Manchester City are in flux. Four starters from the treble-winning 2022-23 side — Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Bernardo Silva and John Stones — have left this summer, while the club have signed £116m Elliot Anderson and 17-year-old Jeremy Monga. Now the defining decision concerns Rodri, the Ballon d'Or-winning midfielder who will undergo back surgery on Monday with just one year left on his contract.
Fresh from captaining Spain to a World Cup final victory over Argentina, where he was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player, Rodri's future is the subject of intense speculation. Real Madrid are "operating on the basis" of him joining them, according to reports.
“Rodri faces back surgery with one year left on contract as Real Madrid circle, leaving new Man City boss Maresca with a dilemma.”
New boss Enzo Maresca was unequivocal when asked for his view on Friday. "I think every manager wants to have Rodri because he is a top player," he said. "But now, surgery on Monday... he needs a holiday... he needs to rest and recover and then he will be back with us." The plan seems clear — retain one of the best players in world football — but contingencies are being put in place.
City are monitoring 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who impressed for Morocco in the World Cup, while Anderson's arrival provides immediate depth. To understand how Rodri, Anderson and someone like Bouaddi might come together, it is key to understand Maresca's game model. A disciple of positional play, he draws comparisons between his football and chess.
"There are a lot of similarities," Maresca said. "The most important is positional play and strategy. For a coach, it's important to have the mentality of a chess player: develop a plan, study counter-moves, choose the arrangement of the pieces." His strategy has largely been rooted in an on-the-ball shape that looks like a 3-2-2-3 — a formation in which Rodri's qualities are central.
When Rodri returned from an anterior cruciate ligament injury last year, there were doubts about whether he would regain his peak levels. Pep Guardiola, the man Maresca has replaced, said last October: "In the World Cup, he will be the best Rodri, and next season he will be the best Rodri." Guardiola was proved right on the first count: Rodri was the tournament's best player.
Maresca now faces a defining choice: cash in when Rodri returns to fitness, or hold firm to his stance. For a manager who thinks like a chess player, losing a queen — even temporarily — demands a reshuffling of the board.
