Manchester City goes into the international break feeling good and with a Guardiola record. And Rodri, who was substituted on Sunday after picking up an injury, also appears to have had a stroke of luck in his misfortune.
On Monday morning, the Spanish Football Federation confirmed what had already been clear in England since the previous evening: Rodri will miss the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Georgia (Saturday) and Bulgaria due to injury – and thus may not be on the pitch to see the reigning European champions secure their ticket to 2026.
But for Manchester City fans, what Rodri himself said after Sunday evening’s 1-0 win at Brentford FC, where he was substituted in the 22nd minute after picking up an injury, was much more important. “I’m fine,” Pep Guardiola’s midfield anchor gave the all-clear. “I felt a slight pull in my Achilles tendon, but it doesn’t seem to be anything serious. I overstretched my leg a little, similar to what happened in the European Championship final.” He hopes to be back in action for the home game against Everton on October 18.
Such problems are simply “part of the process,” said Rodri calmly, who missed almost the entire previous season due to a knee injury. Even coach Guardiola had predicted before the Brentford game that we would only see the “best Rodri” again at the World Cup. “This year is about how you deal with it.” The Catalan has only let his strategist play through twice this season.
Extra praise for Haaland and Donnarumma
Despite Rodri’s early exit, ManCity secured their fourth win in seven league games against Brentford, keeping them in touch with the leading pack. Guardiola, who praised in particular the in-form match-winner Erling Haaland (“now part of the club”) and new keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma (“as if he’s been playing soccer for centuries”), set a new record in the process: He achieved his 250th Premier League victory in just 349 games, smashing Sir Alex Ferguson’s record of 404 games. Arsene Wenger is third with 423 games. “I’ll invite them to a nice dinner, maybe not in Manchester, but somewhere sunnier,” Guardiola, who is the best Premier League coach in history with a win rate of 71.6 percent, announced cheerfully to the two coaching legends.