Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri and his Norwegian and Arsenal counterpart Martin Odegaard are on a lengthy injury layoff in the ongoing 2024-25 Premier League campaign.
Rodri picked up an ACL injury during Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal after colliding with Arsenal’s midfielder Thomas Partey and twisting his knee joint.
Martin Odegaard suffered ligament damage after a rough challenge by Christoph Baumgartner during Norway’s 2024 UEFA Nations League clash against Austria in the September international break.
For Manchester City and Arsenal, the absence of the two players will definitely weigh on the team’s chances and prospects in the ongoing campaign given their pivotal roles.
Follow us as we dive into a comparative analysis of how the duo’s injury will impact Manchester City and Arsenal, respectively, in the ongoing 2024–25 Premier League campaign.
Table of Contents
Rodri’s Injury: The Heart of Manchester City
Rodri has been a key player for Manchester City since he joined from Atletico Madrid in 2019. The Spaniard perfectly blends defensive and playmaking roles and is considered one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation.
His Role in Manchester City Tactical Setup
In Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City setup, Rodri is used mainly as a holding midfielder. He dictates the pace of the game, initiates attacks, delivers defence-piercing passes, and drops to cover when the team is under pressure.
Rodri’s most notable attribute that has endeared him to the Pep Guardiola structure is his tactical intelligence. He knows when to sit and press, offering City a crucial balancing in-between offensive and defensive play.
Additionally, his strength and stability have been opponents’ nightmare, including his vision and playmaking roles.
Form Before Injury
Notably, Rodri will be laid off from the City lineup as one of the best players on the team. From creative play, pinpoint assists, to insane goals, the Spaniard shaped City’s chances in the England Championship, including in Europe.
He won 73% of his tackles and made 189 passes more than any other Premier League player as of January 2024 in the 2023–24 season. His unbeaten run with the Premier League giants is also noteworthy. From February 2023 to May 2024, Manchester City went 74 games without a defeat when Rodri started.
The seven-time Premier League champions won 74% of their matches with Rodri, with the win rate dropping to 64% when he was not playing. These unbeatable heroics earned him a deserved nomination for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award.
Impact on Manchester City’s Title Challenge
Rodri will be greatly missed by Manchester City. From his creative play, defensive stability, crucial interceptions, won tackles, potency on aerial duels, and playmaking roles, City is likely to reel under a challenging run for the Premier League title without the Spaniard in the upcoming matches.
Specifically, out of his 74 unbeaten matches with the club, 50 were Premier League matches. The import of the stats on City Premier League’s chances last season cannot be downplayed. Breaking it down, City raked home an astonishing 91 points from a possible 105, comprising 28 wins, seven draws, and zero defeats.
Notably, City’s prolific domestic run last season ground to a halt after Rodri picked up a red card and got suspended during the Nottingham Forest match. The club recorded defeats against Arsenal and Wolves in the Premier League and then stumbled to a Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle United.
Potential Replacement Options for Rodri
Manchester City boasts great depths enough to offset possible lapses and loopholes from injuries to the finest legs in the squad. However, lengthy injury layoffs for players in the class of Rodri will pose a big challenge to the club. Nonetheless, there are some possible names that could stand in for the 25-year-old.
The first and most likely alternative is Mateo Kovacic. The Serbia international was subbed on at the instance of the season-ending injury to Rodri. Also, before Rodri returned to City’s lineup this season, he was deputized by the former Chelsea midfielder. City won the four matches with Kovacic, but there were concerns over his rickety and non-solid posturing in the role.
From missed passes to loose balls, Kovacic was just a less effective replacement for Rodri. Particularly, he was substituted before the hour mark in Brentford and Ipswich matches due to his subpar delivery.
Rico Lewis is another replacement option for Rodri. While the youngster may lack the experience of Rodri, he is known for his great positioning skills and tactical intelligence, which is a key asset for Guardiola’s possession-based style.
Lewis has also earned accolades from Pep Guardiola for his ability to safely distribute the ball, an attribute crucial to settling for the deep midfield role.
