BBC pundit Cesc Fabregas believes Manchester City need to find a way of keeping Rodri fit and fresh if they want to replicate last year’s treble success.
The Spanish international has spoken out in recent days to claim he is suffering from fatigue and speaking about the player’s situation, Fabregas said:
“Maybe you can say it privately to the coach, to the fitness coach, between your players, teammates, etc, but it is not very common to hear that a player says that to us publicly, to the press.
“I saw him a little bit off, to be fair. He missed more passes than I’m used to. He’s been at a really, really high level for the last two years, and it catches the eyes sometimes, like say, oh my God, he’s missing some passes that he normally doesn’t miss.”
“I think he’s a top player. If City want to do what they did last year or close to it, because what they did last year, it’s very, very difficult, but they do need Rodri at his very, very best.”
Rodri has rarely been given a break
The Premier League champions remain unbeaten in all competitions this campaign when the 27-year-old has been on the pitch.
However, due to his importance to the team, Rodri has not been rested that often, He has made 41 appearances so far; all of them have been starts.
How many games have City got left this season?
Pep Guardiola‘s side have seven league fixtures (including Saturday’s matches against Luton Town). They also have to face Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final. If they progress, they would face either Bayern Munich or Arsenal in the next round.
They also have an FA Cup semi-final tie against Chelsea at Wembley next weekend. All in all, Rodri could potentially play 54 games if he features in all of City’s remaining fixtures.