Jamie Carragher alters Premier League title prediction following Rodri injury

Jamie Carragher is no longer confident that Manchester City will win the Premier League title after Rodri's season-ending injury.

The Ballon d’Or frontrunner hobbled off the pitch during the 2-2 draw with title rivals Arsenal last Sunday, with City since confirming that he suffered a ligament injury to his right knee.

While the extent of the injury is yet to be confirmed, all indications suggest Rodri will miss the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.

Given just how crucial the defensive midfielder has been for Pep Guardiola over the years, his absence will no doubt have a huge impact on City’s title aspirations, with Arsenal or Liverpool tipped to take advantage.

Before the season began, Carragher predicted the Citizens to win a fifth-straight Premier League and after the 2-2 draw he maintained that they had ‘the edge’ over Arsenal, with Liverpool to finish third.

But speaking on Stick to Football, brought to you by Sky Bet, the Liverpool legend was asked whether that had changed with Rodri now sidelined.

‘I would say 50/50 now. They never lose when he’s playing,’ Carragher replied.

‘I think having Rodri out is more of a blow for the Champions League than the Premier League. Those Quarter-Final, Semi-Finals – that role of the sitting midfielder, going away from home and controlling the games.’

Guardiola will now have the task of replacing Rodri, who has been a near ever-present in City’s starting XI since he moved to the Etihad in 2019.

Mateo Kovacic filled the void when Rodri missed the first few games of the season with injury, while centre-back John Stones has also been touted to move into the defensive midfield position.

Carragher believes it will be a combination of the two, adding: ‘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.

‘John Stones isn’t actually in the Man City team at the moment, he hasn’t been for a little bit of a time. [Manuel] Akanji and [Ruben] Dias look like the two centre-backs.

‘Might then Akanji go to one of the full-back positions and John Stones goes central and steps into midfield so he’s in there alongside Kovacic or [Ilkay] Gundogan?

‘First game of the season at Chelsea, Rodri wasn’t playing. Kovacic was in there, he’s a good player.’

City are a point clear at the top of the table after five games and have the chance to extend that lead when they visit Newcastle on Saturday.

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