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He might be a blend between Michael Carrick, Redondo, Michael Ballack, but does that mean that Rodri is the appropriate successor to Sergio Busquets? And just how does he transform Barcelona under Flick?
Analysis of Rodri's role as Barcelona's successor to Busquets, highlighting his passing, physicality, creativity, and impact under coach Flick.
Key Takeaways
- Rodri is a well-rounded midfielder who can succeed Busquets by controlling the game higher up the pitch.
- His aerial ability and physical presence address Barcelona's recent weaknesses in set pieces and duels.
- Despite injury setbacks, Rodri's historical data and eye test suggest a strong return to form.
- Rodri adds goal threat and creative passing that can diversify Barcelona's attack.
- His role under Flick could transform Barcelona's midfield dynamics and reduce pressure on attacking players.
What the video covers
- Rodri is compared to midfield greats like Michael Carrick and Michael Ballack, considered as a successor to Sergio Busquets.
- He excels in possession with elite passing accuracy, especially under pressure, and is a complete distributor.
- Rodri's influence is stronger higher up the pitch, allowing him to dictate attacks beyond just deep possession recycling.
- His athleticism is functional, with particular strength in aerial duels and physical presence, which Barcelona has lacked.
- Rodri has decent ball carrying ability, using composure and momentum rather than explosive pace to progress play.
- His shooting and goal threat were strong before an ACL injury; he can contribute 3-5 goals a season from midfield.
- Rodri's dribbling is solid but not elite; he is effective at manipulating his body to create passing angles and space.
- Creatively, Rodri is good at breaking defensive lines with passes, though not an elite creator, adding valuable variety.
- He offers defensive stability and leadership, improving Barcelona's set-piece threat and physical resilience.
- Under Flick, Rodri's role could relieve pressure on other midfielders like Pedri, enhancing overall team synergy.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction: Rodri as Busquets' Successor
- 01:08Rodri's Passing and Possession Style
- 01:58Athleticism and Physical Profile
- 02:50Ball Carrying and Acceleration
- 03:48Shooting and Goal Threat Analysis
- 05:18Dribbling and Press Resistance
- 06:07Creative Passing and Line Breaking
- 07:58Defensive Contributions and Set Pieces
- 09:19Tactical Role Under Coach Flick
- 12:38Conclusion: Rodri's Impact on Barcelona
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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[music] Rodri trying to lift it. Good turn by Alaves. Good defending. In possession, statistically, is where Rodri really stands out. That possession grade puts him firmly among the best operators in Europe. And even coming off an injury-hit season, his pressured,
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unpressured passing distribution, ambidexterity all remain strong. But historically, before injury, his pressured, unpressured passing rates were in the mid-90s, essentially putting him in the world-leading bracket. And I think there's scope for those numbers to climb again. In terms of the Wyscout data,
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heavily involved in possession, elite-level pass accuracy, excellent long passing and switches of play. He's essentially the complete distributor from a statistical perspective. And I think his possession game will be slightly different to Busquets. I think Busquets had this incredible ability to
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pause the game in his own third, manipulate the press, dictate the rhythm from deep. I don't think Rodri's quite got that same sense of control, but where Rodri has the edge is higher up the pitch. I think once Barcelona
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establish territory, Rodri can continue influencing the game rather than just recycling possession from deep. He can receive in midfield, switch play, break lines, dictate attacks from more advanced areas. I think Busquets had to rely more on Xavi and Iniesta to take
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control once Barca had progressed into the opposition half, whereas I think Rodri can be that controller himself once the team gets there. And I think that will take pressure off Pedri, and that's going to be a huge asset for
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Barcelona, a six who can control the game, not just from the first phase, but across multiple thirds of the pitch.
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Rodri again, a push in the back of Haaland. Statistically, Rodri's current athleticism profile is a little misleading. His overall grade has taken a hit because this data comes from last season when he was still returning from that ACL injury. Now, his aerial grade
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is more representative of his physical strengths. He covers decent ground, but the real value comes from his aerial ability and 50/50s rather than sheer pace. He isn't a Tonali-type midfielder who eats up huge distances regularly at speed. Now, the Wyscout data emphasizes
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that Rodri competes in a high number of aerial duels and importantly wins them at an exceptional rate. This is a midfielder that's going to give Barcelona, you know, real leverage in the air. This is going to be a real
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upgrade for them. From goal kicks, second balls, defensive clearances, Rodri will give Barcelona a physical presence that they've lacked since Busquets hasn't been in the team. He'll be a major weapon defending and attacking set pieces with his ability to
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arrive in the box and score important goals. Now, despite his relatively modest athleticism numbers, I think Rodri from the eye test can carry the ball quite effectively. He's not going to explode through midfield like Tonali, but there's enough acceleration to burst
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into space with the ball, something that Busquets didn't necessarily offer. So, Rodri overall, not a physical monster in the traditional sense. His athleticism though is functional even if it's not spectacular. Strength, aerial dominance, ability to win the ball, and that
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physical presence could become a huge difference to Barcelona. Statistically, Rodri's shooting profile looks surprisingly weak if we only look at the most recent data. His current shooting grade is just 53.4, but there's important context here. If we go back to
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the 23/24 season, Rodri's shooting profile was actually very strong. 72.7 under pressure, 78.1 under pressure.
