When Roberto Mancini was sacked by Manchester City back in May - a year exactly to the day he won the Premier League title - he surely would have felt hard done by. He had won the club the FA Cup, the Community Shield and, most importantly, their first league title in over 44 years.
Yet in his final season, Mancini only managed to steer City to second place – 11 points behind Champions Manchester United. Furthermore, the Italian – who is now head coach at Turkish side Galatasary – failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League in successive seasons.
One of the factors that the 49-year old pointed to as a result was the club’s failure to sign his transfer targets. He blamed Brian Marwood – City’s Football Administration Officer– especially, for not bringing in the players he felt would improve his squad. It was the previous summer transfer window, in part, that saw City fail to build upon their successes of the preceding campaign. During that window, City targets Robin van Persie, Eden Hazard and Javi Martinez moved to Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich respectively.
Instead of these high-profile characters, Mancini was presented with an influx of old or inexperienced ones. These signings included Matija Nastasic, Maicon, Javi Garcia, Scott Sinclair, Jack Rodwell, and even ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Richard Wright. Of these, only two are first team regulars – Nastasic and Garcia – whilst Maicon was swiftly sold to Roma, Sinclair was loaned out to West Bromwich Albion once the season was up.
One of the players who has impressed on occasion, however, is young Englishman Jack Rodwell. The 22-year old was signed from Everton for a fee in the region of £12 million. His career has been plagued by injuries, particularly to his hamstring, and this has affected his overall development.
When given the opportunity, Rodwell has taken it with respect and his given his best. In the disappointing 2012/2013 season, he stood out in games against Chelsea and Norwich City – notably bagging a brace in a 3-2 defeat to the latter on the final game of the season. The midfielder accumulated 15 appearances throughout the course of the campaign, with his goals against Norwich his only rewards.
Despite his injury problems, Rodwell has showed promise and has demonstrated his potential. As a box-to-box midfielder, he is notably strong, fast and capable of picking out a pass or shot. In some respects, he is comparable to players like Frank Lampard, with similar traits such as long shots and positional awareness, as well as defensive capabilities.He is the complete midfielder. He is pacey, two-footed, a decent tackler, a fluid force from box to box and equipped with a decent shot, passing and stamina.
From the games he has participated in, Rodwell has 88% pass accuracy, with an average pass length of 18 metres. He has also had 60% shot accuracy. To demonstrate his defensive ability, Rodwell has won around 65% of duels.
Rodwell has only managed two appearances for the Citizens’ this season. Standing at an impressive 6 foot 2 inches, the Everton academy graduate has revealed that the cause of his niggling injuries is the fact that his body is still maturing: “I think it’s a case of my body maturing. I am still growing. Over the last 12 months I have grown one or two inches.”
With the aforementioned attributes, Rodwell could be seen as the perfect replacement for veteran central midfielder Gareth Barry – who is currently on loan at Roberto Martinez’s, and Rodwell’s former club, Everton.
With fan favourite Yaya Toure now 30 years old, it is only a matter of time before the powerhouse moves on. Toure has great ball control, vision, pace, energy and strength – a style which Rodwell is seemingly keen to emulate. "It’s been a massive change for me. It’s the first time I’ve had a new club, so I’m still adapting."
However, with City signing Fernandinho for £30 million from Shakhtar Donetsk this season, it appears that the youngster will have to bide his time at the Etihad. However, back in February, Rodwell indicated that he is versatile and that he is capable of playing in a variety of positions. “Any player at City is prepared to play anywhere, and I'm no different.”
"Midfield, defence, I have even played out wide for Everton, so I will do a job anywhere and give 100%.”
He even stated a desire to follow in the footsteps of City skipper and defensive rock Vincent Kompany, adding: "Vinny is a good player and I look to him, look his game and would definitely take the same path as him. He started out in midfield and is now one of the best centre-halves in the world.”
Rodwell’s resilience is admirable, and despite featuring in so-far minimal fixtures, he seems keen to impress and progress at City. “I think if I can stay fit, the games will come. I have stuck to a six or seven-week programme where I have not had a day off.”
Versatility is key in the modern game. When speaking at Everton, Rodwell expressed his admiration of now rival and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand.
“I have heard the comparisons. It’s brilliant to be compared with such a player as Rio Ferdinand. I try to base it on my own game. I do like to play out from the back, so that’s probably why they have played me in midfield because I am comfortable on the ball.
“I have started to play in midfield and I believe that Rio did the same when he was younger and then moved back to centre-half. I am not sure what will happen with me but I look up to him.”
The key to unlocking Rodwell’s locker is to ensure that he plays football. The £12 million price-tag illustrates his potential, but to be able to express it, he needs to play. And you never know. He might just be the right player to replace an ageing Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard for England.
