Okay, let’s break this down. It’s about Rodri’s return from injury and Guardiola managing his comeback. Forget the fluff, here’s what’s actually going on:

Rodri’s not 100%. We’ve all seen it – a player comes back, looks sharp for a game, then pulls up lame. Guardiola’s trying to avoid that. Smart. This isn’t FIFA; you can’t just slap a healing card on him.

He says Rodri needs time. He mentions Rodri played Brentford on Oct 5. That was the Derby, Napoli and Arsenal run. I remember that hectic period! Champions League midweek then a Derby, then repeat is brutal. This ISN’T a league game once a week.

Guardiola is talking about the risk of re-injury after a layoff. He states “When a long injury the history says the year after you have slight problems – we try to avoid it, we are desperate to avoid it, but it happens, the stats say that – for one year you stop [playing].” Anyone who’s worked in this game a while knows the drill. This is about mitigating risk, plain and simple. You can’t bulldoze through this!

The key is managing Rodri’s workload. One game a week? Fine. Every three days? That’s asking for trouble. National team duty on top? Forget it. His body will break down.

Guardiola praises Rodri’s mentality, calling him the “best teacher” for Nico Gonzalez. Essentially, even sidelined, Rodri’s a leader. Important for team morale, especially with a younger player stepping up. Plus, it buys Guardiola some time and goodwill with Rodri.

My take? Guardiola’s being cautious, and rightly so. Rodri’s crucial. You risk him early, you risk the whole season. Patience isn’t just a virtue; it’s a strategy. The Premier League and Champions League aren’t won in October. This is about getting him firing on all cylinders when it really matters. The season comes down to those crucial weeks, and if Rodri isn’t ready, City are in trouble.