The recent decline in Manchester City’s performance, which has occurred concurrently with Rodri’s absence, has demonstrated his criticality to the squad. The team gains confidence in the fact that a holding player is positioned in that location.

I believe that Pep Guardiola became extremely concerned about his team being counterattacked when they were in such a dominant position some time ago. His primary concern is maintaining complete game control and ensuring that no opportunities are presented for the counterattack. With Rodri present, he perceives that the situation has significantly improved.

With additional coverage, full-backs can relax, and Rodri is cognizant of the fact that his contribution is valuable when he assists the center-backs. By reentering those areas, he enables a player such as Ruben Dias to advance further forward. This is accomplished by expanding his field of vision. That is vitally essential defensively, and I believe that is precisely what he was recruited to become.

In my opinion, Rodri’s mastery of the ball has improved significantly under Guardiola’s leadership. He seizes the ball when circumstances call for it, entices individuals to press, and can occasionally form a box with John Stones or another defender approaching him.

He is so at ease in those positions on the whole, and he consistently makes the correct choices. I doubt he was this way when he first arrived, but he has since advanced to the next level and is currently phenomenal with the ball.

Due to his stature, manner, and all-around performance, the team is simply more confident in his judgment. In addition to his role as a defensive midfielder, he must now contribute to the team’s progress forward and with the ball.