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Left foot numbers good as well, comfortably above average. So, I think the drop-off is more to do with that ACL injury. And the Wyscout data, whilst it doesn't show a huge volume of goal threat either, I think we
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have to lean more on this historical data. And more importantly, the eye test tells me there's more to be told. Rodri is one of those rare holding midfielders who can step out from deep, arrive around the edge of the box, and
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genuinely threaten goal. He's got the technique to strike the ball cleanly and a knack for producing big goals in big moments. I wouldn't say he's an elite shooter. I think someone like Caicedo has the more cleaner, consistent striking technique. But Rodri is capable
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of contributing goals from deeper areas. I think compared to someone like Busquets, I think there's more goal threat to his game. This season, three to five goals, you know, a season feels realistic, particularly if Flick gives him the license to arrive from deep. So,
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I think we have to lean on the historical data and have a bit of faith that the real Rodri will return.
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But the tide comes in. Goes up. Well, he gives it away to Rodri. Statistically, Rodri's dribbling profile also took a hit following his injury.
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Before that, his overall grade was comfortably above average. It was never an elite dribbling profile, but it's better than what we're seeing in the recent data. Last season, his high difficulty dribbling, ability to carry the ball into dangerous areas, both
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really struggled. However, his first touch, ball carrying, tackle resistance remained relatively solid, suggesting that the underlying technical quality hasn't completely disappeared. Now, the important point for Barcelona is that Rodri isn't going to suddenly transform their press resistance. I think that's
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more of a De Jong Pedri strength. But he does offer something valuable, the ability to carry the ball forward from deep. From the eye test, Rodri is good at manipulating his body and chopping across the ball to create different
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passing angles. But he isn't Sergio Busquets. Even before the injury, Rodri was never that magician who could receive with five players around him and somehow escape every situation. Where he has an advantage over Busquets is driving forward with the ball. He can
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pick the ball up deep, glide into midfield, and attract opponents towards him, and then release that pass once he's created that extra space. It's a deceptive form of ball carrying. He isn't necessarily beating players through incredible array of skill,
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but he's using his size, composure, and momentum to move the whole opposition structure. And that's where he can become dangerous. Once Rodri carries into those higher areas, he can open up passing lanes, create shooting opportunities, and give Barcelona's
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midfield another way of progressing the ball. De Bruyne Rodri Haaland two. Statistically, Rodri's creative profile is good rather than elite. His killer pass rate is slightly above average, but his line-breaking numbers are much more impressive. Elite at breaking one line
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and close to elite when it comes to passes that break multiple lines. There's an interesting distinction when we look at his pre-injury data. His over-the-top passing was actually the standout, reaching elite territory, but his conventional through ball numbers
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were still fairly average. And the Wyscout data reinforces that. He's not someone who's going to rack up a huge volume of through balls or expected assists. But I think the data does undersell him a bit. From the eye test,
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he's capable of some really good creative actions. Disguises passes well, plays sharp wall passes, and occasionally produces some genuinely spectacular assists. And I think he's quite efficient in how he creates. He's not forcing the killer pass every time
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he gets the ball. I don't think creativity is the primary purpose of the game. But whilst I wouldn't call him an elite creator, I think there's more creativity in his locker than we've seen. Even when he drifts out wide, you
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see good crosses as well. So, I think if Flick gives him more freedom once Barcelona establish territory, we could potentially see more laye
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Statistically, Rodri's defensive profile is currently around average to slightly above average. His positioning, blocking, tackling, dual grades are all respectable, but nothing suggests he's a defensive monster. Now, pre-injury his defensive numbers were stronger.
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Dueling, tackling, one-v-one defending were closer to above average, whilst his positioning was a lot better. So, once again, the injury appears to have had a noticeable impact on his game. And the Wyscout data suggests that he's not a
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huge volume defensive action player, but he does win 62% of his duels, which is strong.
