Rodri risk or the title?

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Lovebitesandeveryfing

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To be clear, my question is this:

Would you risk overplaying Rodri or accept sacrificing the title? For me, I would sacrifice the title this season in a heartbeat if it meant protecting Rodri's gradual return to his full capabilities, without any risk of a relapse and an injury that could set him back for weeks again. I do feel the question needs to be put if Pep feels obliged to play Rodri in every league game, for the full ninety minutes, until such time (unclear at this point) that Nico G is good to go.
Rodri is for the long term. He is the crown jewel in the team. I want to see at least two or three great seasons out of him. That's the way I see it, anyway.
 
I too would be watchful over his game time for now. But that said, ultimately if a player cannot play regularly when needed, you have to move on from them. It is not at that point yet with Rodri, but we have been far too patient in my view with say Stones and it gets you nowhere. How many players really recover 100% from a bad ACL. A few have, many haven’t, hopefully Rodri will be another.
 
If you want no risk of injury or relapse you retire.

There is always risk in training and playing, and the title chance is around 20%.

He hasn't been at his best for City since May 2024.
 
There's literally no way of getting full match fitness, without playing matches. Of course, only an idiot is going to play him twice a week, every week, from here on in. But I think we all know that Guardiola isn't one of those. But playing him for 10 minutes here and there, isn't going to get him any nearer match fitness than he is now, if you did it for two years.

I suppose in an ideal world, you'd be 3-0 up after 70 minutes every game and bring him off. But I'm not sure that strolling around against already beaten teams for an extra 20 minutes, is going to make too much difference anyway.

We need him now. If he feels up for it, let him play.
 
I think he's taken the time to ensure he's right this time. It's just a fitness thing. So frustrating his return has coincided with Nico getting injured so we can't ease him in. It's not ideal but he has to fucking play or we aren't getting fuckall from most games.
 
we do have a chance of winning it and im sure we will try our best with the players we have,this is the rebuild season so were not doing to badly considering if we beat arsenal there is only 3 points to recover, Rodders has to be played while were in it same as the CL
 
I don't think the plan was for him to play the full 90 yesterday, I think Ake was going to replace him until Dias went down so Ake had to replace him and play CB.
 
EastMidlandsBlue said:
I don't think the plan was for him to play the full 90 yesterday, I think Ake was going to replace him until Dias went down so Ake had to replace him and play CB.
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I'm virtually certain it wasn't. That's my point, really. Sure, Pep wants to play Rod about sixty to seventy minutes in matches, for the moment. That's what he does. He isn't going to be able to do that here. Exeter, I'm assuming Rodri will be rested. For the rest, he'll play, and probably the full ninety minutes. Very curious to see if he's in the semi-final against Newcastle. I'd like him to be — we need him — but I'm divided on it.
 
Stephen230 said:
There's literally no way of getting full match fitness, without playing matches. Of course, only an idiot is going to play him twice a week, every week, from here on in. But I think we all know that Guardiola isn't one of those. But playing him for 10 minutes here and there, isn't going to get him any nearer match fitness than he is now, if you did it for two years.

I suppose in an ideal world, you'd be 3-0 up after 70 minutes every game and bring him off. But I'm not sure that strolling around against already beaten teams for an extra 20 minutes, is going to make too much difference anyway.

We need him now. If he feels up for it, let him play.
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He was overplayed before his injury, he played too many games close to each other when he came back and then again played to many minutes and games in a short period just over the last week with the new return. Gvardiol has played a lot and the injury may have been caused by it, Silva played too much as did KDB. Pep is obviously brilliant but he does do this to players.
 
hilts said:
He was overplayed before his injury, he played too many games close to each other when he came back and then again played to many minutes and games in a short period just over the last week with the new return. Gvardiol has played a lot and the injury may have been caused by it, Silva played too much as did KDB. Pep is obviously brilliant but he does do this to players.
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What can he do though mate? Rest all your best players every other week. Win fuck all but have the fittest squad in the country?

It took him a few years but I think he eventually realised that the League Cup was a competition to far and has sacrificed serious attempts to win that these last few years. Not sure Haaland has ever played in that cup has he? Maybe once or twice. Not sure.

It’s an incredibly difficult balancing act between short term success and the long term health of your players. Play it too cautiously as a manager and you won’t have a job for long, for it to be a worry.
 
Kippax Street 1880 said:
I think he's taken the time to ensure he's right this time. It's just a fitness thing. So frustrating his return has coincided with Nico getting injured so we can't ease him in. It's not ideal but he has to fucking play or we aren't getting fuckall from most games.
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Agree with your assessment, but he cannot play all the minutes if Nico G. needs a little time to heal before returning to the pitch. This could be the time for the oft-mooted Nico O. to give that position a whirl but that would be a massive gamble. With Ake needed at left CB and available for one match a week, Lewis would have to feature at LB until Ait-Nouri returns. Guehi would be a huge addition right now.
 
