How do Manchester City manage the Rodri dilemma?

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Rodri captained Spain to their World Cup final victory over Argentina By Umir Irfan Football tactics correspondent Published 5 minutes ago Manchester City are in flux. Replacing a manager after 10 years is no easy feat, let alone when there appears to be a squad overhaul too. Four of the starters in City's Treble-winning side of 2022-23 - Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Bernardo Silva and John Stones - have left this summer, with the Blues signing £116m Elliot Anderson and promising 17-year-old Jeremy Monga. And the changes might not end there. Fresh from captaining Spain to World Cup victory, Rodri will head for back surgery on Monday with just a year left on his contract, amid increasing speculation about his future. It is not clear how long the 30-year-old will spend on the sidelines, but one thing new boss Enzo Maresca was clear on in his first news conference was that he wants to keep him. But with reports that Real Madrid are "operating on the basis" of Rodri joining them, , external what do City do? Will they look to cash in when Rodri returns to fitness, or keep to Maresca's stance? And how might Maresca's midfield operate - with or without Rodri? What's the background? When Rodri returned from an anterior cruciate ligament injury last year, there will have been plenty who wondered whether he would return to the Ballon d'Or-winning levels he had reached at his peak. Pep Guardiola - the man Maresca has replaced - said last October: "In the World Cup, he will be the best Rodri, and next season he will be the best Rodri." Guardiola was proved right on the first count. Not only did Rodri captain Spain to World Cup success but he was also awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. Maresca was unequivocal when asked for his view on Friday. "I think every manager wants to have Rodri because he is a top player," he said. "But now, surgery on Monday... he needs a holiday... he needs to rest and recover and then he will be back with us." The plan seems clear, therefore - look to retain one of the best players in world football rather than sell him. But there will have to be contingencies in place. One of these will be the presence of Anderson, while City are monitoring 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who impressed for Morocco in the World Cup. What does a Maresca midfield look like? To understand how Rodri, Anderson and someone like Bouaddi might come together, it is key to understand Maresca's game model. As a disciple of positional play, he draws comparisons between his football and chess. "There are a lot of similarities," Maresca said. "The most important is positional play and strategy. "For a coach, it's important to have the mentality of a chess player: develop a plan, study counter-moves, choose the arrangement of the pieces." Maresca's strategy has largely been rooted in an on-the-ball shape that looks like a 3-2-2-3. One of Rodri's most useful qualities in a Maresca side wou