For much of the first half of this season, it almost became a running joke about asking Pep Guardiola on the fitness of Rodri.
The Manchester City midfielder was being nursed back from a hamstring injury between October and December after he missed most of the previous campaign due to an anterior cruciate ligament tear.
Given his importance to this City side, it was obviously a burning issue as to why one of their best players was not ready to return having initially recovered from the more serious knee problem.
Depending on his mood, Guardiola would either give a brief response of “not yet” when asked about the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner’s readiness. On occasion, he would open up on the necessity to ensure he was fully ready for the intensity of Premier League football on a weekly basis with European action in between.
There was a sense that the City manager wanted to make sure Rodri was primed for this part of the season in particular. This is the time when the title race really starts and the knockout stages of the Champions League come around.
So while there was surprise at the omission of Erling Haaland for this trip to Leeds and Elland Road, where the City striker’s father once played, it was also an evening to remind us that the Norwegian frontman is far from the only key figure in this team.
Obviously, given it was a victory by the narrowest of margins, City won’t want the league top scorer’s “knock in training” to be anything serious.
However, the fact that it was his replacement, Rayan Cherki, who played the pass which unpicked the lock on the resolute Leeds defence in the lead up to January signing Antoine Semenyo’s match-winning goal shows Guardiola that his attacking players can step up in different ways to fill the void.
Can anyone really replace Rodri? This was another performance from the defensive midfielder which suggests it would be more difficult to step into his shoes than Haaland’s.
At the final whistle here, Rodri dropped to the ground in exhaustion after his efforts against an energetic Leeds team battling to avoid relegation. He turned onto his back, looked up to the sky and gave a small celebration.
There was chaos all around him at that point. Guardiola had offered the Leeds fans a sarcastic wave as he walked onto the pitch after enduring an evening of being called, in his words, a “w****er” during the game while Bernardo Silva and Jayden Bogle clashed as tempers threatened to boil over. Leeds manager Daniel Farke was also shown a red card for his anger at the officials at the end.
It was fitting that Rodri was not really involved in all the kerfuffle as he had been the calming influence throughout the 90 minutes which proceeded it.
He was superb on the ball, with only 10 of his 119 passes misplaced. More than half of them were in the opposition half as he tried to help break through the white wall of Leeds players. Guardiola said the passing was crucial to moving the home side around and helping to tire them.
“What a player Rodri is,” said Guardiola. “We missed him a lot. Step by step, he’s coming back.”
When City came under pressure, and there were too many times for Guardiola and the travelling support to be comfortable, it was often an interception from Rodri or a pass out from the Spain international that eased things for the visitors.
In stoppage time, it was his sneakiness which saw him deflate Leeds’ hope of a late equaliser. He stepped in front of Gabriel Gudmundsson in his own area and drew the foul. Soft? You bet it was, but it is the shrewdness of a serial trophy winner that is crucial in tight games like these when chasing big honours.
City have lost just one league game since Rodri’s full return at the turn of the year. That was a dismal display against United at Old Trafford, but they’ve now won five of their last six without defeat.
That has helped move them two points behind leaders Arsenal, and Rodri is a big reason for the uptick in form as he continues to get back up to the pace.
Obviously, spending a healthy sum, £62.5m, on Semenyo last month also helped. The former Bournemouth attacker got his fourth goal in seven league appearances for his new club.
It came in the second minute of first-half stoppage time when Rayan Ait-Nouri crossed, but it was all about Cherki’s clever pass, which put the City full back in space inside the Leeds area.
Of course, if Dominic Calvert-Lewin had taken an early chance or if Jaka Bijol’s late header had not crept just wide, it could have been a different outcome.
But City came through a tough evening amid a hostile atmosphere created by the Leeds fans, some of whom disgraced themselves by booing and jeering in the first half when the game was momentarily stopped for Muslim players to break their Ramadan fast.
“It’s the modern world, right?” added Guardiola. “You know what happened in the world again today? Respect religion, respect diversity. That is the point. The Premier League said you can have one or two minutes. It is what it is, unfortunately.”
Guardiola’s words hit the right tone at a time of turbulence in the world. Rodri’s performance – in the less important sporting sphere – was also spot on.