IIkay Gundogan is another viable option. The 33-year-old could be the saviour for Manchester City in the wake of Rodri’s injury. Gundogan played a defensive midfield role effectively while at Borussia Dortmund and is likely to be called up to step into the shoes of Rodri.
While his creativity and tactical intelligence compare favourably with Rodri’s, the challenge is on his mobility—his ability to cover offensive and defensive distances with ease without leaving pluckable gaps for the opponents.
Another potential option for Manchester City will be John Stones. Stones saved Manchester City at the death, scoring the late equalizer to peg Arsenal to a 2-2 draw in the match in which Rodri was injured.
The England defender has flourished in attacking midfield roles despite being a natural defender. He perfected this flexibility in Manchester City’s Champions League final win over Inter Milan in 2023. In the Arsenal match, he was deployed as a false striker to support Erling Haaland, and he smashed the role with grace. This versatility could make him a possible replacement option for Rodri.
Categorically, Manchester City has enough depth to offset Rodri’s injury but will not be able to replace the unique skills of the defender. Hence, they are likely to face hiccups in the title race due to the absence of the Spaniard.
Odegaard’s Injury: Arsenal’s creative force
Martin Odegaard’s injury is a devastating blow to Arsenal. The Norwegian midfield sensation has been at the heart of the revamped Arsenal squad under Mikel Arteta.
Odegaard’s Role and Contributions in Arsenal Tactical Setup
After joining from Real Madrid in 2021, Odegaard perfectly gelled into Mikel Arteta’s possessive style of play. His creative play, passing, and dribbling skills made him a prolific playmaker for the Gunners. Also, Odegaard’s positional skills, press, and tactical intelligence, including work rate, played a crucial role in Arsenal’s attacking play. He follows up his passes with a corresponding movement to create space for his teammates. In the final third, his movement helps the team maintain the tempo and intensity of the press.
Despite playing as an attacking midfielder and creator, Odegaard boasts an incredible work rate, covering both attacking and defensive distances to modulate the team’s transitions from attack to defence and vice versa.
Another noteworthy contribution of the Norwegian is his leadership role on and off the field in the squad. Mikel Arteta uses him as the team’s reference point for hard work and discipline, driving unity in the squad and promoting team spirit.
Form Before Injury
Arguably, Odegaard is laid off as Arsenal’s best creator and playmaker. He was integral to the team’s push for the Premier League title in the last two seasons, missing just one Premier League game in the 2022–23 season and three in the 2023–24 season.
Odegaard reached his highest goal contribution tally (22) for Arsenal, comprising 15 goals and seven assists in the campaign. He finished 3rd with 102 chances created among the top 10 Premier League players with the most chances created in the 2023-24 season.
Specifically, he created the most number of chances from open play (88) than any other Premier League player that season and was among the top four players who covered more distance (401 km) in the England top flight and was crowned the club’s Best Player of the Season both for his on-field and off-field contributions. Only Bukayo Saka has more goals or assists than the Norwegian in the Arsenal squad.
Impact on Arsenal’s 2024-25 EPL title aspirations
Arsenal will greatly miss Martin Odegaard. The Gunners are likely to struggle with both their attacking play and creating goal-scoring chances. Odegaard’s movement was key to Arsenal’s press in the final third and maintenance of possession.
He easily found his teammates to deliver perfect passes and create chances to collect them back. His line-breaking passes and distribution to the wide areas were also crucial in the Arteta setup. His intelligence and confidence grounded the Mikel Arteta Gunners’ attacking and possessive play.
For instance, the likes of Bukayo Saka and Martinelli could dare in-between-the-line runs, trusting Odegaard to find them. From Arsenal’s build-up to the attack, he proved a creative force of be reckoned with.
Possible replacement options for Martin Odegaard
As expected, Mikel Arteta will explore and experiment with a list of options to replace Martin Odegaard. A potential alternative is Kai Havertz. Kai Havertz has been deployed more of an attacker recently but could be dropped back to his traditional midfield role to fill the void left by Odegaard. However, the German baller is not likely to match Odegaard’s playmaking and creative prowess.
