Manchester City were held to a goalless draw by Arsenal on Sunday, with the Premier League champions missing a number of key players at the Etihad Stadium
Manchester City had a tough time in their recent match against Arsenal, with key players like Ederson, John Stones and Kyle Walker missing.
Despite this, the team’s biggest worry was their lack of attacking power, managing only one shot on target and failing to score for the first time at home since October 2021.
Erling Haaland, who is leading the race for the Golden Boot, was criticised for not being involved enough as City struggled to break down Arsenal’s defence, even though they had 73% of the ball. This draw gives Liverpool an advantage for now.
Despite being three points behind league leaders Liverpool, who beat Brighton 2-1 before City’s match, the champions are still confident as they aim for a second consecutive Treble.
While City managed without Stones, Walker and Ederson, losing Rodri would be a big blow. He hasn’t lost a game when he’s played this season, and his absence would be a big problem for Guardiola’s side.
The club’s only four losses this season have happened when the Spanish player wasn’t playing, due to him missing Premier League matches against Wolves, Arsenal and Aston Villa because of red and yellow card suspensions, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Rodri is just two bookings away from another ban. He currently has eight yellow cards, and if he gets two more in City’s next three games, he’ll have to sit out for two matches.
Players who get 10 yellow cards in their team’s first 32 Premier League games will be banned for two matches. City has played 29 games so far.
If Rodri gets a yellow card in the game against Aston Villa on Wednesday and again against Crystal Palace on Saturday, he won’t be able to play in the league games against Luton and Brighton. That would be quite the boost for City’s title rivals Liverpool and Arsenal.
If he gets two yellow cards in different games up to and including the match with Luton on April 13, Rodri would miss the games with Brighton and Nottingham Forest. If the 27-year-old gets his 10th booking of the season in the club’s 33rd league game – the trip to Brighton – he wouldn’t be banned.
Bans don’t carry over to other domestic competitions anymore, so Rodri would be able to play in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on April 20, no matter what. Domestic bans have never applied in Europe, so he would be able to play against Real Madrid in both legs, unless he gets a red card in the first leg.
