16 | Rodri 2025/26

Gorbachev said:
City should do what Liverpool should have done and said you can stay but you won't play a single game.

If you want Madrid, your leaving.

He wants that Ballon d'Or pay rise, which he will waste a year of getting if he doesn't renew with us.

As a club, City should never allow the player to have the upper hand. Ever. Regardless of who it is.

The great clubs and managers get rid once they know a player isn't dialled in anymore.
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This is sort of what is happening right now in my opinion. He's not injured he was training weeks ago.

I don't think we've given him such an explicit ultimatum, but I don't think either City or Rodri want to risk another long term setback while he's in contract limbo and if Rodri wants Madrid he needs to be healthy and if we want 100 million we need him healthy aswell.

I've had a bad feeling since Carvajal said he'd spent the entire rehab period working on Rodri to sign for Real.

I don't hold it against him. We haven't signed the players to keep him happy and match his ambition and we've shown we'll risk his health for short term gain by playing him back to back in the CWC and 3 games in a week. Both of which resulted in setbacks.
 
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asahartford1 said:
I hope the club hierarchy were accountable for winning 4 in a row
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yes they were but history means very little (unless you are a scouser and want to live in the past and become like them screaming about how much their history means at every turn.)

Winners keep moving forward - which are you?

Accountability has to be taken...does that mean wanting anyone out - absolutely not. Ive said at every turn Id keep Pep for life if he wanted to as his integrity is unmatched in football more than ANYTHING else. Would I want rid of Khaldoon either - again absolutely not for the very same reason as Pep.

But does it also mean that they are beyond criticism.....fucking no way...since the treble we have done poorly off the field especially in terms of quality transfers in and out....thats on Txixi, Vianna and Pep in the most part. The issues were there with KDB 12 months before it all went wrong for him. We delayed in trynig to replace him. We failed to add adequate cover for Rodri (Phillips, Nunes - 2 huge expensive mistakes in terms of CDM) till it was too late - something that even the player himself was talking about let alone fans on here. The decline in Walker was there for all to see 12 months before it went tits up. the left back situation is poor (its Peps genius that has got us out of that hole since he has been here - but Mendy, RAN both are poor defensive fullbacks.
The other big one is that we have not replaced the quality of Sterling, Sane and later Mahrez at all - no where near, not even close.

Keeping players also that are clearly inferior - Savihno and Rico Lewis - both given extended contracts - these could be a potential mill stone in trying to improve the squad as we might find it difficult to shift both these players if at some point a decision is made that neither are good enough. .....huge question marks against Reijnders as well (all the new boys need time but Reijnders in particular is looking worse than any new signing we have had since Phillips - he'll probably be turned into a world class right back now ive said this!!!!)

We still play attractive football but some of these players dont seem to have the correct mentality - Sterling compared to Sav when you look at the shit Sterling got from opposition fans and the scouse led media. Reijnders compared to gundo (who had suffered a huge injury prior coming to us iirc). Gundo dug in and you could see his determination even when it wasnt going well....has anyone seen ANY fire in Reijnders at all?

Cherki - will he succeed? All the physical talent in the world BUT there is a question mark about his mentality - I dont like this "I just want to entertain" stuff he comes out with - I want to hear he is pissed off at not playing well, pissed off at not winning etc
 
Gorbachev said:
I can see your points.

Personally mate, I don't think we will ever see Rodri back to what he was, and not even to close to what he was.

When you near 30 and just come through an ACL, you second guess every movement, turn and tackle.

It's exceptionally rare at near 30 to have near 18 months (could be longer at this rate) from top level football and come back to it and be a top level footballer again.

I think the club will be wise to consider the fact that as an elite player, Rodri is potentially finished.

We need have contingency plans lined up just in case.
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Fully agree - we might see him close to his best but not at the peak

the bit that is key is the last bit - plans well under way to replace him - NOW

That means this summer shifting the ALL the dead wood out the club - Grealish, Phillips being the first two on that list....Sav as well for me (wont happen)...Ake being another.

Assess the new lads very quickly and make tough decisions if they arent hitting the grade by the end of this season.
 
I don't think his absence is contract related. He's just a player coming back from an ACL injury and as Pep has said it can take significant time (i.e the season) to get back to his best.
 
Forget him. Let him sort himself out and aim for that FA Cup 3rd round. Bringing him back in the middle of a busy schedule seems like an accident waiting to happen as we have shown over the past 6 months we are willing to risk his long term health/career
 
Zabbasbeard said:
I don't think his absence is contract related. He's just a player coming back from an ACL injury and as Pep has said it can take significant time (i.e the season) to get back to his best.
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I agree. Might be looking with blue tinted specs but even though hes been injured hes been visibly present at lots of games in backstage footage, inside city etc, talking to the players and encouraging them.

