da 888casino： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
da doce： How do you go about solving Manchester City’s centre-back crisis? Just when you thought Fernandinho could be the answer to all of the side’s woes, you get reminded that he has to partner Nicolas Otamendi in defence.
The Argentina international – who is a bona-fide central defender if you’ve forgotten – has been the massive weak link in Pep Guardiola’s side, and was slammed by the home support in the defeat against Wolves on Sunday. At 31-years-old, he is hardly going to start making giant strides in his defensive learning. So just who does the City boss turn to? John Stones’ injury problems haven’t helped his cause, but he hasn’t been entirely in the manager’s favour when he’s been fit either.
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Perhaps what the Citizens need to do – at least until January or when Aymeric Laporte comes back – is to make another major tactical tweak. Summer signing Rodri has settled in brilliantly at the base of the City midfield, but his reading of the game may well be better suited to the side’s needs in central defence. And Guardiola himself has admitted he has thought about putting the Spaniard in there.
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The 23-year-old’s influence on his new team cannot be understated, and he has been very impressive in the holding midfield position. So much so, that Kevin De Bruyne lauded his new teammate’s abilities.
“I think he’s the perfect defensive midfielder for the way we want to play. Our defensive midfield is a really difficult position. You need certain players for it and there’s not a lot of people who can do both sides of it. I think the way he’s performed in pre-season and in training has been phenomenal. To be the new guy and still be on this level is a good sign.”
When looking at his defensive numbers this season, it certainly shows that he could slide even deeper and play as part of the back-four. In the Premier League, the former Atletico Madrid star has averaged 2.5 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 1.1 clearances per game. On the other hand, City’s error-prone man Otamendi has managed 1.3 tackles, one interception and 2.9 clearances per game.
Rodri’s greater reassurance on the ball, and more ‘safer’ approach to tackling gives him a huge edge on the Argentine. Countless times, Otamendi has cost City by diving in or being incredibly reckless with his challenges or his decision-making. If Guardiola can convert his summer signing into a temporary centre-back, they may well have an in-house solution to their woes.