Rodri - what are we witnessing?

This is Redondo:





Should take a few seconds to see why it’s usually sacrilegious to compare anyone of that type to him.

@Raees did a wonderful piece:



Rodri is the only player since who can hold a candle to that, is the feeling I get when he effortlessly goes up the gears. I didn’t expect to see a potential usurper to Busquets either, but this guy has the ability to be just that.
 
CannonBalls said:
Not at all. He has surpassed KDB for more than a year now.
City didn't miss a beat when KDB was injured and we all know what Rodris absence does to city.
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Ah De Bruyne is a special player, most important to the team does not equal best. And maybe Rodri is better right now as KDB is ageing but career wise, you’d have to say De Bruyne is better at this point. That 100 point season in particular he was insanely good.
 
KeanoMagicHat said:
Ah De Bruyne is a special player, most important to the team does not equal best. And maybe Rodri is better right now as KDB is ageing but career wise, you’d have to say De Bruyne is better at this point. That 100 point season in particular he was insanely good.
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You are only as good as your last game.

Did KDB play in the last game?

Exactly.
 
Semper Fudge said:
He’s a far, *far* better player than Carrick though. Without the sports science nonsense.
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Definitely better than carrick but different eras. Imagine if carrick had been coached by Pep - he’d definitely be several levels higher than he was.

I’m just talking playstyle when referring to who I’d compare him to the most
 
eire-red said:
Can we even class him as purely a holding midfielder anymore?

It seems to me like Guardiola changing formation with that extra CB like Stones and the FB stepping into the DM role has allowed Rodri to play further forward, and he has been able to bring that controlling influence higher up the field and is pitching in more in a offensive sense.

He's a much more rounded CM than what he started out in his first few seasons. I actually can't think of any weakness to his game.

I wouldn't go as far as stating he's the best player in the world, and in fairness the OP didn't suggest that, it's moreso been other posts. For me, the truly top 1/2 players in any period / era are the ones who get me up off my seat, are able to unpick the lock and bring something that nobody else on the pitch can do. Players who when they turn it on are the only player on the pitch that matters.

I wouldn't view Rodri as that, I view his brilliance as the consistency and efficiency in his game. He executes the basics of football to such a high degree almost 100% of the time.

Before, I would have likened him to Busquets, but I think he's evolved beyond the pure DM Busquets was. I think I view him as a throwback to a B2B midfielder, which is what sets him apart in modern day when midfielders seem to have such defined roles.

Agree with you that he has to be considered as an all time midfield great. In my lifetime, he's not at the Xavi, Iniesta, Modric, Zidane cohort, but that's probably biased by their profile and what I've stated as my favourite type of player.

Probably top 10? I'm always hesitant with these rankings, there's a tendency for recency bias (for me anyway).
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He's classically a holding mid regardless of Pep's tinkering, but yeah I think of him as a far more athletic Busquets that might have grown up watching Bryan Robson or someone. People will romanticize Busquets because of the legend of that team but I think Rodri could have done the exact same thing and offers more PnP while doing so.
 
Valencia Shin Crosses said:
He's classically a holding mid regardless of Pep's tinkering, but yeah I think of him as a far more athletic Busquets that might have grown up watching Bryan Robson or someone. People will romanticize Busquets because of the legend of that team but I think Rodri could have done the exact same thing and offers more PnP while doing so.
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That's a fair assessment, couldn't disagree with anything you've said.

That Barca midfield was better than City's (in my view), so I think Busquets was afforded to be absolutely brilliant in that singular aspect of his game, given he had Xavi and Iniesta to do the rest. Would have been interesting to see him at his peak in a team with a bit of a weaker midfield, maybe that's when we'd be able to draw a more illustrative comparison, and not have him 'romanticised' as you say.

In all those World XI teams he gets in, it's always that trio. If you didn't have Xavi and Iniesta, would you have Busquets? Maybe not. Rodri would work with any other 2, or even just as one of a 2 in midfield.
 
KeanoMagicHat said:
Ah De Bruyne is a special player, most important to the team does not equal best. And maybe Rodri is better right now as KDB is ageing but career wise, you’d have to say De Bruyne is better at this point. That 100 point season in particular he was insanely good.
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Yes offcourse I am talking about current situation. I might also argue about peak. Current Rodri and peak KBD is also comparable (I would pick current Rodri though).
Career wise Rodri is still young and has some way to go.
Btw Rodri is also a special special player.
 
Outstanding player and if he is continuing at his current level there's no reason why he can't be in the argument for best ever PL midfielder. It's just longevity holding him back. I mean, many compare him to Busquets and he would absolutely be in that conversation if he played in the PL.

It's so frustrating how City continually have utterly world class players to step into the gap of previous class players. They never/rarely feel the loss of a genuinely top tier player like David Silva (in comes Bernardo), Aguero (Haaland soon after), Fernandinho (I see your hack job Brazilian and raise you a Busquets-lite Rodri). Jammy/well-run bastards.
 
@Fortitude cursed him with this thread….cnut looks like he’s had 6 pints and a big lunch before he came out today
 
Arsenal fans tell me Declan is superior.
 
Foden scoops PL Player of the Season.

Foden likely scoops PFA Player of the Year.

Rodri not even nominated for PL player of the Season.

The same Rodri who, when playing, City haven't lost with in 70 or so games.

You can be the best performing player in the world, and yet, if you're not a forward creative player getting in on the goals then you are not getting that award.
 
Fantastic player. Thought he had a bit of a slow start at City in his 1st season as I remember thinking he wasn't as good as Fernandinho (yet). But since then I think he has really progressed and become a much better player.

And now he's just in peak form performing at a high level week in week out.
 
Its such a shame to watch these great players waste their prime years at the plastic fantastics. He should be playing for a proper club.
 
Phenomenal footballer, one of one at his position. Truly dislike that he doesn’t play for us.

Clutch player
 
I hate the fact that that rotten, cheating small club has been able to attract and keep a player of his caliber.

Be interesting to see where he goes when/If Abu Dhabi get relegated.
 
I love oldschool players who tuck in their shirts, you always know they mean the business.
 
Rodri's great.

I bet when you get close to him he smells of Lenor.
 
A far fetched fantasy of mine is for city to go down under and we snatch him up from their sinking ship.
 
He’s like Yaya and Fernandinho rolled into one. In City’s treble season he was a juiced up Carrick but he took that up a notch this season just gone.

Can anyone really think of a player who is as good on both sides of the ball as Rodri or when last was there a player like that. If he had none of his offensive ability he’d still be an excellent DM and if he couldn’t defend he’d be a hell of a deep lying CM or even No.8.

Last season for City he basically played the 6 and 8 himself at times.
 
This is the sort of talent we should be having at DM. No compromising on ball-playing abilities.
 
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