Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge clash over Rodri's Man City absence after Liverpool comparison

Sky Sports pundits Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge got into a heated debate during the Super Sunday coverage on the impact of Rodri's absence this season.

The Ballon d'Or winner suffered an ACL injury during a Premier League game against Arsenal back in September. Since then, they have dropped points in the league against Newcastle United, Bournemouth, Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur, while they have also won just two of their four Champions League games.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's huge clash against Liverpool at Anfield, Richards explained just how significant Rodri's absence has been, and likened it to the Reds' struggles without Virgil van Dijk when he suffered the same injury back in 2020. “I want to talk about Rodri,” he told Sky Sports.

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“We talk about Man City, the team, and how they’re structured - Rodri is the driving force that allows them to do what they do. He’s the best player in Europe. Just look at their record when he plays and when he doesn’t play. It’s staggering.

“If you take [Mohamed] Salah or Van Dijk out of Liverpool, they’re going to struggle. You’ve seen Arsenal without [Martin] Odegaard, he comes back and they’re a better team.

“I’m not saying the problem is just Rodri. I’m saying the effect he has on the rest of the team. I don’t think Man City get any grace when they lose a top player.

“Kevin De Bruyne has been out, Foden has been struggling, Grealish has been out as well. I’m not making excuses, but we can all see the importance of Rodri with out own eyes."

“Hold on, hold on,” Sturridge interjected. “We know that, but at the same time, now you have to deal with it. The reality of it is - what’s the solution? I said the solution, John Stones, [Manuel] Akanji.”

“What happened when Van Dijk got injured?” Richards asked.

To which Sturridge responded: “You’re bringing up [another] team! It’s irrelevant. We’re talking about Manchester City.”

“I’m saying with Van Dijk, when he got injured for Liverpool, they were a shadow of a team," Richards concluded. "That’s fact. That’s not opinion. Man City, without Rodri, are a shadow of a team.”