Manchester City’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign came to an end on Monday night in Orlando.
After taking the lead in the contest and missing several golden opportunities throughout the match, Pep Guardiola’s men will be leaving the United States knowing they could have done more to advance.
Bernardo Silva was not happy with how Man City controlled transitions; however, the Premier League giants’ trip to America has had many positives ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Guardiola plans to have his team ready to challenge Liverpool and Arsenal for the Premier League title over the coming months, but one decision the Spaniard made against Al-Hilal could have had a big impact on the entire season.
Rodri in action for Manchester City v Al-Hilal at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Photo by Eston Parker/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images
Rodri complained about fitness issues for a week
Heading into the FIFA Club World Cup, Rodri had played just seven minutes against Bournemouth after suffering a long-term knee injury back in September; therefore, Guardiola’s goal over the summer was to have the midfielder ready for when the Premier League gets back underway in August.
The 29-year-old is getting closer to being able to play a full 90 minutes, having played in every match for Man City in America, but Rodri was taken off against Al-Hilal due to fitness concerns after Guardiola stated after the match that the midfielder was complaining about a problem.
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According to the Daily Mail, Rodri has been complaining of fitness issues over the past week as the Spanish star works his way back to full fitness.
Ally McCoist thinks the Man City’s stars issue may just be niggles; however, Guardiola took a big risk with the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner if he knew that the midfielder had been worried about his fitness in the week leading up to the Al-Hilal clash.
Pep Guardiola took a big gamble with Rodri vs Al-Hilal
Rodri entered the field of play against Al-Hilal during the 53rd minute in Orlando, but was forced off in the 100th minute after feeling some niggles.
Although the midfielder was needed to provide Man City with more control, seeing as the Manchester club were 2-1 down at the time, Guardiola should never have brought the 29-year-old on, knowing that he had problems in the lead-up to the contest in Orlando.
The absence of Rodri had devastating consequences last season for Guardiola, and many Man City fans would not have taken the risk with the Spaniard against Al-Hilal if they had the information that has emerged in the aftermath of the match.
Although Rodri was subbed off against the Saudi club, the 29-year-old’s issue doesn’t look to be anything serious, which will be a sigh of relief for everyone involved with the Manchester club.
The legendary coach took an unnecessary risk with Rodri on Monday night in Orlando, and had the midfielder’s fitness issue been more serious, that could have compromised the entire 2025/26 season for Man City as they have a tough start to their Premier League campaign.
Guardiola and Man City have a lot of work to do if they are to be champions of England again, and taking unnecessary risks, such as the latest Rodri decision, will not help them achieve their goals.