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But against stronger, quicker opponents, from the eye test, we can see that Rodri did look physically vulnerable, particularly when forced to defend large spaces. Now, the question is, is this going to be less of an issue in the more
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technically orientated Spanish league? Uh from the eye test, what we can also see is that Rodri is a front-foot defender. He's willing to step up, join the press, actively try and win the ball. And that should suit Barcelona
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because they also look to press, but it does make him slightly different to Busquets. Busquets was much more cerebral defensively, holds his position well, reads the situation, delays the attack rather than chasing the ball. I think Rodri's a bit more aggressive,
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he'll step out, but he will slightly wander a bit more. And I think the other big advantage that he does bring to the table is that aerial dominance. If he gets himself in the right position, he's going to be a magnet for the ball, win
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that first contact, clean up second balls, and give Barcelona a level of physical security they haven't had in midfield for some time.
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So, ultimately, how can Rodri transform Barcelona? Well, in the build-up phase, Barca build up in a 3-2 structure, and that's where Rodri makes more sense. If Pedri is out of action in that first phase, Rodri gives them another from
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deep. He's not as press resistant as Busquets, but he can receive progress the ball and then drive the ball forward to break open the opposition structure.
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If Barcelona use a 2-1 structure, Rodri can act as the first receiver, and Araujo can push higher. But I wouldn't overstate his press resistance. Against an aggressive high press, the 3-2 structure, I think, does suit him better when he's got another midfielder
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alongside him. And that's where his experience with Guardiola, with Spain, becomes valuable. He's got He's going to have that Barcelona tiki-taka DNA. He's going to understand the rhythms and the positioning required to build from deep.
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Once Barcelona get to the opposition half, this is where I think Rodri can transform them. He can become that central hub connecting both sides of the pitch and feeding possession forward.
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And I think that frees up Pedri to operate in wider half spaces and become more like an Iniesta than the Xavi he's had to be in recent years. Defensively, Rodri gives them a new weapon as well.
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When Barcelona force teams long from goal kicks, he can become the magnet for those 50/50s and second balls allowing Barcelona to immediately regain possession and attack again. And if the press is bypassed, I think his positional intelligence will give them
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another layer of security. The only slight concern is that transition defense. As Rodri gets older, I wouldn't want him defending huge spaces constantly, but I think there's a long-term solution as well. His aerial ability, his positional intelligence could mean that he eventually drops into
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the backline potentially alongside Cubarsí. So, Rodri isn't simply replacing Busquets. He's giving Barcelona a different version of control, one that can start the attack from deep, dominate the middle third, and still influence the game once Barcelona have established territory.
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In conclusion, is Rodri the Busquets heir that Barcelona fans have been crying out for? Yes and no. So, from an aerial perspective, I think he brings that dominance and that presence they've been sorely lacking since Busquets' departure. They've needed someone who's
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the fulcrum of the team from goal kicks, set pieces, gives them that leadership and that protection which I think Barcelona have had a bit of a soft underbelly since Busquets' departure.
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So, he will come in and fix that right away. I think from a build-up perspective, I don't think Rodri will have as much influence as you would have thought he would. I think press resistance-wise, he's not as silky as a Sergio Busquets.
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So, that level of expectation will be too much for him, but he's still a very smart operator with the ball. And I think where he differs from Busquets, and I think Barcelona fans will enjoy this, is that his influence over the
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various thirds of the game is far more than Busquets. Busquets was a master of his own third, but I think Rodri has, you know, pound for pound more influence across all the different areas of the pitch. So, I think that
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will give license to the players like Pedri to be more attacking in nature, and that overall will lead to synergy gains for Barcelona.
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The other thing I wanted to touch upon is where does Rodri rank amongst the goats of the game? I think there's a difference between specialist and generalist. From a specialist perspective, is he the greatest holding midfielder of all time? No, and I think
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someone like Busquets for me is a superior player to Rodri. But as a generalist, Rodri has more arrows to his bow. But compared to other generalists, let's just say a Frank Rijkaard, for example, or Lothar Matthäus, is he in
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that category of footballer? Again, not for me. I think those two, uh, you know, are giants of the game. But I do think Rodri's overall achievements in the game, he's very much so high intelligent, potentially goat-level footballer. So, one of the greatest
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players to play in the midfield, you know, of his generation, but also multiple generations. But I think if he gets that Champions League at Barcelona, that really pushes him in terms of his overall status compared to the other
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giants of the game. Let me know where you would rank him. Anyway, next video will be on Baleba. Barcelona fans, hope you enjoyed this. Let me know if there's any other topics you want me to cover during the season. Please like, share,
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and subscribe, and see you guys again next time. Bye. [music]
Topics:RodriBarcelonaSergio Busquetsmidfielder analysispassing accuracyaerial duelsACL injuryfootball tacticsset piecescoach Flick
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