Man City have one key advantage over Liverpool and Arsenal in Premier League title race

This season is shaping up to be one of the most closely-fought Premier League title races we have seen in recent years.

Not only are Manchester City contending with one rival, they have two challengers in the form of Liverpool and Arsenal. Should the Gunners win on Monday night at Sheffield United, just two points will separate the trio with 11 games of the season remaining.

It really could not be any closer at this stage of the season and everyone from pundits to Supercomputers expects the title battle to go down to the wire. No surprise then that each team in contention for the Premier League will be looking to find an advantage over their rivals which could see them sneak ahead in the race.

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Fortunately for the Blues, they have one player in their team who has the potential to be a matchwinner just by staying fit and available. That man is Rodri.

Pep Guardiola has a supremely gifted squad at his disposal but no player is as crucial to how City play as the Spanish defensive midfielder. This was proven unequivocally on Sunday when the 27-year-old broke the record for the longest consecutive number of games played in English football without tasting defeat (59 in total).

When you look at City's title rivals, neither Liverpool nor Arsenal have a player in that position who can do the job Rodri does. The Gunners have Declan Rice who has improved but there was a reason why the Blues pulled out of the race for him in the summer.

Liverpool, meanwhile, certainly do not have that player who can bridge the gap between defence and attack as effectively as Rodri. The former Atletico Madrid man