Pep Guardiola has said he will rest Rodri if the Spain midfielder asks to sit out Saturday바카라s Premier League match against Luton. (More Football News)
Following Tuesday바카라s 3-3 Champions League draw with Real Madrid, Rodri바카라s 41st appearance of the season, the 27-year-old said he was tired and that a rest was 바카라something we are planning바카라.
Rodri is arguably the most difficult player for Guardiola to replace in his squad, and City lost all four of the domestic games he missed through suspension earlier this season. They have not lost any of the last 66 games in which Rodri played.
바카라I didn바카라t speak with him but if he needs a rest he will have rest,바카라 Guardiola said on Friday. 바카라Or no. I don바카라t know.
바카라I have the feeling that the games when he was tired like against Crystal Palace and Madrid, he was better in the second half. He runs more and was more precise in the second half than the first.
바카라More than the physicality, it is a case of spending mental energy. Playing every three days, three days. Of course he바카라s tired, playing a lot of minutes. Rodri is so important for us and we바카라ll decide tomorrow what we have to do.바카라
If City beat Real in next Wednesday바카라s second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, they will not have a free midweek for the rest of the campaign, and Guardiola acknowledged it is increasingly difficult to manage player fitness during such an intense schedule.
바카라If a player doesn바카라t want to play then he바카라s not going to play, simple,바카라 he said. 바카라Another one will play. If he바카라s exhausted, it can happen and another player is going to play.
바카라It바카라s not just Rodri. I바카라d love to rest central defenders but we don바카라t have them. In the (international) friendly games they were injured and we are in big, big trouble. So they cannot rest.바카라
Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol got City바카라s goals in Madrid, with Erling Haaland having scored only one in his last five for City 바카라 although he has 30 goals for the season so far.
Haaland may have scored 82 goals in 90 appearances since joining City at the start of last season, but Jamie Carragher this week said he was a luxury player who is not yet at a world-class level.
Guardiola has defended the 23-year-old striker against criticism but said there was still much he could do to improve his game.
바카라He바카라s a young player,바카라 Guardiola said. 바카라He has some departments where he has to improve, like a 33-year-old player has margins to improve too. But it바카라s more about the team than him. We scored three goals (in Madrid). They had two central defenders close to him and it바카라s not easy.
바카라It바카라s the most difficult position on the pitch. Two against one. They were so tight and are really good defenders바카라
바카라He has to play more minutes, learn what you have to do. The target is not to win the Ballon d바카라Or, it바카라s the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and he did it.
바카라Without him what we won last season, five titles, it wouldn바카라t be possible, no chance.바카라
