JuicyTalk
Pep Guardiola admitted he will not risk playing Rodri three times a week with the Manchester City manager seemingly wary of overworking the midfielder amid the club’s rigorous schedule.
Rodri missed City’s commanding win over Burnley on Saturday after stating he was not fit but the Spain international will be available to face Monaco at Stade Louis II on Wednesday in the Champions League.
City struggled in Rodri’s absence last season after he suffered an ACL injury against Arsenal a year ago, and now it seems Guardiola is intent on making sure he doesn’t go without his Ballon d’Or-winning player for another sustained period of time.
“Right now he [Rodri] is not able to play three games a week at top level with the intensity and demand of the opponents,” the City boss said.
“He’s not ready. He needs time. My feeling right now is he is not ready because he needs time. This type of injury, it is minimum one year and after that you start.”
City began their Champions League campaign with a victory over Napoli a fortnight ago, in a game that saw Erling Haaland become the fastest player to reach a half-century of goals in the competition’s history.
And while Guardiola said he “likes what [he] can see” so far this term, he insisted he will have to wait until “November or December” before he will be able to tell if his team can compete in the Champions League.
“We will have to make a step forward to improve the way we play, but we will do it,” Guardiola said.
The City head coach also praised captain Bernardo Silva, who will face off against his former team in France this week.
About his Portuguese playmaker, Guardiola added: “He cannot do better as the captain. He is one of the best players I have ever trained, it’s been a luxury for me to have him for these last 10 years.
“He’s an extraordinary player. Intelligent, smart, and can play in so many positions. Really happy to have him and he accepted the role as captain. He’s worked really well.”
