Rodri: The ACL Tear That Left Manchester City in Shambles
Introduction:
In professional football, the ACL tear is notorious for being a common injury that can take out a player for a prolonged period of time, sometimes even forcing them to miss out on a whole season. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to Spanish midfielder Rodrigo Cascante (who goes by Rodri) in a league match with his club Manchester City. It seems that the consequences of this injury are much more far-reaching than originally anticipated. What factors have made Rodri's injury so devastating, and what can Manchester City do to mitigate its losses?
Rodri is a fundamental part of Manchester City's style of play under coach Pep Guardiola.
The Injury:
It's important to first understand what exactly happened to the Spanish superstar. On September 22nd, 2024, Rodri was put in the starting eleven in a league match against opposing team Arsenal. Just seconds after kickoff, Rodri fell to the floor after light contact with an Arsenal player, clutching his right knee in pain. The game was stopped for a bit to give Rodri time to recover.
Then, at around minute 20, Rodri would again fall after a collision with Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey following a corner kick, this time yelling and squirming in pain. He was later withdrawn from play within the first half of the match, and Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola would publicize five days later that "Rodri had surgery on his knee [but] will miss the rest of the campaign." City would go on to draw the game with Arsenal two-to-two.
On the field, Rodri ruptured his right ACL as well as his right meniscus. The usual procedure post-injury is immediate surgery and the commencement of a recovery plan that helps the player retain their fitness and lets the injury heal at the same time. This process is very lengthy, which is why Rodri will likely not be on the starting eleven for at least a few months.
Rodri winning Player Of The Tournament at the Euro 2024 Finals
Player Of The Year:
Rodri's absence is a huge setback for Manchester City for a number of reasons. First of all, simply put: he's a fantastic player. Rodri has played for City since 2019, and in those years, he's contributed to massive accomplishments for the team. Tall, strong, and tactical, Rodri's high tackle success rate, high pass accuracy, and strong playmaking skills greatly contributed to Manchester City's continental treble in the 2022-2023 season, meaning that they won the three most prestigious trophies available to them. At the final game of the UEFA Champions League in that season, Rodri scored the only goal, defeating Italian club Inter Milan one-to-nothing. He was consequently named Played of the Match as well as the tournament's Player of the Season.
Rodri has also had a phenomenal year in 2024. On the national team front, Rodri helped Spain defeat football giants such as France, Germany, and England to win the 2024 UEFA European Championship in July. Not only that, he was awarded Player of the Tournament, showing his crucial role on the team. Arguably his greatest achievement, though, is winning the Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball), which is often regarded as the most prestigious and valuable individual award in football. Especially this year, Rodri has cemented himself as a world-class player.
Rodri's Role:
What makes Rodri work so well in Manchester City, though, is his niche role in Guardiola's vision for the club. Guardiola has publicly called Rodri "irreplaceable" and admitted that "what he gives us, we don’t have a similar player." And he's right: since joining the club, City lost just 11% of the matches that Rodri has played in, compared with 24% without him. Rodri's role as the team's single midfield anchor cannot be filled by any other player, which has led Guardiola to experiment with different formations, with little to no success.
Rodri after tearing his right ACL/meniscus in a match against Arsenal
Manchester City Reeling:
In the seven games following Rodri's injury, Manchester City held its ground well, winning six games and drawing one. However, after their two-to-one loss to English team Tottenham Hotspur, City has only won one game in the six weeks since then. Many analysts are pointing to Rodri's absence as the main cause of this poor performance, while some point to overwork. In early September, Rodri confessed that City players are "close to" going on strike over the increase in games they're forced to play; this lasting overwork might have even been an underlying reason for Rodri's injury in the first place.
In order to replace Rodri's anchor position, Guardiola has attempted to work with a variety of formations, using star midfielders like İlkay Gündoğan and Mateo Kovačić. However, nothing seems to be clicking just yet as just lately, City lost a derby against Manchester United one-to-two.
Conclusion:
Recovering from injuries will often feel arduously slow, but it's extremely important to give it enough time to heal, especially in Rodri's case. Being the essential player that he is, ensuring a full and complete recovery is the only way for him to have more minutes on the field in the long run. In the meantime, the best he can do is adhere to his recovery regimen and cheer from the sidelines. As for Manchester City, only time will tell how they will regain the spark that kept them unstoppable in the last four years.
Sources:
“ACL Reconstruction with Meniscus Repair Post-Operative Physical Therapy Protocol.” ACL Reconstruction & Meniscus Repair Surgery Rehab Protocol, 4 Dec. 2023, www.stoneclinic.com/ACL-reconstruction-meniscus-repair-post-operative-physical-therapy-protocol. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.
“Ballon d’Or: Report Shows Margin of Rodri Win over Vinícius.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/42269835/ballon-dor-report-shows-margin-rodri-win-vinicius. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.
Kearns, Sean. “Rodri: Manchester City Midfielder Ruled out for Season after ACL Surgery.” BBC Sport, BBC, 27 Sept. 2024, www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cp3wlwdkj41o. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.
Moises Llorens, Barcelona correspondent. “Source: Man City’s Rodri Likely out for Season with ACL Injury.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/41399455/man-city-rodri-season-acl-injury-source. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.
Prasad, Aashin. “Breaking down Manchester City’s Winless Streak: The End of an Era or a Mini-Crisis.” Sportstar, 3 Dec. 2024, sportstar.thehindu.com/football/epl/manchester-city-analysis-premier-league-winless-streak-stats-pep-guardiola-injury-crisis-break-down-haaland-football-news/article68942934.ece. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.
What Is Treble in Football: Know the Rare Feat and Winners, olympics.com/en/news/what-treble-football-winners. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.