Without Rodri, Manchester City will be very unstable and their defensive problems will be more serious.

Man City lost to Villa 0:1, which exposed the old problem, which is who will take over after Rodri is absent due to injury. Since suffering a serious injury last season and suffering repeated truces this season, the Spaniard has lost a stable attendance rate.

When Rodri is not on the court, Manchester City's midfield protection and assist defense will often have problems. When watching the game, you can feel that the team's defensive midfielder position has a big problem.

For example, in the picture above, the moment Villa counterattacked, there was an extremely serious problem with the team's defensive hierarchy. There are situations where people are missed and predictions are wrong. Who will mark the ball, who will intercept, and who will cover the position of the weak side. The team's defense has a big loophole.

If the picture just now is not obvious, then you can take a look at the picture above. While watching the game, I felt dissatisfied with this defensive scene.

Villa's right side player took the ball, and all the players were staring at the ball. There was no one to cover the gaps in the left and middle areas. McGinn and others had a chance to start calmly.

This kind of defensive performance is really different from Manchester City at its peak. When Rodri was here, it was difficult to miss someone like this, and the defense in the middle was completely missed.

It is also fortunate that the opponent's player did not score. If it were Mbappe or Kane, the probability of this goal would be very high.

Why is Rodri's existence so important to Manchester City? Because a healthy Rodri is too versatile. He can defend and grab, has an excellent sense of position, and covers a large defensive area; his passing and advancing rhythm during offense are very reasonable, and his ball delivery is very accurate. He will be the core of the team's offense and defense.

In terms of defense, without Rodri, Manchester City's sense of hierarchy will drop a lot. He also has strong communication and command skills. Sitting in the defensive midfielder, he can direct his teammates to move to the right position.

With him gone, all these defensive systems will collapse, and they will be overwhelmed when facing high-end games.

To put it mildly, Manchester City is a bit strong on the outside and hard on the inside. It seems to have a strong lineup, but it will be very unstable. This instability will mainly be reflected in the hidden dangers of personnel shortages and injuries to core players. There is no suitable replacement, and there is a gap compared with Arsenal.

Whether Arsenal has many injuries, in fact, there are many. Odegaard and others are also missing due to injuries. But Arsenal has struggled in some games this season. Winning games always rely on set pieces, but the defense is no problem.

No matter how ugly the game looks, the Gunners can always get through it and win those ugly-looking games with their excellent defense.

This is also the reason why Arsenal can secure the first place in the standings. Regardless of rotation, lineup depth, and player suitability, they will be better than the current Manchester City.

As for the new aid Reinders, you can praise him. His forward penetration, advancement and counterattack speed are his signature weapons. After getting the ball, he rushes forward and is very threatening when he shoots. This is his advantage;

However, we must also objectively see that Reinders is currently Manchester City's starter. There are still problems, that is, he integrates into the team's defensive system and does not play such a big role.

Let’s not talk about the problem of losing position. His interception, defensive coverage and assisting defensive role are still far behind Rodri.

When Reinders serves as the team's "single defensive midfielder", paired with Seat B and Foden, the team's defense will be riddled with holes. In addition, Savinho and others on the wing are not particularly strong defensive players. Guardiola's process of training Reinders to become the new Rodri will be unrealistic.

Especially during the rotation process, players such as Malmouche and Shirki did not start. It is conceivable how big a challenge the team will face.

So Guardiola still has to be patient and not act too hastily. At present, he still has to solve the problem of lineup balance due to Rodri's absence. Every time I see Manchester City's starting lineup released, with a large number of technical players B and Foden in the midfield, I sweat on my head and worry comes from the bottom of my heart.

Will Manchester City lose this game and capsize? There will always be such anxiety. The results after the game also verified my worries many times. The team will always lose in some games that should not be lost.

Taking into account the problem of running in new players, Guardiola's task this season is still quite heavy. Compared with Arsenal, their advantage is not that big, which is in sharp contrast to before.

By the time Christmas Eve comes and there are more games, Manchester City still has many difficulties to face.

Including the problem of Haaland's dependence. Haaland is very strong this season, but besides Haaland, can Manchester City have other effective offensive methods? It seems that it is no longer visible.

We rely on Harland in every game. If Harland is injured and has to be out for a month or two like Rodri, then who else on the team can take over?

After careful analysis, you will find that Manchester City's prospects have many hidden dangers. These hidden dangers are like time bombs, waiting to explode at any time, and then the team will slide into the abyss.

As for Manchester City's goal this season, I think it is more reasonable to first enter the top four, then try as hard as possible to compete for the championship, and then see if Arsenal will fall off the chain in the middle and take a chance.

Avoiding player injuries and staying healthy will be the key.