Manchester City have dropped points once again in the Premier League, losing to a superb Aston Villa side.
City rocked up at Villa Park looking to return to winning ways after drawing against Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
It was always going to be a tough game against high-flying Villa, and the hosts were bang at it all game.
Unai Emery’s side were far superior to City, keeping the ball really well and pressing Pep Guaridola’s men into regular mistakes.
In the second-half, Villa were again really good all over the park and did not allow City to get into the game, and it was Leon Bailey who grabbed the winner via a deflection off Ruben Dias
Villa were absolutely superb tonight and deserve a lot of credit for their performance..
But this was yet another suggestion of just how crucial Rodri is to Manchester City.
Rodri is unbeaten in each of his last 43 games for Man City across all competitions.
The Spaniard could not play tonight having picked up a fifth booking of the season against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.
Pep went with John Stones and Manuel Akanji in holding midfield. This was always going to be a big risk because it was Stones’ first game back from injury.
The pair were completely outclassed by the Villa midfield, which included Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Douglas Luiz, all of whom were terrific.
Both of them both just looked very clunky and letharic, especially Stones which was understandable given his lack of football this season.
Coach Pep Guardiola has had a total of 535 matches in charge in Europe’s top 5 national leagues. But this morning’s loss to Aston Villa was the first time a team led by Pep was so inferior to their opponents:
For the first time, Pep’s team faced the most shots in the first half (13) and the entire match (22).
The first time Pep’s team made so few shots on goal (2).
In particular, Pep Guardiola has had 281 matches in the Premier League. And:
For the first time, Man City did not get a corner kick.
Highest number of times opponents regained control of the ball in Man City’s final third (13).
Watching the game, it was hard not to think about Rodri – whom John Obi Mikel recently described as ‘unbelievable’ – and the control he would have brought.
Tonight, City were frantic and chaotic. When Rodri plays, there tends to be calmness and control.
The £63 million star is the best holding midfield player in the world and so, his absence was bound to be felt somewhat against a very good team.
But City have now lost all the games that he has not played this season, which really does indicate how crucial he is.