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Jamie Carragher has changed his prediction about the Premier League title race after Manchester City midfielder Rodri was dealt a long-term injury. The Spanish midfield maestro has been a consistent part of the Cityzens' trophy haul in recent years, having won four Premier League titles in a row.
However, it has been confirmed that the Spaniard suffered an ACL injury. This happened during the Cityzens' big clash against Arsenal in their previous game (September 22). Roadri spent a short time on the pitch before getting substituted off in the 21st minute as he could not continue after a tussle with Thomas Partey.
It is uncertain how long he will be out of contention, but reports have claimed that the injury has ended his season prematurely. Due to how instrumental he has been for Manchester City, Jamie Carragher has changed his mind about them winning the Premier League title.
The Liverpool icon had expected City to go all the way and win their fifth title in a row, but he has now changed his prediction. In a conversation with Stick to Football, Carragher revealed that he wasn't certain about Pep Guardiola's men lifting the trophy (via Metro):
"I would say 50/50 now. They never lose when he’s playing. I think having Rodri out is more of a blow for the Champions League than the Premier League. Those quarter-finals, semi-finals – that role of the sitting midfielder, going away from home and controlling the games."
Carragher also admitted that Manchester City have players that can fill the Rodri role like Matteo Kovacic and John Stones:
"John Stones has never really played there. He’s played there drifting in [from defence] so he might go back to that because he hasn’t done that for a while... First game of the season at Chelsea, Rodri wasn’t playing. Kovacic was in there, he’s a good player."
Time will tell how Pep Guardiola will manage his team's performances without Rodri, as the Cityzens look to take home another trophy haul in this campaign.
How important is Rodri to Manchester City's Premier League title chase?
The 28-year-old Spanish midfielder has been the engine of the Manchester City squad since he joined them in 2019 and has gone from strength to strength. The BBC revealed that in the last 48 league games he has started, the Cityzens have not lost a single match.
It is also worth noting that Pep Guardiola's men struggle without the holding midfielder. He missed just five games for the club last season, and they were unable to perform in his absence, losing four of those games.
Pep Guardiola has explained that a diagnosis is still in progress but said a surgery is guaranteed (via BBC):
"Still we don't have the definitive [diagnosis] but he will be out for a long time - a while... We are waiting for the last phone calls from him and the doctors for what definitely he has and the type of surgery he has to get."
Time will tell if Manchester City can win the Premier League without Rodri's input.
