hope everything is OK.

[@michaelthorpe3262]

Calafiori didn’t mean to shoot?? That’s crazy

[@nickoforesta5788]

City has Pep and if you have Pep, you are going to find a way to win the league. Rodri is a generational talent but City will simply get on with it

[@andredyllon8411]

And I bet he’ll still win the ballon d’or

[@CG68810]

He should. Also, what does that have to do with the Balon d'Or for this past season??

[@imageview6896]

The ballon d'or is only about last season, his injury will not impact that

[@StuTheDon17]

The upcoming Ballon D'or is awarded for the best player from last season.

[@ktom5262]

LOL, how much will you bet, five dollars?

[@sevovevo3396]

That’s it for him. He would never been the same again.

[@cheikhball8080]

Iam not a City fan but i believe that they are still favorite to win and they are the best team

[@branolukwesa3538]

Atevie jealous of calafiori because he wasnt nevert good enough to shoot that well lol

[@MusicHavenSG]

Good. No sympathy from me after we received none for Van Dijk getting season ended by Pickford. Get out for the season, maybe even two.

[@peterchampagne3937]

It's a big blow for us, but we stil going to win the league either way

[@Triple_X_X]

Now LALIGA will have more fun with prem clubs 😂 Their heavy hitter is falling apart .We were gonna have fun with them regardless ..This makes it more funny 😂

[@Rageebait]

bot

[@SamboJoshua-g6k]

How many good teams are in la liga😂😂😂😂

[@unruly_kavon6652]

@@SamboJoshua-g6k4 how many in prem ? 1 lol cause city win prem every year smh farmer league

[@SamboJoshua-g6k]

@@unruly_kavon6652apart from Real Madrid just name one team in la liga which can beat Liverpool lol

[@Triple_X_X]

​​@@SamboJoshua-g6k 😂😂😂 Liverpool??? 😂 Flick's Barça will spank them ..Atléti beats them,. Villarreal can beat them..Let me break it down for ya, Mid-table teams in Laliga are highly technical than prem clubs except City.. Arne Slot?? 😭

[@yyzsupra8338]

everyone is replaceable in the EPL. pipeline funnels good players to all teams.

[@sushiii23]

"in contention and will probably win the balon d'or" Wasn't even Spain's best midfielder. Wasn't even City's best player.

[@gracadio]

not sure Ale watches arsenal cause Havertz does shithousery all the time.

[@floydweller3085]

As a city fan am not worried players has to step up simlpe as that

[@mikepearson3226]

That is terrible. Ed’s - he is a brilliant footballer and without him City will definitely have their work cut out to win out in all competitions. If De Bruyne also becomes an injury issue through the season it definitely opens the door for other teams.

[@jesuslover1896]

Thank God. I hope it's significant and drawn out. That's the only thing that'll give me some sense of justice against Man City's biggest fan Michael Oliver.

[@historianofmanythings4294]

They’ll just play differently. Same way they did when KDB was out for half the season and when they won the league with no striker😂

[@_A7X]

This is different..Rodri is the controller like Busi or Xavi were for Barca

[@historianofmanythings4294]

@@_A7X they’ve yet to lose with him barely playing this season. They have gundo back who has done that role before. They’ll be fine. Silva, gundo, kova, stones, and nunes is enough

[@troyfrost6993]

Stone will do the job what the heck.

[@MarcoBonechi]

Arsenal knew the assignment

[@tymkoc3293]

Sucks for him and his team and nobody wants to see players injured for extended time. Respect for the top player in the world in his position that Rodri is. However, he's almst constant complains about having too many matches to play should end for a while now. Definitely a plus for challengers like Arsenal.

[@cpmb7346]

The hypocrisy there... 0.8 ball hit in continuation of play and it's a yellow because it's unsportsmanlike/football conduct but yes they all say it's great for football for a kid to see a grown man throw an object at another man's head... woww... that's great context of how to be a fool's fool!! ...

