Man City worried

Rodri sat down on the grass at Brentford on Sunday, just over 20 minutes into the Premier League match. The Man City doctors did not need to check him , as he actively signaled to be substituted.

A wave of anxiety spread immediately: from the Gtech technical area, to the leadership in east Manchester.

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Rodri has a new injury. Photo: Imago

Since tearing the cruciate ligament in his right knee on September 23 last year, the 2024 Golden Ball has not been able to stabilize his body at the demanding intensity of top football.

“I don't know the situation yet, but it seems to be a muscle injury,” Pep Guardiola replied when asked about the severity of the injury , which caused him a serious crisis last autumn and winter when Rodri was absent.

Rodri himself said before leaving the field: "I felt a little pain in my thigh, but it doesn't seem too serious."

“I have a slight muscle strain, like I had in the EURO 2024 final ,” Rodri reassured Man City fans . “ It is part of the recovery process.”

When the press linked him with an injury last year, Rodri denied it. “I don’t think it was related to the knee, nor did I feel any muscle fatigue. The important thing was that I left the pitch in time to avoid further muscle strain . ”

Rodri even set a goal to return as soon as possible: " Luckily, with this break, I can focus on recovering to return for the home match against Everton. When I achieve stability and play continuously, everything will gradually return."

Over the past months, Rodri has often said that the “play – injury – recovery” cycle is part of the comeback process.

Incredulous future

Rodri's age (29) and physique (1m90 tall, weighing more than 80 kg) are all unfavorable factors for the re-adaptation of the joints.

A packed schedule – from the Premier League , the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and the Champions League – makes it difficult to recover smoothly.

Since his return on May 20, in the last 7 minutes of the match against Bournemouth, Guardiola has tried to protect his student in two ways: limiting his playing time and arranging additional supporting midfielders to share the workload .

Previously , Rodri had to shoulder the work in midfield alone. But that was not enough to prevent injury recurrence.

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Man City is worried about Rodri. Photo: Imago

Rodri suffered a ligament tear after an exhausting summer, shortly after winning EURO 2024 with Spain. In the 2023/24 season, he played more than 70 matches for club and country .

According to players' association FIFPRO, only 14% of EURO players were given the 28 days off as medically recommended to avoid injury.

A year later, it was not the EURO but the Club World Cup that prevented Rodri from having a full training period before the new season.

The Spanish midfielder gradually returned to action during the Club World Cup: 30 minutes against Al-Wydad, 30 minutes against Al-Ain, 60 minutes against Juventus, and finally the match against Al-Hilal – where he suffered another muscle tear.

Rodri only returned two months later, in the second round of the Premier League (15 minutes against Tottenham).

Guardiola even let him rest in the match against Burnley to save energy for the away trip to Monaco in the Champions League, where Rodri only played 60 minutes.

“I told you, didn’t I?” Guardiola replied when Sky Sports asked him about Rodri’s latest injury. “When people ask why I didn’t let him play 90 minutes, why I substituted him early… It’s for this reason. We try to be careful, to only let him play 60-65 minutes per game.”

In City’s seven games this season, Rodri has only completed 90 minutes against Brighton and Arsenal in the Premier League, both of which he has been supported by Bernardo Silva , who has reduced his distance and workload.

That “saving therapy ” even forced Guardiola to adjust his tactics – as in the match against Arsenal, City abandoned the high pressing style that requires a lot of running, one of the reasons why the Premier League has the highest muscle injury rate in Europe, according to UEFA research.

At the Emirates, for the first time in his career, Guardiola accepted to play defensively, with possession only 32%. In return, his team became more solid thanks to Rodri's ability to intercept and read situations.

As Man City considers extending Rodri's contract, his injury has cast further doubt on his future in the Etihad project.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/rodri-lai-chan-thuong-man-city-bat-an-2449994.html