- 17 hours ago
Rodri injury costs Man City 13 points: Arsenal Premier League favourites
Robin Bairner
- 25 Sept 2024 13:30 BST
- 2 min read
Rodri’s injury for Manchester City has changed the complexion of the Premier League title race dramatically, putting Arsenal in command of the chase for the top-flight crown based on recent history.
Rodri sustained the issue during last weekend’s clash against Arsenal at the Emirates as he collapsed to the turf after an innocuous tussle with Thomas Partey.
A thrilling but ill-tempered match finished 2-2, but while the outcome of the fixture did not necessarily favour either side, City have been hit with a hammer blow due to the news that the Spain international, who is a leading candidate for the Ballon d’Or, is unlikely to kick a ball again during the 2024/25 campaign.
Indeed, if City are to retain their crown, which they have won in each of the last four seasons, they will very probably have to perform to a standard they have been unable to previously since the midfielder joined from Atletico Madrid in 2019.
Current ETV
Rodri
DM, M (C)
Man City
Rodri
DM, M (C)
Man City
ETV Range
€76.8M - €128M
How big a blow is Rodri’s injury to Man City?
Pep Guardiola’s side have performed notably better with Rodri in their squad since this time. According to the Premier League, they have picked up 0.4 more points per match when the 28-year-old has played.
With just five matches of the season played, this translates to a huge 13.2 points City can expect to be worse off by the end of the 38-match campaign.
If this pattern holds, it promises to have a massive impact on the final table. For example, City would have finished only third in last season’s Premier League table if they had dropped an extra 13 points and only second in 2022/23. On both occasions, the benefactors would have been Arsenal.
Liverpool, meanwhile, would have claimed the 2021/22 title had Guardiola’s men been 13 points better off and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United would have lifted the 2020/21 crown, albeit by just a single point.
Rodri’s injury, then, promises to have a huge bearing on the outcome of the Premier League title race, with Arsenal in position to be the chief benefactors.
