Replacing Rodri: Maresca's Challenge at Manchester City
Enzo Maresca knows exactly what he has lost. Now he has to prove Manchester City know how to do what they’ve always done: replace the irreplaceable.
Rodri’s move to Barcelona this week closed a seven-year chapter that helped define City’s era of dominance. Four Premier League titles, a Champions League, two FA Cups, a 2024 Ballon d'Or and, this summer, the ultimate crowning – captaining Spain to World Cup glory and being named player of the tournament.
You don’t just “swap” that out of a squad.
“I'll try to find a new Rodri – it is what it is,” Maresca said on Saturday, on the eve of City’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth. No dressing it up. No pretending the hole isn’t enormous.
Rodri leaves as one of the most complete midfielders of his generation, but Maresca was quick to remind everyone that he didn’t arrive as that player.
“Rodri, before he arrived here, he didn't win the Ballon d'Or, he didn't win the Champions League, he didn't win the Club World Cup,” he pointed out. “Then he joined the club and then he achieved many important things. Now the target for us is to try to find the new Rodri.”
That has been City’s pattern in the modern era. One pillar leaves, another is built.
Maresca reeled off the lineage. When David Silva went, the anxiety was thick – then Kevin De Bruyne became the conductor. When Sergio Aguero departed, Erling Haaland walked in and tore up goalscoring records. When Fernandinho stepped away, Rodri grew into the heartbeat of the side.
“When David Silva was here, everyone was worried – Kevin arrived. When Sergio Aguero was here, everyone was worried – Erling arrived. When Fernandinho left, Rodri arrived. It's just about this,” Maresca said. “When they leave, you need to be good and recruit the next one.”
That is the challenge now. Not to clone Rodri, but to identify the next player who can grow into that role under the weight of expectation and the demands of a team that measures success in trophies, not plaudits.
Rodri’s exit is part of a broader reshaping of the squad this summer. The core of City’s dominance remains, but the edges are being cut and re-cut as Maresca puts his stamp on the group. The manager expects more movement before the transfer window shuts, and he sounded calm about both arrivals and departures.
“We need to adapt and we don't want to keep players here that don't want to stay,” he said. “The normal thing in transfer windows is that you have to wait because all the clubs try to keep players until the last week and then sell for more money. It's normal. I'm not worried about that.”
Names such as Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez have been linked with moves away, yet Maresca refused to be dragged into any sense of panic. For him, the real picture only comes into focus once the market closes.
“When the transfer window closes and we have all the squad there, for sure it will be different,” he said.
By then, City will hope the search for the “new Rodri” is at least underway. Because the season starts now, the trophies won’t wait, and the standard set by the man who just left for Barcelona leaves no margin for hesitation.
