Before facing Newcastle United in the 6th round of the English Premier League, Manchester City suffered a major blow - the team's core midfielder, Rodrigo Rodriguez, underwent surgery for a torn cruciate ligament and part of his meniscus and was declared out for the season. The news was confirmed in the pre-match press conference by manager Pep Guardiola, who expressed his deep support for Rodriguez and his strong confidence in the team's future.
Guardiola admitted that Rodney's position in the team is irreplaceable, but he also emphasized that City has a number of excellent players who will jointly take up the vacancy left by Rodney. He pointed out that the team must play in a new way, through teamwork to make up for the impact of Rodney's absence. Guardiola said that regardless of the result, he will remain confident that the team will be able to overcome the difficulties and continue to move forward.
In addition, Guardiola also revealed about De Bruyne and the squad changes. He confirmed that De Bruyne will not be able to play against Newcastle due to injury and hinted that he might be back before or after the international break. For the midfield configuration after Rodney's absence, Guardiola mentioned the possibility of Kovacic and Rico Lewis partnering in a double back, while also stating that players such as Gündoğan, Stones and Akanji are also options.
When talking about the upcoming opponent Newcastle United, Guardiola gave full respect. He believes that Newcastle is a tough and powerful team, especially when playing at home. Therefore, he asked his team to be well-prepared for the upcoming challenge.
On the question of whether the team will bring in new recruits in the winter window after Rodney's serious injury, Guardiola said the team will evaluate and make decisions based on the actual situation. He emphasized that the most important thing now is to support Rodney and pay attention to the progress of his recovery, while the team will also use this time to adjust and grind the lineup, fully prepared for future games.
