The two points dropped threaten to be critical but can the immediate damage to the title race be offset by the return of one man? What about if that player’s peak is Ballon d’Or level? Enzo Fernandez’s late equalizer to earn Chelsea a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium feels like a major speed bump in the title race, the sort that is going to require all hands on the Manchester City deck.
Thank goodness then that Pep Guardiola at least got an approximation of the best midfielder in the world, Rodri completing a full 90 minutes for the first time since September, one where at his peak he imposed his style on the contest. City find themselves with six points to make up on the Premier League leaders, needing the sort of winning run that might only come if they can boss games like they used to. For a time, they managed to do exactly that.
This was a glimpse of prime Rodri, 469 days in the making since the ACL injury that so derailed City last season, another serious step forward after a promising cameo in the second half against Sunderland. There have been false dawns before, enough to mean that every late Reece James tackle should have brought palpitations across City. This felt different, though, to the player we saw in the early days of autumn.
Take the driving run into midfield with eight minutes to go in the first half. Josh Acheampong didn’t have the muscle to get away from Rodri, who went on and on into the penalty area, Chelsea’s 10-man block just about managing to deal with the danger. They didn’t soon after as the Spaniard cruised away from pressure, a sweeping pass out to the right, hitting Erling Haaland in stride, his shot crashing back off the inside of the far post.
It is worth noting early on that Chelsea rather facilitated Rodri’s excellence. No one seemed to pick him up when he drifted into the space around their midfield and the pressure was far from sufficient on the City center backs to stop them fizzing the ball between the lines. From there, Rodri usually had the time to turn and assess his options. If not, he was probably being fouled. Chelsea began like what they were, a team without Moises Caicedo whose head coach, Calum McFarlane, had never managed a senior match before.
Rodri instinctively knew where the gaps were in this first timers system. No one else seemed to understand how best to deal with his movement. His contribution to Tijani Reijnders’ goal might have been minimal, little more than a wall for Bernardo Silva to bounce possession off before a probing through ball. It spoke Only with the second half introduction of Andrey Santos did Chelsea really get a handle on midfield and turn this into a game where they could get a few counters going.
Before then, you saw an approximation of the City of old, one who can simply hold court in the attacking third, throttling any breakout attempts by the opposition. Rodri’s winning of all bar one of his duels, the same for his tackles, was critical. The one shot allowed and five penalty box touches allowed in the first 45 minutes were the sort of numbers this team had only really allowed against bottom-half opposition before today. Maybe Chelsea were just performing at that level. And maybe Rodri was making them.
As for the second half, the triumph, as far as City should be concerned, was how much of it Rodri was able to play. That was all the more critical when Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias limped out with injury. For the most part, Guardiola has swerved injuries to his backline this season, Gvardiol missing three early this season. What the current quartet might lack in comparison to the best City defenses of the last decade can at least be mitigated by minutes together on the pitch. When it was Abdukodir Khusanov and Nathan Ake being flanked by Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes, City suddenly looked vulnerable.
That they were, Malo Gusto blowing down the right, his cross evading five trailing City shirts on its way to Enzo Fernandez, who eventually stabbed home an equalizer that their hosts should never have left on the cards. Off finishing by Haaland, Phil Foden and others cost Guardiola dearly, the manager a picture of frustration at the end. City have left themselves an almighty task for the months ahead. It will take Rodri at his best to drag them forward in the race.
