Paul Merson recently listed his five best Premier League midfielders for Sportskeeda and had Kevin De Bruyne at the top, but he wasn’t the only Manchester City player to make the cut.
Rodri was also included at No.4. Merson feels the holding-midfielder is underappreciated despite being a fantastic and consistent player. He also credited the 26-year-old for ‘seamlessly’ replacing Fernandinho.
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Merson wrote: ‘We underestimate holding midfield players. In such a role, you aren’t expected to do something spectacular, but the simple things need to be done very efficiently and that’s exactly what Rodri does.
The Spanish international has made 10 appearances in all competitions this season, amassing 843/900 minutes of playing time, keeping Kalvin Phillips out on merit.
No player in City’s squad makes more passes per game (92.4), no City midfielder has a better pass completion ratio (92.4%) and no player makes more accurate long balls per game (4.7), so the praise from Merson is warranted.
Merson added: ‘The David Silvas and the Kevin De Bruynes are obviously world-class players in their own right, but they can’t exist without someone like Rodri, who sits back and enables them to weave their magic.
It’s worth noting that Rodri has created more chances (0.6 per game) in the Premier League than Erling Haaland (0.4), so he’s contributing creatively too.
‘He’s an unbelievable player who has come in and replaced a legend like Fernandinho so seamlessly. It’s mindblowing, really, as it just happened so smoothly!
‘Manchester City are the best team in world football in my opinion, but when Rodri is out of the team, they tend to struggle as they don’t have another player who can play that role as well as him.’
Fernandinho spent nine years at City, making 383 appearances in all competitions, so he left big boots to fill. Rodri has successfully replaced him, however, so City have had a seamless transition.
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