Rodri’s injury has left Man City’s midfield without its familiar “brain”, but while Pep Guardiola is struggling to find a solution, the name of Douglas Luiz, his once forgotten former student, is being mentioned as a reminder of a transfer mistake by the Spanish coach.
Man City in the 2025/26 season is no longer the perfect machine as in previous years, but they are still the top candidate for the Premier League championship . After 8 rounds, “The Citizens” scored 17 goals, the most in the league and are only three points behind the top team Arsenal.
However, that joy was overshadowed by the worry of Rodri. The Spanish midfielder suffered a hamstring injury in the win over Brentford and had to leave the field after only 22 minutes. This was a huge loss because Rodri was not only the “sweeper” in the midfield, but also the tactical brain that helped Pep Guardiola maintain stability for Man City for many years. Guardiola has been forced to deal with new signing Nico Gonzalez having struggled to settle in since his move from Porto. The question now is not how long Rodri will be out, but how long City can survive without him. 🧠 Douglas Luiz – the forgotten former student Amid the lack of quality backup options in Man City’s midfield, many people remember a name that grew up in the Etihad academy – Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian player left City in 2019 to join Aston Villa for £15 million, a deal that Pep at the time thought he could not keep all of.
At Villa, Luiz quickly established himself as one of the Premier League’s most complete central midfielders. He was solid on the ball, read the game well, and especially had the ability to play the kind of pass that unlocked defences that Rodri often did at City. After a short time playing for Juventus , Luiz returned to England to play for Nottingham Forest. Although he has not yet found his best form, he still shows the class of a midfielder trained by Pep and is considered the perfect piece for the imposing control system that Man City has built. 🔥 “Better than Declan Rice” – potential missed by Pep? Douglas Luiz was once praised by former player Jermaine Pennant as being more complete than Declan Rice.
According to Pennant, Luiz is not only as good at tackling and breaking up play as Rice, but also excels in creativity, scoring goals and passing from wide. Pennant asserted: “If I had to choose between Luiz for £60m and Rice for £100m, I would choose Luiz every day of the week.” It may sound bold, but it’s not without reason. Luiz was the heartbeat of Aston Villa’s European campaign, and that form would be enough to convince any manager looking for a modern-day No. 6. If Pep had kept Luiz, perhaps Man City wouldn’t be struggling with Rodri’s absence. Of course, Rodri is still an irreplaceable factor, but in the context of a tight schedule and overloaded pillars, having a midfielder like Luiz who is flexible, intelligent and knows how to carry the load can help Guardiola avoid the current tactical headache.