[@HelenKing-j6h6h]

J'ai ri si fort que les voisins sont venus voir ce qui s'était passé. Maintenant, ils regardent aussi cette vidéo 💚

[@TerribleEnglish]

Fantasic news for the others in the title race. They must be doing cartwheels. 😃

[@abumansaray7]

I guess he was serious about that strike 😅

[@EstherFebutMiri]

Man city never win the media war that surrounds them, but they do win trophies on the pitch.

[@BFG_10G]

Doesn't this injury kind of prove Rodri's point?

[@r.sakarollsafe1285]

Roy Keane got sent off for throwing it to Shearer, but not Haaland? the game is a joke now

[@sevovevo3396]

I never get Ales point

[@jimmyniful]

If one bad game and losing 1 important player is enough to derail City's season, then i don't they should have ever won a title ever. I actually think the anger against Arsenal could add to their motivation.

[@nitsujnewbie1408]

Ali moreno is a talking cervix

[@taifurmdismail9231]

He threatened a players strike for playing too much and now he can have his rest.

[@Marjobasha]

Ale’s analysis is sht

[@YuanDamaris]

This not because thomas partey , GWS RODRI❤

[@branolukwesa3538]

Atleast Rodri will get the rest he ha sbeen looking for .

[@o.i909]

All these crabs over here predicted City will defeat Arsenal.

[@clartigue10]

Says players may need to strike over too many games Fields are more artificial turf and less grass lately so they can take more punishment from more games Tears ACL from being hit by a r@p1st while stepping bad on said pitch

[@CG68810]

How many players need to continue getting injured before clubs, UEFA, and FIFA realize that whatever profits they are making from playing these guys nonstop is not in their economic interests. This not only a depressing situation for City fans but for football fans period. When you have one of the best players in the world not playing, the game is diminished. I would like to know how many injuries and the severity of those injuries were occurring 20-30 years ago?

[@tomodul2619]

Manchester City should go for Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace in January. He'll be a better fit for Manchester City as a young player for the future. Instead of going to splash lots of money on other players.

[@futbolfan87-wh3fs]

Just put gvardiol at cdm n rico lewis at left back, problem solved.

[@whoisthis5476]

At least we won’t have to hear him complain about playing too many matches and how unfair his life is

[@brandonangulo3281]

Oh my rod?

[@oliadweldesenbet3488]

Ale you’re very very negative on everything arsenal. Who hurt you?

[@saralgupta5250]

Now he can strike. 😂

[@kibo3634]

Arsenal has always been the favorite this season.

[@nitsujnewbie1408]

Welcome to timber

[@chinitopogi7511]

He will miss the entire season of 2025/2025, hence Gundogan, Kovacic, Nunes or Stones must step us Defensive Midfielders for the rest of the season.

[@StuTheDon17]

Too bad for Rodri. The next time he plays for City will be in League 1.

[@nitsujnewbie1408]

Man mark and zone defend gabriel. Its so simple.

[@Ryan-lf1ko]

They will just spend 100 mill in January after they beat the charges and buy another Rodri.

[@10from10]

So maybe its a Bayern - Real final in Munich. İf they meet earlier -> winner.

[@sorcererstone3303]

Have you forgotten Premier League started looking into the charges against City since last Monday. City may relegate at the end of the current season.

[@ArdaGuler321]

City will still win the League regardless 😭

[@JayLFC404]

Dno yeno…

[@Triple_X_X]

Yeah becuz it's a glorified Farmers league duh 🤷

[@TorontoGooner]

No they aren't

[@mzdacasamoah]

Give it to them already

[@mzdacasamoah]

@@Triple_X_X Say that again🤣

[@majestyofrock2702]

Nonsense on to close to the edge. Its the ridiculous rule they have brought in

[@heardithere1]

I see Guardiola flashing his dirty cash in January for Zubimendi now. Once again buying the league from Liverpool

[@curiousone9364]

Only take away from this for me is Ale talks bullc*ap. No insight whatsoever just shooting breeze

[@abdisharif9983]

Teams will smash Manchester City right away in the next game 😂mark my words

[@FullClipsTV357]

Ale Moreno speaks as if his big head is on Utopia.

