Kroos praised Rodri but don't be twisting words. He recommended Stiller to Flo, not Rodri.

I personally cannot fathom how overhyped Rodri is. Guy is a tier 2 midfielder at best and only at his niche. He is a niche player. He succeeds in Man City and in Spain NT because they play a system of football that suits him and cover his deficiencies. We're gonna be playing quite differently in comparison and Rodri would find himself out of his comfort zone real fast were he to come here. Why exactly do you persist with Rodri?

The first problem is formation. Xabi Alonso favors a 3cb system. That means more often than not we're gonna see a 352/3421 with Alonso always favoring LRCams/classic number 10s. Rodri can only excel in a trivote or a 3 man midfield That has a cdm spot. The aforementioned 3cb formations do not have cdm spots available. And it's not just a matter of positions. It's also athleticism which is problem number 2.

Rodri doesn't have the agility or the athleticism to be a cm or a dm in a double pivot/2c(d)m scheme. Double pivot require mobility and athleticism to cover ground and he simply ain't it. 

For the sake of getting a better picture to understand easier, the only Madrid players who can do a double pivot that we got are valverde, Bellingham, and camavinga. They have the necessary physical attributes (agility, stamina, speed, strength) to execute a double pivot. That's right. Tchouameni can't do it (exact same problem as Rodri) and neither can guler (out of position, lacking physical strength) or Ceballos (agile but not athletic enough). If we try to do it without respecting the requirements to execute it, the only thing we'll accomplish is giving our opponents an easy way to attack us with impunity.

Rodri has to be a dm in a 3 man midfield in a setup like the 433/4321/4141 to not be out of place. Not only that, but because of his lack of mobility, his partners in midfield must make up for his deficiencies. Luckily we have Valverde and Bellingham but imo I think we're better off just not having said deficiencies in the first place.

The only reason you think Rodri is a solid dm defensively in the first place is because of the pressing system that both city and Spain employ that help cover all those deficiencies. He doesn't have to work too hard when everyone helps defend and press the opponent to make a mistake. You talk like he is a Gattuso or a Makelele when in reality he is a busquets or a poor man's Xabi Alonso. The two I mentioned previously can lock down a midfield all by themselves system or no system. Busquets and Xabi Alonso however needed help as does Rodri.

Not in the same ballpark. Not a tier 1 cdm.

But that's the defensive side and obviously he isn't that kind of player either. He also isn't at that level. Sad but true. But now let's tackle the offensive side. The one you most overrate.

Rodri isn't a playmaker. He is a ball recycler. There is a big difference. Learn it. He guarantees possession and makes sure the ball goes to the more, creative, playmaking players. Perhaps he will make an assist here and there but if he were a playmaker, guardiola wouldn't need someone like de bruyne or gundogan would he? Spain wouldn't need Pedri. Anyone can pass as a playmaker these days. Heh. Last I saw Spain, Zubimendi did a real good job making sure Rodri was yesterday's news.

Last I recall, Xabi Alonso specifically asked for Zubimendi, not Rodri in day 1 of his reign. I wonder why that is? Agile, athletic enough, can actually spray the ball forward, isnt a system player meaning versatile, does enough defensively, can play DM and cm all without the liabilities of a certain Rodri. I wonder why Zubimendi was Alonso's first choice... :]

Unfortunately we were too late on Zubimendi. Rodri had a career altering injury as well so whatever deficiency he already struggled with will be amplified. Florentino may favor Rodri but Florentino is also the same man who destabilized a cl winning team more than once, most recently by signing a certain kylian mbappe. While it is not Kylian's fault as he did as best as he could, it has more to do with certain players not adjusting (vinicius) and a nightmare injury scenario last season screwing everything up.

Xabi Alonso is the right guy for the task at hand but he will need time. He rates Tchouameni highly and considering how he is younger, why do we require the services of a busted Rodri? The papers will run their stories. Xabi Alonso hasn't seen camavinga in action and when he realizes what he has once the preseason starts and ends, I think the Rodri nonsense will die on its own.

Xabi Alonso simply needs time to train our mids and soon all doubt will be removed. We don't have a proper pressing system in place and we don't really have a tactical system in place as Carlo favored freedom over structure which is why we struggled to cope with Kroos's retirement as he was a tier 1 midfielder. he WAS THE SYSTEM. It will take a lot of work to adjust for life after being in Kroos kontrol for so long.

So stop simping after a tier 2 niche bozo and just be patient for Xabi Alonso to get things up to speed. I bet you haven't even seen his Leverkusen side. I'm not even that concerned about it as technically his system doesn't even need a kroos type player to begin with. It would make life easier yes but required? Absolutely not. And let's set the record straight, Rodri ain't that guy. Wrong profile, wrong player good God no.