Oleksandr Zinchenko could be another option for Mikel Arteta. The Ukrainian has been deployed as an inverted full-back for the Gunners but can also play as a midfielder. With Jurrien Timber fit and already cementing his place in the inverted full-back role, Zinchenko can be deployed in a more forward role as a midfielder.
Another reliable option for Arsenal could be fast-rising English youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly. The 18-year-old Islington-born talent has been tagged as another ‘Jack Wilshere’ for the club. He is known for his intelligence, confidence, creative capacity, and imposing midfield play. However, his main deficiency will be a lack of experience compared to Martin Odegaard.
Apart from concrete tactical issues and setbacks, Odegaard’s absence is likely to dampen the team’s morale. The Norwegian is not only going to be missed as a creative player but also as a leader whose contributions on and off the field boosted the team’s confidence.
Comparative Analysis: The Significance of Each Injury
Rodri and Martin Odegaard’s injuries will weigh on Manchester City’s and Arsenal’s 2024-25 Premier League title chances. Note that the two teams have been at the forefront of the Premier League title race in the last few seasons and were tipped to go head-to-head this season. Let’s take a look at how the duo’s absence will affect their respective teams.
Team Depth: Manchester City boasts greater depth than Arsenal on potential replacement options for Rodri as the Gunners for Odegaard. John Stones, IIkay Gundogan, Rico Lewis, and Mateo Kovacic are likely options to take on the Spaniard’s role. For Arsenal, some wild card options could be Kai Havertz, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Apart from specific players that can stand in for the two players, Manchester City possesses enough depth in other departments—from clinical finishers to solid defence and midfield options—to weather the overall impact of Rodri’s absence.
Arsenal also has a strong squad but lacks options in the attack and midfield compared to City. They are more likely to be affected by Odegaard’s absence than Manchester City for Rodri.
Tactical Adjustments: With the two key players out, Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola are expected to hit down the drawing board and tweak their tactical formulas. While the duo’s possessive and attacking style of play may not change, some subtle tweaks, such as midfield strategy, are likely to change.
Mikel Arteta may be forced to rely on box-to-box midfielders who can provide offensive and defensive cover. Another option will be to rely on wingers and full-backs like Ben White, Jurrien Timber, and Riccardo Calafiori to contribute more to the attacking play and create more chances.
For Manchester City, Rodri’s absence is likely to make room for Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovacic’s midfield pairing, with Lewis used more as an inverted full-back in the defensive midfield role. Also, Gundogan could be made to drop deep and pair with Kovacic in a new-look 4-2-3-1 formation. John Stones could also be paired with Kovacic, with the former playing the inverted full-back role if Rico Lewis and IIkay Gundogan are off the equation.
Upcoming Fixtures: Manchester City felt the impact of Rodri’s immediately during the 2-2 draw with Arsenal. It nearly ended in a defeat before John Stones’ late heroics. The Premier League Champions will skim through the remaining Premier League games without the Spaniard.
Apart from Chelsea and Arsenal, double-legged ties against Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur await. There are also fixtures against big slayers like Aston Villa and Brentford. While the Manchester-based outfit has enough quality to compete in these fixtures, Rodri’s absence is likely to take its toll.
Unlike Manchester City, Arsenal will not miss Martin Odegaard for the rest of the season. The Gunners will welcome the Norwegian back in a few weeks but are set to skim through a series of tough Premier League fixtures without him. Such fixtures include trips to Newcastle United and a home fixture against Liverpool.
Psychological factors: The injuries of the two players are also likely to affect the morale and drive of the two teams. A City or Arsenal side without Rodri and Martin Odegaard will have to be more careful and methodical when taking on big opponents.
Conclusion
With the bare start to the season, Rodri and Martin Odegaard’s injuries are going to be a big problem for Manchester City and Arsenal, respectively. The two teams are expected to make some changes to the squad as they navigate through the remainder of the season.
Notably, Rodri’s absence will have a more significant impact on the Premier League title race as he is set to miss the rest of the season. Martin Odegaard is expected back to Arsenal in no distant time, but the Gunners are still likely to struggle with scores of key fixtures without the player.
