Manchester City fans witnessed Rodri get significant minutes at the FIFA Club World Cup on Wednesday.
Man City were 2-0 winners over Moroccan side Wydad AC in Philadelphia, with goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku getting the Premier League club off to a great start in the revamped competition.
The only plot on the performance was Rico Lewis’ red card, a decision Pep Guardiola and Man City fans were furious with after the game.
A huge positive that can be taken away from the win is the fact that Rodri got significant minutes into his legs with the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner featuring for over 30 minutes, having replaced Foden on the hour mark.
After the contest, Guardiola made his plans for Rodri clear going forward, with the midfielder expected to feature more as the tournament progresses.
Rodri in action for Manchester City v Wydad AC at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
Pep Guardiola’s plan for Rodri
The 2024/25 season was a disaster for Rodri, after the Man City midfielder suffered a long-term knee injury at the start of the campaign, which had a massive impact on how the rest of the Manchester club’s season played out.
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The plan was always to have the Spaniard ready for the FIFA Club World Cup, despite getting a few minutes against Bournemouth towards the end of last season, and the 30 minutes the 28-year-old played on Wednesday was the most he has experienced in months.
Speaking to DAZN after Man City’s win over Wydad, Guardiola made his plan for Rodri clear, as the legendary coach stated that the player wants to play more, but the club need to follow the process.
“30 minutes, step-by-step. He wants more, but it’s the first step,” Guardiola said. “What your head wants, your mind, that is top. But at the same time, often you need the process, and that is very, very important.”
Players can often get injured again after returning from a long-term injury; therefore, Man City must ease Rodri back into things as the midfielder’s return is set to make a big difference for the Manchester club throughout the upcoming Premier League season.
Pep Guardiola ahead of Manchester City v Wydad AC at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
Rodri is expected to start against Al Ain
Man City’s next match at the Club World Cup will take place against Al Ain in the early hours of Monday morning in Atlanta, and this is a contest Rodri is expected to start in after beginning the Wydad game on the bench.
Guardiola stated after City’s 2-0 win that his players need minutes and that 10 new players will start the Al Ain contest; therefore, Rodri will be expected to play from the off against the Abu Dhabi-based club.
“Many players, we need to give them minutes, otherwise if they come back from a long injury and don’t play, they’ll never get it,” Guardiola told Mancity.com. “Next game, ten new players will be there to try and win the next one.”
Rodri can be expected to play 45 to 60 minutes next time out, which will then gradually increase as Man City advance through the tournament.