At a time when Manchester City is having a great start to the season (Premier League leader, unbeaten in all competitions since the restart, editor’s note), a shadow has crept into the picture.

A week after criticizing the overloaded schedule, Rodri seriously injured his right knee during the clash between the Mancunian club and Arsenal (2-2) last Sunday in the championship. As a result, the Skyblues will have to do without their metronome for at least six months. Following this terrible blow, Pep Guardiola made a radical decision by indicating his desire to line up only substitutes for the next round of the Carabao Cup.

“The next round, I’m telling you: I’ll play with the B team. We’re not going to waste energy, believe me… We always play to qualify. We never throw away a competition. Never, but yesterday, we had only played 50 hours before,” said the Spanish coach after Manchester City’s narrow victory over Watford (2-1), Tuesday in the last 16.