Bruno Guimaraes or Martin Zubimendi? How Man City targets compare to Rodri | OneFootball

Manchester City’s reliance on Rodri has been laid painfully bare over the last couple of months.

With their midfield linchpin and Ballon d’Or winner sidelined for the season with a cruciate ligament tear, City have fallen apart. In a never-before-seen run from a Pep Guardiola side or the club in the Sheikh Mansour era, Man City have won just one of their last 10 matches across all competitions, losing seven times during that run, including five in a row between October 30 and November 23.

City haven’t been helped by the fact that Mateo Kovacic has also fallen prey to injury but, if anything, that has only served to highlight their need for depth further.

With all that in mind, it’ll come as little surprise to read reports that City are strongly considering wading into the transfer market to find a new holding midfielder for Guardiola to build his side around.

Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes has reportedly been a long-time target for the Cityzens and that rumour isn’t going away. But City are now also being linked with Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who rejected a move to Liverpool in the summer.

How do Guimaraes and Zubimendi compare to Rodri?

When compared with Rodri’s 2023/24 Premier League campaign — which helped him win the Ballon d’Or award — it’s no shock to see Guimarares and Zubimendi off the pace when it comes to creativity, possession involvement and sheer number of passes.

However, there are some key areas where both players excel that would massively help Guardiola return some structure to his team.

In the case of Zubimendi, it’s his defensive output. The Spain international has averaged 1.3 interceptions, 2.3 clearances and 2.8 tackles per 90 minutes in La Liga this season, compared to 0.8, 1.3 and 2.2 per 90 from Rodri last season. What’s more, Zubimendi has also committed 1.3 fouls per 90 this season, which is the same as Rodri in the Premier League last campaign — Guardiola knows the value of someone who can drag an opponent down or perform a sneaky trip at just the right moment to stop a counter-attack without getting booked. Losing that presence of mind in the middle has left his side horribly exposed in recent weeks.

For Guimaraes, his strengths lie in dynamism, averaging 1.5 successful dribbles and 3.8 fouls won per 90 this season, compared to 1.3 and 1.1, respectively, for Rodri last campaign. Guimaraes has also won 7.5 ground duels and 7.9 overall duels per 90, while Rodri only managed 4.5 and 6.2, respectively.

“It shows I’m at a high level, but nothing more than rumours. I spoke to Pep once, I praised his work, he praised my work,” Guimaraes said of praise from Guardiola during a recent international break, adding: “I know Guardiola likes my football, it’s normal to have great coaches admire your football.”

Zubimendi, meanwhile, was lauded as the second-best player in the world in his position by Spain boss Luis de la Fuente behind — yes, you guessed — Rodri.

Either Guimaraes or Zubimendi are likely to cost City a pretty penny. But losing Rodri has proven devastating for Pep Guardiola, who needs to bandage up that wound as soon as possible if his side are to keep their failing campaign alive.

*Using Bookmaker/Affiliate links on squawka.com may earn us a commission, at no additional cost to you. 18+ only. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. For more information, visit gambleaware.org.