Rodri - what are we witnessing?

lexisonfire said:
The reason Spain was very underrated before the Euros is because many of the key men like Olmo, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz are scattered around Europe and aren't at Spain's big 3 clubs unlike the 2008-2012 team. Makes it all the more impressive how well Spain kept possession against France despite not having automatisms from playing together at club level. Imagine how much better Spain can be if more of them played at the same club regularly. Barcelona being in the red probably helped Spain indirectly because they're forced to play and develop more local kids.


Everyone wrongly assumed France's squad was most talented because Madrid has more noteworthy French players than Spanish ones but Spain were technically superior such that France couldn't see much meaningful possession. The other reason they were underrated was the coach, and it's also impressive how deep the Spanish coaching talent pool is and how they have a new young generation lined up like Arteta, Xabi Alonso, Torres.
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It wasn't about talent or technical ability. It was about heart, balls, resilience and readiness as well as insustry to back the talent.

They've proven all those qualities in droves throughout this competition, and that's when the talent shines so brightly.

They're clearly the real deal. Can't be bullied or battered out of games and they are more than ready to get down and dirty themselves. Rodri is once again offering an iron fist in a velvet glove in that midfield, also. He not only goes to war, he comes out the other side triumphant and gives his team such a great and assured platform to play and express themselves from.

I didn't think Spain had the underlying grit to back the talent, but they have shown the world that they cannot be bullied. At all.
 
Fortitude said:
It wasn't about talent or technical ability. It was about heart, balls, resilience and readiness as well as insustry to back the talent.
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They have better technique, simple as.

Grit, bullying, battering don't matter when you're passing the ball around other less technically skilful teams whose average first touch sends the ball 2-3m away. Balkan teams have grit and love to bully or batter but their technical skills aren't great. Georgia showed a lot of heart, balls, resilience, industry but lost 4-1 because their skills are nowhere near.

Germany, Portugal, France, Brazil, Argentina are the most technical teams other than Spain and are regular WC and EC favorites. England's problem is that they think football is more about heart, balls, grit and Roy of the Rovers style players like Rooney, Gerrard, Bellingham when it's about having 20 players with high level of technique and quick passing, regular rondos, impeccable first touch, and juego di posicion principles to move the ball quickly into space (not passing to feet like the current Southgate's England). Spain combines Latin American technical proficiency with the wealth of European football and tactics that prize collective teamwork.

Anyway when a country produces so many good coaches who are ex-players (Guardiola, Emery, Arteta, Xabi Alonso, Luis Enrique, Benitez), their average NT player probably has extensive tactical coaching. Argentina is another one; 7/16 Copa America teams have an Argentine coach and the teams that won their group were all coached by an Argentine.
 
lexisonfire said:
They have better technique, simple as.

Grit, bullying, battering don't matter when you're passing the ball around other less technically skilful teams whose average first touch sends the ball 2-3m away. Balkan teams have grit and love to bully or batter but their technical skills aren't great. Georgia showed a lot of heart, balls, resilience, industry but lost 4-1 because their skills are nowhere near.

Germany, Portugal, France, Brazil, Argentina are the most technical teams other than Spain and are regular WC and EC favorites. England's problem is that they think football is more about heart, balls, grit and Roy of the Rovers style players like Rooney, Gerrard, Bellingham when it's about having 20 players with high level of technique and quick passing, regular rondos, impeccable first touch, and juego di posicion principles to move the ball quickly into space (not passing to feet like the current Southgate's England). Spain combines Latin American technical proficiency with the wealth of European football and tactics that prize collective teamwork.

Anyway when a country produces so many good coaches who are ex-players (Guardiola, Emery, Arteta, Xabi Alonso, Luis Enrique, Benitez), their average NT player probably has extensive tactical coaching. Argentina is another one; 7/16 Copa America teams have an Argentine coach and the teams that won their group were all coached by an Argentine.
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It matters greatly because without resilience, the right to play is diminished, sometimes severely, if not removed entirely. Soft teams with great technique don’t get far unless refs permit it. Point is, Spain do the prerequisite amount of grit and dirt to afford expression the chance to come to the fore. It’s proven to be one of their best qualities, actually!
 
This thread title always makes me chuckle. We’re witnessing a verygood midfielder like we do in every generation.

I like how this Spain team play but they’re not dominating opponents easily neither in midfield or anywhere else - it’s a team which is functioning as a collective better than its opponents.
 
The only threads worth starting for Spainish midfielders are for the following: Xavi and Iniesta. Rodri isn’t anywhere near those two.
 
Giggsy13 said:
The only threads worth starting for Spainish midfielders are for the following: Xavi and Iniesta. Rodri isn’t anywhere near those two.
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A very different player who has attributes neither the above two have, he's a top top player; Closest to Keane I've seen!
 
amolbhatia50k said:
This thread title always makes me chuckle. We’re witnessing a verygood midfielder like we do in every generation.

I like how this Spain team play but they’re not dominating opponents easily neither in midfield or anywhere else - it’s a team which is functioning as a collective better than its opponents.
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You have to admit it’s quite an impressive accomplishment to make a defence of Navas, Nacho, Laporte and Cucurella look solid. They’re not dominating the midfield like Xaviesta but Rodri’s providing a level of steel in midfield that deserves a bit more credit than your tone suggests.
 