I didn't want him playing more than 70 yesterday but he made it till the end. If that's the case twice a week the risk is much higher. Give him 45 minutes max v Brighton regardless of the score at half time...yeah he can get injured in minute 5 but we'll be raging if he goes down in minute 80. Play O'Reilly there or Khusanov he's fast and hard. It's about managing till Saturday when we can rotate. Riejnders could play the 2nd 45 as a 6, with Bernardo & Foden. We need Reis back from loan too.
 
Stephen230 said:
What can he do though mate? Rest all your best players every other week. Win fuck all but have the fittest squad in the country?

It took him a few years but I think he eventually realised that the League Cup was a competition to far and has sacrificed serious attempts to win that these last few years. Not sure Haaland has ever played in that cup has he? Maybe once or twice. Not sure.

It’s an incredibly difficult balancing act between short term success and the long term health of your players. Play it too cautiously as a manager and you won’t have a job for long, for it to be a worry.
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I didnt say rest every player every week, Rodri himself said he was playing too many games. He was right.
 
He should be used sensibly.
He took a risk playing him the full game v Chelsea in my eyes, but had no choice i suppose.
They the management ,Dr & physio team cocked up 1st time around with his return to the game .
Lessons need to be learned .
 
Stephen230 said:
What can he do though mate? Rest all your best players every other week. Win fuck all but have the fittest squad in the country?

It took him a few years but I think he eventually realised that the League Cup was a competition to far and has sacrificed serious attempts to win that these last few years. Not sure Haaland has ever played in that cup has he? Maybe once or twice. Not sure.

It’s an incredibly difficult balancing act between short term success and the long term health of your players. Play it too cautiously as a manager and you won’t have a job for long, for it to be a worry.
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That's it, though, isn't it, right there? That's the nub of the problem.
I don't honestly think that Josep Guardiola is in any danger whatsoever of not having a job, especially not at City. He'll go in his own good time. Domestic treble, never before done? 100 points, never before done? European treble, only done once before (and with much more difficulty)? Four league titles in a row, never before done? Six titles out of seven? No, really, I think that track record gives him almost infinite credit in the bank of goodwill from our owners. He'll walk when he decides to walk. (Unless City find themselves fighting relegation on his watch, and that is simply not a plausible scenario).
No, I just think he wants to keep players happy by playing them, especially when he knows full well they could literally walk into any club side in the world. I also think he genuinely wants to win any competition he's in. I'm not sure that he sacrificed the League Cup, you know. He did the standard thing that every manager of top clubs does of playing the kids in the early rounds. Sometimes you slip up, sometimes you make it through. The man is a competition animal. But he's also aware of the need for rotation, and bringing back players from a terrible injury slowly and gradually, when he can.
That's the fine line he walks.
I actually think he'll play Rod in every game barring the Exeter one till Nico G comes back. He simply has no alternative. No Kova, no Nico. Who else has he got in that position? Nico O'R? Rico L? I don't think so. Johnny could have done it — once. His race is run. I just don't see who else he can put in that holding midfielder role. But I'm anticipating the coming matches with some trepidation. I really am.
 
bert's broken neck said:
Probably little to no chance of the Title, so I would use him sparingly in the CL and cups, till he regains full fitness, both physically and more importantly mentally. No idea how we get through the next few league fixtures till Nico Gonzales is back though!
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Really understand your opinion but the no chance for the title is wild matey, half way through the season and 6 points the gap. I understand the team do not look convincing.. but it is not over at all. 2012 gap was 8 points with 5 games to go. Yes we did have to play the Rags at home at the Etihad still.... but guess what we still have Arsenal to play at the Etihad still ha, lets have some positivity!
 
Tom-Woody said:
Really understand your opinion but the no chance for the title is wild matey, half way through the season and 6 points the gap. I understand the team do not look convincing.. but it is not over at all. 2012 gap was 8 points with 5 games to go. Yes we did have to play the Rags at home at the Etihad still.... but guess what we still have Arsenal to play at the Etihad still ha, lets have some positivity!
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Although I entirely agree with you that writing us off for the title is completely premature, the rags/Arsenal analogy is not really a solid one, in my view. That rag team was well past its sell-by date, overperforming ridiculously on the basis of the fear factor it had built up in opposition minds over two decades. Ferguson had them getting results they should never have been getting. (Ferguson was also getting away with behaviour on the touchline that I've seen allowed to no other manager or coach whatsoever, since I've been watching football). That they folded in the final run-in is not all that surprising. What is surprising is that they actually managed to win the title one more time. But that was really down to our pathetic defence of the title in 2012-13, more than them. Nasri's behaviour in the wall summarised the whole season.
This Arsenal team is very far from its sell-by date. It is hungry for success, it's not all that brilliant, but it's very sound right across the pitch.
I think a better comparison is with the recent Liverpool teams, which, particularly in 2019, we managed to hunt down. That Liverpool team may well have been the best team not to be champions since the PL began. Now the current City team is not a patch on our team of 2018-19, even with everybody back and fit. But the current Arsenal is not that Liverpool team either. Not even close.
It's difficult. But it can be done.
 
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