- Rodri has told Manchester City he needs help and they intend to provide it
- He made 47 appearances for club and country in yet another demanding season
- Have Liverpool been mentally torpedoed by Man United? Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Manchester City are devising a plan to give Rodri some much-needed rest after the midfielder admitted fatigue following Tuesday’s thrilling draw against Real Madrid.
Rodri had held talks with the Treble winners over his workload last summer but has since made 47 appearances for club and country this season.
Only nine outfield players from Europe’s top five leagues – including Phil Foden – have amassed more minutes than the Spaniard’s 3,497 so far.
Rodri was candid about the risk of burnout in the run-up to the campaign. He claimed that taking part in up to 60 games is ‘not healthy’ and that telling City to push his body to the limit could not happen for a second year running.
City potentially have thirteen games left if they progress to the finals of both the Champions League and FA Cup. Rodri has already started 41 games for Pep Guardiola this season.
Rodri claims he needs rest and Manchester City plan to give him time off
He warned the club ahead of the season that it would not be healthy for him to play almost 60 games again
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“I need some rest,” said the midfielder. “It’s something we’re planning to do. Let’s look at how we speak, how we experience the situation. Sometimes it is what it is [and] I have to adapt.’
Guardiola’s side take on Luton Town in the Premier League on Saturday as they hunt for a fourth successive title and that could be a chance to sideline Rodri.
The 27-year-old is an integral part of the way Guardiola plays and City are finding it difficult to identify a substitute, evidenced by the difficult period for Kalvin Phillips. Mateo Kovacic is the most likely replacement at the base of midfield, but struggled there in September’s defeat at Wolves when Rodri was suspended.
Guardiola had questioned suggestions that Rodri looked jaded in the aftermath of last weekend’s 4-2 win at Crystal Palace, where he looked leggy and was unusually sloppy in possession.
That decline in performance continued in the first half at the Bernabeu, before Rodri regained his composure. “Normally when the team is not playing well the players look tired,” Guardiola said at Selhurst Park. ‘Did you see fatigue in the second half from Rodri? Not at all. In the first half he was so tired, he missed too much, our process was not good. He was in positions he shouldn’t be in.”
Real had been given more than a week to prepare for the quarter-final first leg, which finished 3–3, and Rodri revealed that John Stones went through with an injury later in the match.
“Peace is important,” he added. “Anyone of us can do better, even myself. But to be honest, we need to rest. They were a bit fresher than us in the first half, that’s normal.
Only nine players in Europe’s top five leagues have played more minutes than Rodri this season
Pep Guardiola appreciates that ‘rest is important’, but insists Rodri did not look tired on the pitch
“But I think the mentality of the team to go against them and come back with those goals sums up the mentality of the champions that we are.
“John was tight and had some problems at the end, but he showed his courage because he knew the team needed him. He didn’t say, ‘I have to go,’ he stayed until the end – this is exactly what we’re going to need.”