Weekend Boxset: Spare the Rodri

By Graham Sibley September 27, 2024

Weekend Boxset: Spare the Rodri

This weekend's Boxset is a lot about players that won't be playing rather than players that are

Seven great matches to take you from Friday to Sunday. It’s the Sound of Football Weekend Boxset.

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All times are UK

Friday

Serie A: Milan v Lecce

19.45 on TNT Sports 2 and OneFootball
Paulo Fonseca was already a coach under pressure after only a few weeks into the new Serie A season. Draws against Torino and Lazio plus defeats to Parma and Liverpool in the Champions League elicited calls for the former Roma and LOSC coach to be sacked. A 4-0 win against Venezia did little to calm the nerves but suddenly, last week, the narrative shifted. Matteo Gabbia, who as a boy used to stand on the terraces supporting the Rossoneri with his grandad, popped up at the 89th minute to score the winner in a 2-1 victory over Inter in the Milan derby. That was Milan’s first win over their hated city rivals after six consecutive defeats. Fonseca is by no means off the hook, but his team sit in seventh place in the table on the same points as Inter. If they can get something at down at heel Lecce then surely the crisis is passed, until the next one. Their opposition also started the season poorly and have also rallied with a 1-0 win against Cagliari and a creditable point against top of the table Torino. With a small squad the Giallorossi are not expected to shine this season, but in last season’s reverse fixture they almost had their first win over Milan since 2006. Lecce thought they had won it at the death only for the goal to be disallowed for handball. TD

Saturday

Premier League: Newcastle United v Manchester City

12.30 on TNT Sports 1 & Ultimate
John Stones’ equaliser in injury time after injury time in the big match against Arsenal last Sunday, rescued what may prove to be a vital point against their nearest rivals for the title. Away from the drama, the recriminations and talk of so-called dark arts, the most important story to come out of the game is the injury to Rodri. Now confirmed as a knee ligament injury, it’s unlikely the 28-year-old will play any further part in City’s season. It also came just days after he had warned of the dangers of over-playing. The numbers say that missing him should be a huge concern for City, suggesting that the success of Pep’s side has become increasingly more reliant on their Spanish midfielder. City have lost seven of the 21 Premier League games that Rodri has missed since joining in 2019. Last season, City’s three league defeats came in the four games he didn’t play. This fixture should prove a stern for Pep’s pack-shuffling skills: if they are to retain the title it may have to rely on simply out-scoring their opponents. And they should be able to get goals here, only Southampton have failed to score against Eddie Howe’s side this season, an issue that was exposed devastatingly at Craven Cottage last weekend. GS

Bundesliga: Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen

17.30 on Sky Sports Football
It’s no exaggeration to call this a potential season-defining game. The current champions meet the record champions and the winner, if there is one, will be feeling a lot better about their chances of claiming another league title in May. Bayern are resurgent under Kompany, scoring sixteen goals in their first four Bundesliga matches. Plus, a whopping 9 (nine) in one game against the football club formerly known as Dinamo Zagreb. There continue to be questions about their defending, conceding two against Wolfsburg and one against newly promoted Kiel. However, with the formidable fire power of Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, and new arrival Michael Olise, who really cares if they concede a few consolation tors? This is the Bundesliga and conceding goals is all part of the assignment. Just ask Leverkusen who are never happier than when they're giving an inferior opponent an opportunity to get a foothold in a game only to snatch it from them like a mean-spirited pharmaceutical regulator. Since taking charge of the first team, coach Xabi Alonso has seen his team score forty-two times from the 80th minute onward, and injury time winners were a hallmark of Leverkusen’s title win last season. They were at it again against Wolfsburg, last week: Victor Boniface bagging the winner in a barnstorming 4-3 win at the death. Only Augsburg, Hoffenheim and Kiel have conceded more goals than B04. With those sort of numbers flying around it’s impossible to imagine this ending goalless for the first time in sixteen games. TD

