The shocking Premier League table since Man City lost Rodri through injury

Manchester City have lost their last five matches across all competitions and it’s fair to say that they’ve not been the same since losing Rodri to an ACL injury.

The Spanish midfielder was the glue that kept Pep Guardiola’s side ticking over and since losing him in September, the club have struggled to find much form.

Across all competitions last season, Rodri made 50 appearances and won the vast majority of games that he featured in.

His tremendous 2023-24 campaign earned him the Ballon d’Or as he narrowly beat Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior to the prestigious prize.

However, after sustaining a season-ending injury against Arsenal back in September, the 28-year-old has been forced to watch the action from the sidelines.

In the Premier League in particular, Guardiola’s side have really felt Rodri’s absence as they have struggled to keep the pace with Liverpool.

Since losing Rodri, Man City have only accumulated 10 points from their last seven matches. They have also conceded three more goals than they have scored during that time.

To put into context just how important Rodri is to Man City, of the 14 Premier League games that he’s missed since the start of last season, City have lost six (42%) of those games.

Man City’s midfield problems were especially highlighted over the weekend as Tottenham ran riot at the Etihad as they claimed all three points with an emphatic 4-0 away victory.

READ: 10 truly insane stats from Tottenham’s landmark 4-0 mauling away to Man City

“Rodri is irreplaceable and the team won’t play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time,” Guardiola told reporters back in September.

“Of course it’s a big, big blow for us but I have a duty to find a solution. But it is football, it happens.

“When one player is irreplaceable we find solutions as a team. Last season, we were three months without Erling [Haaland], five months without Kevin [de Bruyne] and we found solutions.”

In Rodri’s absence, Guardiola has tinkered with the midfield, but he’s struggled to get much of a tune out of his side of late.

Mateo Kovacic has played a more prominent role in the starting XI this season, although he recently picked up an injury that is set to keep him out of action for a month.

READ NEXT: Where are they now? The 6 players Man City signed alongside Rodri in 2019

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every player Pep Guardiola has used at Man City?

The club was also boosted by the return of Ilkay Gundogan over the summer, although the German has struggled to recapture his best form in 2024-25 so far.

Guardiola’s side now find themselves eight points adrift of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table and in desperate need of a change in fortunes.

Here is a full breakdown of the Premier League table since Rodri sustained his season-ending injury in September:

Note: all teams have played seven matches unless otherwise stated.

1. Liverpool – 19 points (GD +7)
2. Brighton – 13 points (GD +1)
3. Tottenham – 12 points (GD +10)
4. Chelsea – 12 points (GD +3)
5. Arsenal – 11 points (GD +4)
6. Brentford – 11 points (GD +2)
7. Bournemouth – 10 points (GD +2)
8. Everton – 10 points (GD +2)
9. Nottingham Forest – 10 points (GD 0)
10. Fulham – 10 points (GD -2)
11. Manchester City – 10 points (GD -3)
12. Manchester United – 9 points (GD 0)
13. Wolves – 8 points (GD +1)
14. Newcastle – 8 points (GD +1) *played six
15. West Ham – 8 points (GD -2) *played six
16. Aston Villa – 7 points (GD -3)
17. Leicester – 7 points (GD -6)
18. Ipswich – 6 points (GD -5)
19. Crystal Palace – 5 points (GD -4)
20. Southampton – 3 points (GD -8)