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He looks as if he's been at Barcelona for 10 years: 60 minutes that shatter the doubts about Rodri

Rodri is not yet at his best. Even so, the Barcelona star turned in an outstanding display against Valencia, sparking optimism on his first start for the Catalan side.

Sport newspaper reported in one of its articles that Rodri looked, at the Mestalla, as though he had worn the Barcelona shirt alongside his current teammates for 10 years.

His instincts help him here. A style built on passing, possession and collective play suits him, and he can impose that game in almost any circumstance. Yet the ease with which the former Manchester City player performs for a team so new to him still comes as a surprise.

He did not need an exceptional match or his very best form, a version that will arrive as the games pile up and his competitive rhythm returns, to answer some of the questions that had emerged in certain circles since his arrival.

Does Barcelona need Rodri? Will his physical condition hold up enough to keep him consistent? And can he finally gel with Pedri in midfield?

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ZUMA Press Wire
Rodri: Barcelona's safety guarantee
Watching the 60 minutes Rodri played at the Mestalla, those questions all vanished at once. The level of the opponent must be taken into account, of course, but Rodri played against Valencia as if he belonged to a higher category.
His ability to influence the flow of play stems from several aspects: his knowledge of the game, the calmness with which he always acts to make the best decision, his technical abilities in passing, plus a physical strength that lets him withstand the pressure of any opponent without losing his focus on the ball, all while he determines the team's next step in attack.
Rodri's presence and the opponent's inability to take the ball off him kept pushing Valencia deeper. That gave Pedri an influence in more advanced areas. It also made a player like Fermín López more aggressive in his movements, knowing that behind him sat a genuine safety valve should the ball be lost.
At the Mestalla, Barcelona's new arrival completed 81 accurate passes out of 83 attempts, a success rate of 98%. That included 54 accurate passes out of 55 in the opponent's half, and 5 accurate long passes out of 5.
That last figure matters enormously. Against Valencia, Rodri showed that his ability to pass over long distances allows him to find Lamine Yamal with relative ease.
When Barcelona's players gathered on the left side of the attack, the midfielder would pick out Barcelona's number 10 with a precise pass, letting him face the defenders before any help arrived.

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The Rodri effect was not limited to the attacking side
His influence stretched beyond the attack. Rodri made six ball recoveries against Valencia, two of them inside his own penalty area, and gave away just one foul that handed Corberán's side a chance.
On his first start, he came within inches of his first Barcelona goal, his header cannoning off the post.
Rodri is still some way short of his best. Yet at the Mestalla he offered enough to silence any debate over his level or the deal that brought him in.
The Spain international will lift Barcelona's floor in La Liga. What may excite the fans even more is that he can already raise the ceiling in the toughest matches, the Champions League nights, through possession and control that he imposes in a way as calm as it is decisive.