The Spanish player is an irreplaceable name in the current Manchester City squad.

Manchester City’s dependence on Rodri is obvious. The Spaniard has not lost a club match since February 5, 2023, after 66 appearances in all competitions. Without him, the Etihad Stadium team received 5 defeats in the same period.

A few days ago, in an interview with the media, the former Atletico Madrid player admitted that he gradually felt tired. Since the beginning of the season, Rodri has played a total of 3,498 minutes for the defending Premier League champions, second only to Phil Foden (3,560 minutes).

It was like a wake-up call for coach Pep Guardiola. Despite the importance of the player wearing the number 16 shirt in the middle area, he needs to create conditions for his favorite student to rest to avoid being overloaded. Otherwise, it will easily lead to unnecessary injuries.

Whenever Rodri is absent, the Etihad home team seems to play with a completely different face. He is the boss of the midfield, taking on every role from duels, controlling the match to directly scoring goals, helping his teammates feel secure in attacking with his good judgment.

With the departure of Kalvin Phillips in the last winter transfer window, in theory, “The Citizens” no longer has any name to share the job with Rodri. Coach Pep Guardiola will likely let Mateo Kovacic or John Stones temporarily fill this position in case the player wearing shirt number 16 is sidelined.

3 days after the draw with Real Madrid in the Champions League, Manchester City will welcome Luton Town in round 33 of the Premier League. This is a better opportunity for the Spanish strategist to rotate the squad, giving the pillars more time to recover.

Although there have been significant efforts to avoid relegation recently, Luton Town is still stuck in the red light group. Having to be a guest at Etihad Stadium is a huge challenge for coach Robert Edwards’ team.

Only Sheffield United will win fewer away points than Luton Town in the 2023/2024 season. Although he does not want any mistakes to happen in the race to win the Premier League title, this seems to be the ideal time for Pep Guardiola to make changes in personnel.

Remember, after the match against Luton Town, “The Citizens” will welcome Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. Although they are rated a bit higher by experts, if Manchester City players are not in the best shape, bad things can happen.