Pep Guardiola has hinted that he could take one particular Manchester City player out of the team this weekend.
After drawing 3-3 against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League on Tuesday, the Blues go back to Premier League action this weekend with a home clash against Luton Town.
Ahead of this game, the City boss has suggested that one prominent member of the team may not feature this time around.
Guardiola says one Man City player may not feature against Luton
Speaking in his latest press conference ahead of tomorrow’s match against Luton, Guardiola had this to say when asked what his views are on Rodri’s recent comments saying he’s tired and could do with a rest.
He said: “I didn’t speak with him. If he needs rest he will have rest. Or no, I don’t know.
“I have the feeling that the games he’s tired. Like Crystal Palace and Madrid, the second half was better than the first half. Ran more, was more precise in the second half than the first. It depends on the team.
“More than the physicality of course you spend mental energy playing every three days, three days. Of course, he’s tired. Played a lot of minutes, Rodri’s so important for us and we will decide tomorrow what we have to do.
“If a player doesn’t want to play he’s not going to play. It’s simple. Another one’s going to play. If he’s tired, feels exhausted, it can’t happen. Another player’s going to play. It’s not just Rodri.
“I would love to rest central defenders but with the defenders injured we are in big, big struggle. We cannot rest.”
Will Guardiola rest Rodri against Luton?
This season has seen Rodri, who City paid £62m to sign from Atletico Madrid back in 2019, make 41 appearances across all competitions.
Out of those 41 games, the Spaniard has started all of them and completed the full 90 minutes 31 times in total.
With that taken into account, it comes as no surprise to us that Rodri feels tired.
Even though City need to keep winning their remaining league games to make sure they have a chance of lifting the trophy next month, Saturday’s game against Luton could be an ideal time for Guardiola to give the midfielder a rest, especially with next week’s second-leg quarter-final showdown against Real Madrid in the Champions League in sight.