[@abdisharif9983]

Arsenal 10 men stop 11 man city players to score in their home Etihad 😂as usual

[@angelkilier]

You don't need to be a good team like Arsenal to be able to defend City with 6-3-0. And in the end, City did score, didn't they?

[@TheTruth8767]

In this case I side with Stevie,that loud mouth Spanish guy have he ever played in the epl

[@RM_FC_1]

This is not a probleme for them they will spend their oil money 🛢️ like a 80 M for a player like zubimendy to replace him and continue to farm this league👩‍🌾👨‍🌾

[@real5901]

wow.........if pep win this season i crown him as the best ever

[@ganaed9954]

The league is now a bit more interesting. Pep will probably play another CB lol

[@drogba4evah672]

Rodri's injury isn't just a loss for City, but a loss for the sport. We should all want to see the greatest players out on the field, doing what they love. Rodri is a massive talent who will be sorely missed.

[@Crewman21]

I mean ... he did want to strike sooo... God gave him a chance to back up his words 👀

[@micahscheller7465]

Arsenal will farm the next 3 games and then they won’t talk about arsenals lack of offense anymore

[@krnsingh7]

Rodri aint winning no balon dor

[@TanakaSigauke]

Bruh bo chance prolly to win a ballon dor

[@JoyBanerjee-qk9oi]

Arsenal missing on Xakha .. he would have changed the picture and make arsenal win

[@branolukwesa3538]

Now rodri will get a pity ballondor looe Modric 😭

[@ayodejilanre1790]

Vini has been told he his the ballondor

[@spaceman1678]

Vini > podri

[@palatialslumlord4938]

I'm celebrating this 🎊🎉

[@AlexHafford]

Man city are done with know

[@tobaepebinuade5830]

Imagine if Manchester City actually wins the premier league without Rodri as if that happens, then the league is an absolute joke and it’s a complete farmers league and since they’re going the entire season without their most influential player, this could have an impact on the team and on top of that, this makes the title race so open. We wouldn’t be saying that about them if he didn’t pick up this long term injury. I don’t blame a lot of rival fans for being happy with this as the news that they just heard boosts their chances of winning the title, regardless anyone who says that he deserves it, it’s a sign that the fans have no sympathy for players and only care about their own club and obviously you don’t want to see anyone let alone a great player and a Ballon Dor contender suffer this sort of injury and remember this comes a couple of days after he came out and said that the players are thinking about going on strike as a result of the congested schedules in modern football as this injury raises a question mark about the way in which the workload of the players are being managed as they’re just continuing to add more and more games and they’re changing the format of these competitions which is going to lead to more superstars picking up injuries when they’re playing too many games nonstop and this is an issue that I don’t see being fixed anytime soon. In the eyes of many fans, City are still the favorites to win their 5th consecutive league title, they’re still the team to beat, at the same time, the season is so long on top of that, the schedule in English football is so demanding, and even with all the talent their squad has, I wonder how they can cope without a proper defensive midfielder as I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t go out and sign someone in January as that’s what they need to do if they are to continue challenging on all fronts for trophies without their most influential player. Liverpool and Arsenal probably have the confidence that they can win the Premier League this season since they both look very good and I expect both of them to mount a title challenge knowing full well that City will be without Rodri for the rest of the season and that could prove to be detrimental for them potentially. Obviously, they’re guaranteed to win a lot of games with the level of attacking prowess that they have as they’re very good going forward and that won’t be an issue for them, I have a feeling that there’s going to be certain games where they’re feeling his absence in the team and we all know how important Rodri is to Manchester City, he’s such an irreplaceable player for their team as he doesn’t have a direct replacement for him since no one can replicate what he does, he is the glue of their team and since 2019, they’ve lost most of the games in which he didn’t play in just in the league alone.

[@hossamgebeily]

Bad news for all football fans. Best CDM in the world. Get well soon Rodri ❤

[@me24469]

nah.. pointless. There's Kovacic, Gundogan is back at city. Remember last season De Bruyne was also out almost whole season, in the end didn't change a thing. May the farmers league continue.