One can happen. Two was more than a bit careless. Three defeats on the bounce? Manchester City would have found themselves on the thick end of a very rare crisis indeed.
The likelihood of that diminished with the inclusion of a fulcrum, the No 16. The man who never loses. Rodri makes them tick, makes everybody better. The safety net was back as City have now firmly taken charge of Group G – but only after late heroics by Julian Alvarez.
Rodri missed the last two through suspension and, worryingly for Pep Guardiola, is serving the third of that ban at the Emirates on Sunday.