Rodri

[Ter Stature]

The Real fans here saying he didn't deserve it got exposed pretty badly.
If you dominate a League and have the highest rating by far on sofascore , which is biased towards attackers, how is it not deserved vs. some crybaby that disappears when there's no other players opening up spaces.

 

[Maradona37]

No, I'm just saying that he seems irreplaceable but he probably isn't.

Who can replace him then. Go on, name one active midfielder who can do what he has done for Man City. I am sure you will name a few names and I will be less than convinced. Maybe one of the Barca boys in time but that is it.

He's still so underrated that people make comments like yours despite City being half the team when he's not playing.

We aren't living in the days of prime Busquets, Kroos, Xavi, Modric and Iniesta anymore.

 

[Jenks]

Who can replace him then. Go on, name one active midfielder who can do what he has done for Man City. [...]

I can't, just like I couldn't after Fernandinho - that's the point. If I'd have said Rodri back then people would have laughed, as nobody expected the kind of level we've seen from him before Pep got his hands on him.

I'm not underrating Rodri - he's amazing - I'm saying that people underestimate City's ability to identify a successor and Pep's ability to mould him into another elite #6. If he stays, it'll happen again.

 

[jamrock]

Rodri was class, at Villarreal and A.M, lots of people could see he was the next Spanish DM after busquets, even before moving to city.

Everyone except barto that is, smfh

Did they know he could get to Golden ball level? No.

But fernandinho level, definitely, no shade at him.

 

[Temptation]

He's better and more influential than Busquets ever was.


Press resistance/ball manipulation is the only thing Busquets was better at.

 

[Andresito]

Casemiro was sold for 70m when he was 1 year older. So Rodri should be worth more than 80m imo.

First of all, would Madrid pay that for a player 1 year without football? If yes, would City sell him for that only to replace him with say Zubimendi for 60m? City will get a downgrade in their most important position and +20m extra cash. For a team with their ambitions which is to be the best, keeping him is better in that case. Even 90m would be low, which also seems too high for Madrid.

Rodri would be an immense improvement for Madrid, possibly City's biggest CL contender. They are wiser to milk whatever quality that is left in that squad before Pep leaves and the pull disappears which probably leads to likes of Haaland leaving too.

 

[jamrock]

He's better and more influential than Busquets ever was.


Press resistance/ball manipulation is the only thing Busquets was better at.

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[Andresito]

He's better and more influential than Busquets ever was.


Press resistance/ball manipulation is the only thing Busquets was better at.

Honest question, did you watch Busi in his prime?

 

[Temptation]

Rodri is more physical, defensively stronger, better in the air and the better long range passer. He also has way better shooting ability and final ball than Busquets.

Busquets had a better first touch, was more press resistant and excellent at ball manipulation.

Both are elite at reading the game, interceptions, tactical fouls and short passing.

Nostalgia merchants here will start picking fights and pretend that this is a hot take. It really isn't. A superteam like Man City becomes much weaker the moment you take Rodri out. Busquets was easy to dribble past and was one of the main factors behind Barca's CL losses post 2015.

 

[Porque]

Old man Busquests was way better in 2021. Maybe it would just an off year for Rodrick.

But if I had to choose out of both in their prime the choice is easy, I would chose Marc Casado.

 

[Andresito]

It's a no then.

You're just looking at raw abilities without considering the player as a whole. Casemiro is also more physical than Busquets and more of a goal threat too. Rodri is good going forward but he's a DM, not his main job.

Prime Busquets was a great defensive shield in front of the CBs and his distribution great to a point of being underrated. Master of disguised passes. You speak of post 2015 being a liability, what was he the 6 years before 2015?

Without nitpicking every single ability, just consider this: prime Busquets vs prime Rodri, which player improves his team the most?

Just ask any United player from around 2010 how fun it was to play vs Busquets.

 

[Porque]

Busi was better, but he was a player of quite literally another generation.

But I do think he would have been sublime in a double pivot. One where his flaws could get hidden to a degree.

Barca and Spain under LE were so tied to the midfield trident that when the surrounding quality dropped or the teams speed slowed down, we just kept exposing Busi like Kanye exposes his wife.

 

[vegitot]

Busi is way better at defending than Rodri. Rodri plays like an 8 rather than a DM on the pitch.

 

[Porque]

Plus Rodri is surrounded by 6 centrebacks.

 

[Temptation]

Busquets played with Xavi and Iniesta. That midfield system was perfect for him. The moment Xavi left and Iniesta declined, we saw Busquets get exposed more often.


Rodri at his best single-handedly dominates the game with his presence and contributes to everything. When Busquets was at his best, it was Xavi who used to control the game.


Pep doesn't start Rodri in the CL final and City lose. Pep starts Rodri in the CL final, he wins the game for City. Rodri is fit, City go on an unbeaten run for 80 games. Rodri is injured, City immediately look shaky and start losing games. A total leader on the pitch and extremely clutch. Imagine having this kind of impact and influence for one of the richest teams on the planet coached by Pep. Considering the player as a whole? It doesn't get more complete and well rounded than Rodri in that position. These last few seasons, he's been imperious.


Del Bosque once said that if you watch the game, you don't notice Busquets..........But the thing is when you watch a game, you can't help but notice Rodri all the time.