League One: Barnsley v Stockport County

19.45 on Sky Sports Football, Main Event & Ultra
While the story in League One is all about Rob and Ryan’s Wrexham, and to a lesser extent Tom’s Birmingham City, there are sides capable of challenging the accepted narrative and snatching the automatic promotion places from the monied favourites. Barnsley reached the play-off sem-finals last season, narrowly losing to Bolton over the two legs. Stockport finished last season four points above Wrexham as champions of League Two. Both teams have had encouraging starts to this campaign only to trip up against sides whose starts have been otherwise ordinary. County’s 4-1 home defeat to Leyton Orient was their first of loss of the season, while Barnsley dropped from second place with a 3-0 defeat at Stevenage. Stockport’s manager is Dave Challinor, who readers may remember as the long throw specialist who helped propel Tranmere to the 2000 League Cup final, which they lost to Leceister. A win away at one of the best teams in the division would for him be an important step towards a return to Wembley in May. GS

Sunday

Women’s Super League: Manchester City v Brighton & Hove Albion

12.30 on BBC Two & iPlayer
Just hours before City’s men rescued a point at the Etihad last Sunday, the women’s side were themselves involved in 2-2 against Arsenal at the Emirates. The scoring followed the same pattern in both games: the home team scoring first, the away side over-turning the lead, the home side equalising (though in the WSL version Arsenal’s equaliser wasn’t quite so late). Inevitably, Vivianne Miedema scored* on her return to her old club (*her shot was probably going wide, deflecting in off of Laia Codena - but where’s the story in that). Brighton’s opening game was a comfortable 4-0 home win against Everton; an impressive scoreline considering the rebuilding the club has done over the summer. Top scorer Elisabeth Terland and Lioness Katie Robinson both left at the end of their contracts, joining Aston Villa and Manchester United respectively. Coming in though is a wealth of experience with Fran Kirby and Nikita Parris joining as free agents. What could prove to be the signing of the summer though is Kiko Seike who became the first WSL player to score a hat-trick on debut in the win last weekend. It’s the first season the 28 year old Japanese international has played for a club outside of Japan, where she was the WE league’s top scorer and player of the year. City also looked to the Japan for summer signings bringing in goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita and forward Aoba Fujino to join international teammate Yui Hasegawa. GS

Premier League: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur

16.30 on Sky Sports Premier League, Main Event & Ultra
This match finds these clubs straddling the midpoint of the early table, both having won two and lost two of their first five games. They were also both in Europa League action this week though United, who played on Wednesday, have the benefit of an extra day’s recovery. Well, a day and a bit as the start of Tottenham’s match on Thursday was delayed by Qarabag’s bus getting stuck in traffic. That drama was only the start of the chaos of the evening. Spurs were down to 10 men after just seven minutes when Radu Dragusin clumisly pulled down Juninho who was through on goal. Despite being a man down, Postecoglu’s side took the game 3-0, though the scoreline doesn’t tell the full story of the number of chances the Azeri team squandered, including a penalty just before the hour mark when they were two down. United should have won against Twente but having lead at half time though Christian Eriksen’s screamer from just inside the box, they failed to build. Turning hero to villain, it was Eriksen, caught in possession, who gifted the Dutch side their equaliser. Both performances were very typical for these sides and there’s no reason to believe the high jinks won’t continue here. Bring your popcorn. GS

La Liga: Atlético Madrid v Real Madrid

20.00 on ITV4 & ITVX, Premier Sports 1 and LaLigaTV
Only slightly more than a handful of games into the new La Liga season and, arguably, one of the biggest match-ups is already overshadowed by injury. Despite netting goal number five for the season in a nervy win at home to Alaves, Kylian Mbappe picked up an injury which looks likely to rule him out of his first Derbi Madrileño. Also a doubt is Jobe Bellignham’s older brother, Jude. His shoulder continues to cause him problems, and, while he made it through the Alaves game, it remains to be seen as to whether Ancelotti feels his inclusion is worth the risk longer-term. We ended thsi week’s podcast pondering on the question that too much is being asked of players; it surely can’t be in doubt given the evidence across the elite league this early in the season. Watch out for a potential first start for Brazilian wonder-kid Endrick, who has the potential to test Atléti’s resolute defence. Simone’s side picked up another clean-sheet mid-week at Celta Vigo, with new signing Julián Alvarez scoring the winner for the visitors. He’s had a decent start, as has fellow newbie, Connor Gallagher. His debut goal against Valencia was significant in that he became the first English player to score for them in over a century. A throwaway fact to many, but coupled with a fine display across the game, it immediately endeared him to the locals. For viewers in the UK, the game is being broadcast by ITV, who have actually made a decent fist of showing football of late. This should be a good one - home win. JB

Whatever you watch, have a great weekend.

Graham, Terry and Jan