Rio Ferdinand agrees Man City star Rodri 'in the conversation' for best defensive midfielder in Premier League history
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Published 13/03/2024 at 20:39 GMT
TNT Sports experts Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole hailed the "importance" of Rodri for Manchester City. Responding to a tweet asking if the Spaniard is the best defensive midfielder in the history of the Premier League, Ferdinand admitted he is "definitely in the conversation" despite being just 27 years old. City are unbeaten in their last 60 games in all competitions when Rodri has played.
Josep 'Pep' Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, celebrates with Rodri after the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on August 19, 2023 in Manchester, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
Rio Ferdinand believes Rodri is already one of the best defensive midfielders in the history of the Premier League.
The 27-year-old has established himself as a key figure at Manchester City since joining from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019, so much so that manager Pep Guardiola described him as “irreplaceable” ahead of the 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield.
And the stats back up the City boss. Since the start of February 2023, City are unbeaten in the 60 games in all competitions Rodri has been involved in, while they have lost five of the 10 he’s missed.
Responding to a tweet which called the Spaniard the best in his position in Premier League history, TNT Sports pundits Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole shared their thoughts.
Ferdinand said: “I think he's definitely in the conversation. I think he could be. His importance to this Man City team is probably the definitive factor.
“The best ones I've played with were [Michael] Carrick and Owen Hargreaves, but I think sheer importance for the team… when he’s out the team, they get beat. It’s as simple as that.”
Cole caveated his reply by saying what is considered a defensive midfielder has evolved over the years. So while many would immediately pick out Roy Keane or Patrick Vieira, Rodri’s role is different compared to the former Manchester United and Arsenal captains.
“You have to put an asterisk on that because people will go Keane and Vieira, Paul Ince even, but they were more box to box,” Cole said. “Football has evolved so you can’t even call them holding midfielders.”
“They played in a two and they were going up and down, up and down, whereas Rodri’s role is to sit there as a six and dictate the play of the game,” added Ferdinand.
The title race is set to come down to the wire, with Arsenal, Liverpool and City separated by just one point with 10 games remaining.
City are chasing an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title, while a second successive Treble is still a possibility.
And while the likes of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne regularly receive the plaudits, Guardiola admitted none of it would be possible without Rodri.
“With him, we are a better team,” Guardiola said. “No doubt. If holding midfielders started getting the recognition of Erling Haaland and Kevin, we would have a problem.
“The holding midfielder has to never, ever be in the highlights. He has to do the job he has to do. But without him, we could not do what we are doing.
“But the highlights have to belong to other people. The holding midfielder has to think for the rest of the team and do not expect the recognition. But internally? All team-mates and staff, they all know how important and decisive he is. Massively important for us.”
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