Pep Guardiola reveals likelihood of Rodri facing Arsenal in ‘extraordinary’ Man City admission
Rodri’s availability has been discussed as the Man City midfielder attempts to return to full fitness against Arsenal.
The Spaniard featured for an hour as Man City beat Napoli 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday, 18 September, having also played 76 minutes during the Manchester derby last weekend.
Jeremy Doku scored Man City’s second despite huge criticism from the fans, with Erling Haaland opening the scoring with his 50th Champions League goal in 48 appearances.
Now, the Citizens must prepare for a major Premier League clash with the Gunners, who are aiming to beat Liverpool to the title this season, and history would suggest a thriller on Sunday, 21 September.
Guardiola could love a full-strength squad before travelling to the Emirates Stadium, and he has supplied an update on Rodri‘s chances of featuring from the very start as he continues to work back from his injury.
Man City face a late test over Rodri’s fitness ahead of Arsenal
Speaking to the media about the potential for Rodri to play three consecutive games (19 September), Guardiola said: We’ll see day by day, but what’s important is he’s played two already.
“For example, the training session [on Wednesday], he didn’t feel comfortable, didn’t train well, but said, ‘No, I will be fine tomorrow [vs Napoli]’. And he played extraordinary.
“With him on the pitch, we feel more comfortable. But of course, he’s come from a tough, tough injury, we have to be alert, and we will decide on Sunday [vs Arsenal] how does he feel…”
Why is Rodri so important to Man City’s lineup?
Supporters saw just how integral the 29-year-old is to City’s squad last term, with Guardiola attempting to plug the hole left by his devastating season-long injury.
According to Squawka, Rodri made 46 passes into the final third against Napoli, the only player to reach 40 in the first round of Champions League fixtures, with City, unsurprisingly, dominating the stats.
It is clearly not just his defensive capabilities which make him so important, with nine goals and 13 assists during the 2023-24 season, but his ability to break up play and defend his own goal is also vital.
Man City had been open to selling Nico Gonzalez, who was expected to be Rodri’s replacement last year, and that goes to show just how difficult it is to play the Spaniard’s position at the Etihad.