All time run he’s been on the last two years or so, feel like we could’ve equally seen him being a top box to box player in old money
 
DanClancy said:
A very different player who has attributes neither the above two have, he's a top top player; Closest to Keane I've seen!
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Both very different and far superior. Let’s not bullshit or forget their dominance, which rodri will never achieve.
 
Rodri is the key player in the Spanish team. So impressive. Massive arse on him too.
 
Does current Rodri start, or at least rotate, in the 2008–2012 Spanish sides? If so, whose position does he fill in?
 
Florida Man said:
Does current Rodri start, or at least rotate, in the 2008–2012 Spanish sides? If so, whose position does he fill in?
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Rodri starts for the 2008 team ahead of Senna (who was excellent).

For the 2010-2012 no, can’t separate the Busquets - Xavi - Iniesta axis at their best.
Xabi Alonso got into the side because he had an exceptional passing range, I don’t see what Rodri offers other than physicality ahead of a Busquets, which is the only position Rodri would play there theoretically, so nah, Busquets was a genius.

Rodri would definitely be a squad player for that side though.

Pep probably would’ve found use for him at Barca, guy loves his midfielders.

Rodri
Busquets
Xavi

Iniesta
Messi
Villa

Good luck beating that.
 
Florida Man said:
Does current Rodri start, or at least rotate, in the 2008–2012 Spanish sides? If so, whose position does he fill in?
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Nah. I think we underestimate how good Busquets was, maybe one of the best first touch passers the games ever seen. On top of that you had Alonso, I think the player who would have been booked out of the squad would've been Fabregas. Such spoils of riches Spain have in that position.
 
Giggsy13 said:
Both very different and far superior. Let’s not bullshit or forget their dominance, which rodri will never achieve.
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I think you are underestimating him. Xavi and Iniesta are better, but this is understandable given their responsibilities. I believe he is as vital to the Spanish team and to City as they were. I truly believe he surpasses Busquets...more mobile, physically imposing, and with the same degree of defensive awareness that made Busquets such a brilliant player. I do not believe we have seen a better DM in the holding 6 position. It will take people some time to come to that realization because he's in the moment, but when you watch him play, his impact, which allows his teams to push up as high as they do ( with the confidence that even when the ball is lost, there would be a recycle) is as bankable as Xavi and Iniesta keeping possession.
 
tjb said:
I think you are underestimating him. Xavi and Iniesta are better, but this is understandable given their responsibilities. I believe he is as vital to the Spanish team and to City as they were. I truly believe he surpasses Busquets...more mobile, physically imposing, and with the same degree of defensive awareness that made Busquets such a brilliant player. I do not believe we have seen a better DM in the holding 6 position. It will take people some time to come to that realization because he's in the moment, but when you watch him play, his impact, which allows his teams to push up as high as they do ( with the confidence that even when the ball is lost, there would be a recycle) is as bankable as Xavi and Iniesta keeping possession.
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Agreed 100% - when the recency bias wears off, I think Rodri will be remembered as an absolute monster of the game.
 
Brwned said:
You have to admit it’s quite an impressive accomplishment to make a defence of Navas, Nacho, Laporte and Cucurella look solid. They’re not dominating the midfield like Xaviesta but Rodri’s providing a level of steel in midfield that deserves a bit more credit than your tone suggests.
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Sure but he’s not made that defence look solid. It’s a collective effort. Those players deserve a lot of credit as does the overall mentality of the squad of working for each other whether it’s wingers or midfielders.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
This thread title always makes me chuckle. We’re witnessing a verygood midfielder like we do in every generation.

I like how this Spain team play but they’re not dominating opponents easily neither in midfield or anywhere else - it’s a team which is functioning as a collective better than its opponents.
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I think this is different. What he’s done for the last two seasons isn’t normal.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
That’s what some people always think about what they are currently watching.
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I get that but certain things stick out over time as different.

If I just look at it from a PL perspective, Rodri is far and away the best DM we’ve seen in my opinion. And in Europe he’s right there with the very best in the last 30 years and he’s only 28, who knows how much more he’ll accomplish in the next 5 years.
 
LankyHoggie said:
Rodri starts for the 2008 team ahead of Senna (who was excellent).

For the 2010-2012 no, can’t separate the Busquets - Xavi - Iniesta axis at their best.
Xabi Alonso got into the side because he had an exceptional passing range, I don’t see what Rodri offers other than physicality ahead of a Busquets, which is the only position Rodri would play there theoretically, so nah, Busquets was a genius.

Rodri would definitely be a squad player for that side though.

Pep probably would’ve found use for him at Barca, guy loves his midfielders.

Rodri
Busquets
Xavi

Iniesta
Messi
Villa

Good luck beating that.
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That, or he'd have moved one of them into a hybrid CB/DM role if he needed to play someone else in attack with Messi and Villa.
 
El Jefe said:
I get that but certain things stick out over time as different.

