99 times out of 100, Rodri's long-range strike against Everton would have found row-z. As the Spaniard lined up his second half effort against the Toffees, you'd forgive one or two fans ducking for cover, yet those who kept their eye on the ball would have seen the midfielder find the top corner from 25 yards.
Rodri's goal was of the highest quality and left Jordan Pickford grasping at thin air as Manchester City moved back to within three points of league leaders Chelsea. As the three table topping sides all earned maximum points over the weekend, it's shaping up to be the tightest Premier League title race in years. The key aspect for the trio is the world class ball winner in the middle of the park. Liverpool have Fabinho, Chelsea have a solid base of Jorginho and N'Golo Kante to share the defensive load, while Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola can call upon Rodri.
Only Joao Cancelo (25) has made more tackles than Rodri (20) of all City players in the Premier League this season, with his hard work off the ball ensuring only Chelsea (4) have conceded fewer goals than City (6) in England's top tier this term. Since his arrival from Atletico in 2019, Rodri has been steadily improving as he adjusts to the rigours of both Premier League football and the demands of Guardiola.
Viewed as the perfect successor for Fernandinho as City's holder, some were sceptical Rodri could successfully follow in the Brazilian's footsteps under Guardiola. Fernandinho was the City boss' pet project on the back of his 2016 appointment. The 36-year-old was already a key man for the club as Guardiola succeeded Manuel Pellegrini at the Etihad Stadium helm, yet the midfielder took his game to the next level in recent years, establishing himself as the former's trusted lieutenant in the middle of the park, or in defence as was so often the case in City's injury-hit 2019/20 season, their first since Vincent Kompany departed the club.
Yet as Fernandinho enters his twilight years, Rodri's importance to the side has increased significantly with the former passing the torch to the latter. Considering his advancing years, it's no surprise that Fernandinho has registered just 186 minutes of Premier League action this season, with four of his six appearances coming off the bench to help see out victories against Leicester, Chelsea, Burnley and Brighton.
Rodri, meanwhile, has clocked up exactly 900 minutes of game time having started 10 of City's 12 league matches this season. The defending champions failed to win both games he didn't feature in, losing at Tottenham and being held by Southampton at home. What is key about Rodri's game is that he brings control to the midfield, which Guardiola no doubt enjoys.
During his playing days, Guardiola was less the active ball winner and more the controller at the base of the midfield as he sought to help his side dominate opponents. Rodri now carries out this duty with aplomb for City. Indeed, 85.5 passes per game is the most in the Premier League this season. On Sunday, he completed 110 passes against an Everton side that, as a team, completed 172. Meanwhile, a 92.5% pass success rate is the third best division, with teammates Aymeric Laporte (95.3%) and Ruben Dias (93.2%) pipping him to first and second, respectively. The key is that those above him are centre-backs that won't be pressured as frequently as Rodri when in possession, with the Spain international a calming presence in the middle of the park that enables City to dominate.
"For me, it's been so, so important that he (Guardiola) played in the same position that I play," Rodri said last month and in such a key role on the pitch, having a manager who played in the same position has been key for his development from a big money underwhelming acquisition in 2019 to key man in the City engine room.
Part of the reason for the criticism was a lack of pace, which opponents knew they could expose, particularly in his debut season. The Premier League is perhaps a faster league than La Liga and this showed. Yet as Rodri isn't the fastest player in the team, nor was Guardiola back in the day and he turned this from a negative to a postive. The mental side to Rodri's game has improved immeasurably in recent months, allowing him to make the right decision when it matters.
The number of times per 90 Rodri is dribbled past in the Premier League this season (0.5) is his lowest in a campaign, that a drop from last season (1.1), that too a fall from 2019/20 (1.4). On top of that, City's return of 6.4 shots conceded per game in England's top tier this term is not only the fewest in the Premier League, but also their lowest in a season since Rodri joined from Atletico.
He didn't live up to the billing in his debut year in England, and having shown signs of improvement last term, Rodri now looks the part in the most important position on the pitch with City a far more solid and controlling side with the 25-year-old playing to the best of his ability. If City are to successfully defend their crown, and go all the way in the Champions League for the first time in their history, then Rodri will be vital cog that helps delivery glory to the Etihad once more.
