Without key midfielder Rodri, Man City was like a ‘steamed bun with no bun’. City’s winless run stretched to four games on Sunday (Nov. 7) with a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, in the 15th round of the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL). With three draws and one win in four games, City slipped to fourth place on 30 points, losing the top spot to Villa (32). Only City manager Pep Guardiola, who said in his pre-match press conference that “we are going to win the league for the fourth consecutive season,” was left shaking his head.
The match was also overwhelming on paper. There were 22 shots on goal for Villa and two for City. 카지노사이트넷 That’s the most and least shots in a single game in Guardiola’s 535 games at the helm of City since 2016 after stints at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. It’s a wonder the scoreline ended 0-1. It’s been almost two months since City lost in the league, since October 9 against Arsenal.
The underlying cause of City’s faltering on this day can be traced to their absentees. Spain international defensive midfielder Rodri, who is considered “irreplaceable” and a “mainstay,” missed the game due to accumulated cautions. The unorthodox tactic of moving defenders John Stones and Manuel Akanji into midfield didn’t work.
“City suffer another Rodri dilemma,”
The record speaks for itself. City have lost four games this season, including the cup, and coincidentally, Rodriguez has missed all four of them. Conversely, they are unbeaten in the games he has started. Unbeknownst to them, they were relying on his physicality, pressing, ball-keeping, and passing ability.
Guardiola must have realized that in a team with stars like Elling Holland, a “monster striker,” Kevin De Bruyne, a “genius playmaker,” Ruben Dias, and Ederson, a “wallflower goalkeeper,” Rodriguez is more important than any other player. 온라인카지노 The good news is that Rodriguez will serve his one-match suspension and be back in action on Tuesday against Luton Town.