Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been praised a lot ever since the start of the 2020/21 season. He has found his place in the starting XI despite having two poor seasons with City. Rodrigo turned the tables around and made a comeback.
He has played well for Spain as well as City. Earlier Pep Guardiola used to play Fernandinho as a DM but he is close to retirement now. It seems that Rodri is the perfect replacement for Pep.
Let’s talk about his most recent match. Manchester City faced Everton on Matchday 12 in which they comfortably won 3-0. Rodrigo scored an absolute belter against Everton and was the best for City along with Cancelo and Bernardo Silva.
His abilities will be put to test when Manchester City face Messi and PSG in the Champions League.
What kind of a player was Fernandinho for Manchester City?
The Brazilian arrived at Manchester City in June 2013. At that time he was a box-to-box midfielder and often used to go forward. He even scored 20 goals in that season and ultimately City won the league in 2013/14. Fernandinho was also very versatile, Pep even played him as a right-back once against Swansea in 2015/16.
Over the years his role has changed at Manchester City. His contribution upfront was no more required because of the presence of world-class players. Fernandinho then went on to become a sitting midfielder. He did not make any more forward runs. His main job was to provide the ball to more dangerous attackers present and also to defend the backline.
The Brazilian once used to be the pivot of Manchester City. Fernandinho controlled the tempo of the game. He always used to come in the top 3 for successful tackles and interceptions. An underrated feat of his was passing and possession, he dropped deep to receive the ball. Ultimately El Mago( David Silva) only possessed the ball more than him during their time together.
Over the years, players like Aguero, Kompany, David Silva have become legends for City. Surely Fernandinho comes on that list too because of his role with the Cityzens. His absence is felt in matches until Rodri stepped up recently. Whether he will succeed and replace Fernandinho successfully is a good question.
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