Pep Guardiola reveals Rodri fitness concern emerging before Napoli showdown | OneFootball

Rodri has not trained to his best over the course of the last few days, manager Pep Guardiola has revealed off the back of the 2-0 win over Napoli on Thursday night.

The Spaniard has been central to City’s plans since returning from a long-term injury lay-off last season, and his presence has been particularly important in a week that has seen the Blues record back-to-back victories over Manchester United and Napoli.

Despite his strong performances in both fixtures, manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that his midfield general has been managing some discomfort behind the scenes, at a delicate moment for the club whilst recently boosted by John Stones’ return to training.

Rodri’s absences often leads to an imbalance in Manchester City’s system, with Guardiola forced to adjust roles in midfield or defence to cover his loss, and that dependence adds further weight to the manager’s cautious tone ahead of the trip to Arsenal.

The concern also follows a wider theme of physical management at the Etihad Stadium, with several first-team players nursing either ongoing issues or returning from recent setbacks. Mateo Kovacic is continuing to recover from an Achilles problem, while Guardiola has also stressed newer additions such as Tijjani Reijnders will require patience.

Speaking as part of his preview press conference before Manchester City’s visit to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, Pep Guardiola revealed some minor concerns surrounding Rodri and the Spaniard’s training ground fitness.

“We’ll see day by day, but what’s important is that he’s played already two games,” Guardiola said in reference to Manchester City’s 3-0 and 2-0 wins against Manchester United and Napoli respectively this week.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), for example, the training session he didn’t feel much comfortable, didn’t train good, but said, ‘No, no I will be fine tomorrow’. And he played extraordinary like Rodri is,” Guardiola continued.

“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 how does he feel.”

Looking ahead, Pep Guardiola may have a crucial decision to make regarding whether to start Rodri at the Emirates Stadium, or manage his minutes carefully in order to preserve his long-term availability.

Manchester City’s overall squad depth has been tested already this season, with Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki, and Rayan Ait-Nouri all currently sidelined with relatively long-term injury problems.

Should Rodri be deemed unfit or fatigued to feature from the start against Arsenal, Manchester City could turn to Nico or Tijjani Reijnders in a deeper role, though arguably neither offer the same level of control that Rodri provides.

The manager’s caution suggests that any risk of aggravation will be avoided, especially with UEFA Champions League, domestic fixtures, and Carabao Cup commitments stacking up in the weeks ahead.