Wouldn’t be surprised if he needs some specialist sports psychology or something to help him feel mentally ready and confident over his physical ability. Might be a bit like Phil’s ‘injury’ last season. Of course there will be physical problems too as happens with a major injury like this but he also needs to feel mentally ready to play again and not panic at any sign of pain or discomfort
 
Some overanalysing going on I think. An ACL is a terrible injury and it takes different people different amount of time to recover.

Even after you can walk again you lose complete confidence applying pressure on that leg. It can take another year to feel comfortable it's not going to go again.
 
tackeds said:
I agree. Might be looking with blue tinted specs but even though hes been injured hes been visibly present at lots of games in backstage footage, inside city etc, talking to the players and encouraging them.

Wouldn’t be surprised if he needs some specialist sports psychology or something to help him feel mentally ready and confident over his physical ability. Might be a bit like Phil’s ‘injury’ last season. Of course there will be physical problems too as happens with a major injury like this but he also needs to feel mentally ready to play again and not panic at any sign of pain or discomfort
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The mental side is often underestimated.

Speaking from experience (well, sort of), I hadn't played walking football for 6 weeks until yesterday due to a bad chest infection, and even though I'm no shrinking violet, I had self doubts whether I could do it!

How must Rodders feel, having suffered a serious long term injury.
 
The guy is a club legend whatever happens. There is zero evidence that he wants to run down his contract and head off to RM. There is a great deal of evidence that he is managing a recovery from a terrible injury in the best way he and the club can manage. We should all support him in that.
 
He's had a hamstring injury, which is to some extent or another a muscle tear. If you overwork it and come back too early, it will tear again. The repair requires the muscle to be built up again from below and takes time. If you rush back and tear it again, you're worse than back at square one, because the recovery time extends.

These things happen frequently with players when they've been out for a long time. Even with the best care and support, time is needed.

At the moment, yes he's fucked, so move on and just let him recover. Hopefully he'll get back to something like his old self one day.
 
simon23 said:
yes they were but history means very little (unless you are a scouser and want to live in the past and become like them screaming about how much their history means at every turn.)

Winners keep moving forward - which are you?

Accountability has to be taken...does that mean wanting anyone out - absolutely not. Ive said at every turn Id keep Pep for life if he wanted to as his integrity is unmatched in football more than ANYTHING else. Would I want rid of Khaldoon either - again absolutely not for the very same reason as Pep.

But does it also mean that they are beyond criticism.....fucking no way...since the treble we have done poorly off the field especially in terms of quality transfers in and out....thats on Txixi, Vianna and Pep in the most part. The issues were there with KDB 12 months before it all went wrong for him. We delayed in trynig to replace him. We failed to add adequate cover for Rodri (Phillips, Nunes - 2 huge expensive mistakes in terms of CDM) till it was too late - something that even the player himself was talking about let alone fans on here. The decline in Walker was there for all to see 12 months before it went tits up. the left back situation is poor (its Peps genius that has got us out of that hole since he has been here - but Mendy, RAN both are poor defensive fullbacks.
The other big one is that we have not replaced the quality of Sterling, Sane and later Mahrez at all - no where near, not even close.

Keeping players also that are clearly inferior - Savihno and Rico Lewis - both given extended contracts - these could be a potential mill stone in trying to improve the squad as we might find it difficult to shift both these players if at some point a decision is made that neither are good enough. .....huge question marks against Reijnders as well (all the new boys need time but Reijnders in particular is looking worse than any new signing we have had since Phillips - he'll probably be turned into a world class right back now ive said this!!!!)

We still play attractive football but some of these players dont seem to have the correct mentality - Sterling compared to Sav when you look at the shit Sterling got from opposition fans and the scouse led media. Reijnders compared to gundo (who had suffered a huge injury prior coming to us iirc). Gundo dug in and you could see his determination even when it wasnt going well....has anyone seen ANY fire in Reijnders at all?

Cherki - will he succeed? All the physical talent in the world BUT there is a question mark about his mentality - I dont like this "I just want to entertain" stuff he comes out with - I want to hear he is pissed off at not playing well, pissed off at not winning etc
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I think we had the best of those two.
 
Fucking dirty Arsenal wankers.
Need to put Rice or Saka out for months next time we play them, see how they fucking like it.

It was clearly a deliberate tactic to crock our best player and unfortunately it worked.
 
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