Rodri is injured again, Guardiola has a headache! Manchester City urgently needs to solve "Rodd s dependence"

Manchester City Club recently confirmed that the team's midfielder Rodri was injured again in the 1/8 final of the Club World Cup against Riyadh Crescent. The midfielder failed to finish the game due to physical fitness issues, and his physical condition undoubtedly made coach Guardiola feel a headache.

‌Super appearance is hard to save the master, and the injury leaves the field and the shadow is buried‌

In this critical Club World Cup knockout match, Rodri did not start. It was not until the middle of the second half that head coach Guardiola used him to replace Gundogan. However, the new 2024 Golden Globe winner was unable to hold on even after the regular time was over. The game went to the 100th minute of overtime, and Rodri was forced to leave the field due to injury and was replaced by Phil Foden.

Regarding this substitution, Guardiola explained after the game: "Rodri signaled that he felt uncomfortable. He felt pain in his legs. We will give official news after a medical examination." During the limited time when the substitute appeared, Rodri performed far worse than expected due to a leg injury.

‌The cruciate ligament is seriously injured and the haze has not dissipated, and the long-term layout is imminent‌

Although the severity of Rodri's injury this time is still to be confirmed by the official, Guardiola undoubtedly needs to start making plans for the long term. If this midfielder is absent for a long time again, Manchester City must not repeat the mistakes of the 2024/25 season - Rodri was absent for a long time due to a cruciate ligament rupture, and the team's multi-line combat plan is almost "paralyzed".

What is even more worrying is that even if Rodri can come back in time, he may not be able to quickly regain his peak form when he won the Golden Globe Award. The impact of serious cruciate ligament injury is often far-reaching. In addition, he has been away from the court for nearly 9 months since his injury in September last year (until June this year), and the long gap period has also made it difficult for the Spanish international to regain his former ball sense.

In short, Manchester City must prepare for the future and make plans for Rodri's condition may be much worse than before after his return. It is worth mentioning that Real Madrid had given up chasing Rodri before, which was not without reason, even though they once regarded it as an important goal to fill the midfield vacancy after Cross and Modric left the team one after another.

‌In fact, coach Guardiola has long been considering Rodri's alternative. This is the key reason why he spared no effort to sign Dutch midfielder Reindez from AC Milan. The Dutch star has many similarities with Rodri: he has the temperament of a midfield leader, excellent ball-handling ability, and the talent to control the rhythm of the game.

Guardiola is known for her strict employment. The principle he upholds is: only use players with good physical fitness and condition to ensure that they can make the greatest contribution to Manchester City. If Rodri cannot meet this requirement, even with the halo of Mr. Golden Ball, he is completely likely to be excluded from Guardiola's plan in the 2025/26 season.

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Rodri participated in all 4 games of Manchester City in this Club World Cup so far (1 starter and 3 substitute appearances). During this trip to the United States, he played for a total of 172 minutes and then suffered this injury.