If I just look at it from a PL perspective, Rodri is far and away the best DM we’ve seen in my opinion. And in Europe he’s right there with the very best in the last 30 years and he’s only 28, who knows how much more he’ll accomplish in the next 5 years.
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I definitely disagree on both counts. He’s very good but the fawning is well over the top.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
Sure but he’s not made that defence look solid. It’s a collective effort. Those players deserve a lot of credit as does the overall mentality of the squad of working for each other whether it’s wingers or midfielders.
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Yeah I definitely don’t see it that way. The only way you could play Fabian Ruiz in a 2 man midfield is by Rodri acting as a one man midfield defensively and in dictating the tempo. The team do a lot of running but they don’t do a lot of defensive work. He’s the anchor that allows a lot of the other players to do their stuff.

On the 6th March Rodri had went 59 games unbeaten, winning 80% of games over that 13 month period. In the 11 games he didn’t play in that time City lost 5 out of 11, winning 55%. Presumably that record only got better since the article I pulled the stats for.

It seems like you’re underestimating the value of the role he plays.
 
Imagine how our midfield could operate with Rodri protecting the back line, with Mainoo and Bruno in front of him.

If you could hand-pick a dream team right now, Rodri is probably the first name on the team sheet right now.
 
Florida Man said:
Does current Rodri start, or at least rotate, in the 2008–2012 Spanish sides? If so, whose position does he fill in?
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Can't touch that Busquets-Xavi-Iniesta midfield. Aside from the technical ability, their chemistry was something else.

I'm saying that while considering Rodri as the current best midfielder in the world. He should win the Ballon d'Or if Spain wins the Euros.
 
Florida Man said:
Does current Rodri start, or at least rotate, in the 2008–2012 Spanish sides? If so, whose position does he fill in?
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Not sure about 2008 - Senna was a Monster and Xavi makes him less valuable - 2010/12 yeah, over Xabi Alonso easily at the very least
 
Excellent player, but what a strange thread title. There have been countless superior midfielders and will be in the near future too.
 
Brwned said:
You have to admit it’s quite an impressive accomplishment to make a defence of Navas, Nacho, Laporte and Cucurella look solid. They’re not dominating the midfield like Xaviesta but Rodri’s providing a level of steel in midfield that deserves a bit more credit than your tone suggests.
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He hasn't made them look solid, they've actually just played well. Navas is a World Cup winner, Nacho just won the CL and Laporte has been a top defender for years only held back by injuries. Cucurella has been solid, but the quality of right wingers he's faced has been erratic anyway. Let's not forget Carvajal is usually in the team as well and he's certainly no mug.

Rice, Mainoo and Bellingham will be a far bigger test than anything he's come up against so far in this tournament, in all honesty.
 
Played a massive part in his team winning 4 Premier Leagues in a row, scored the winner in a Champions League final and is now instrumental in Spain being runners up at the Euros. Elite.
 
Todd said:
Imagine how our midfield could operate with Rodri protecting the back line, with Mainoo and Bruno in front of him.

If you could hand-pick a dream team right now, Rodri is probably the first name on the team sheet right now.
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Only if he gets to bring his eyebrow remover juice
 
Fortitude said:
What kind of class of player is this?

Not going to run through all the players of his type from the past, but I don't think I've seen someone so much in the mold of Redondo since the Argentine hung up his boots.

The things he does on the pitch are just as seamless. He's outright City's best player, imo.

What do you think his ceiling is? A Redondo comparison isn't one to throw around liberally, in fact, it's mostly sacrilegious, and setting whoever it is up for failure and scrutiny they cannot hold a candle to; this guy looks of that class to me.

Where do you rank this guy in terms of potential final standing in the game?
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He is already at his ceiling. The only question is how long he can keep his inane level up. He makes me so happy because he is the embodiment of what an actual world class defensive midfielder has always been. Not the farce that was "the makelele role" (no offence to the Fench great. Just the term)
 
Nice to see him recognised. Let's hope he gets a move to Real Madrid. Absolutely flawless.
 
I'd love him to win Ballon d'Or if he wasn't a City player. Feck him, but fair play for being a monumental player
 
Red Star One said:
I'd love him to win Ballon d'Or if he wasn't a City player. Feck him, but fair play for being a monumental player
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Yeah, really can't help but respect him. Just keeps to himself, focuses on his football, seems to not care about any acclaim or social popularity, dumb tiktok celebrations or any of that nonsense. Brilliant on and off the ball... He's the best player in the world in his position without a doubt currently. Even if he plays for City, I'd just like to see a player like that win the award as guys like Bellingham/Vini just aren't there yet IMO. Rodri is the only guy in the world who I feel like deserves the honor.
 
bosnian_red said:
Yeah, really can't help but respect him. Just keeps to himself, focuses on his football, seems to not care about any acclaim or social popularity, dumb tiktok celebrations or any of that nonsense. Brilliant on and off the ball... He's the best player in the world in his position without a doubt currently. Even if he plays for City, I'd just like to see a player like that win the award as guys like Bellingham/Vini just aren't there yet IMO. Rodri is the only guy in the world who I feel like deserves the honor.
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Seconded.
 
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