• Rodri’s Injury Will Rule Him Out For Much Of The 2024/25 Campaign
  • How Mikel Arteta and Arsenal can learn from this

Just 10 seconds into the Manchester City vs Arsenal match over the weekend, Rodri went down after a slight brush from Kai Havertz. Sixteen minutes later, during a duel with Partey, the Euro 2024 winner clutched his knee and went down again. Unable to continue, Rodri was replaced by Mateo Kovacic. Initial post-match tests revealed that the Spaniard could miss the majority of the 2024/25 season.

This injury is a major blow to Manchester City’s hopes of securing major trophies again this year, but it also serves as a cautionary tale for Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta.

Rodri’s Injury Should Be A Cautionary Tale Of Player Overexertion For Arsenal and Arteta

Like Pep Guardiola with Rodri, Mikel Arteta has relied on certain players as mainstays in his squad for over two years now.

Players like Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhães have been consistently integral to the Arsenal team. These players, just like Rodri, participated in the latter stages of the Euros and Copa América tournaments in the summer. They then re-joined Arsenal in time for pre-season preparations and the start of the new campaign.

Recent injuries to key Manchester City players like Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri should act as a warning for Arsenal regarding the overexertion of certain key players, especially the likes of Bukayo Saka, and Saliba.

The English winger logged over 2,900 minutes last season, which is very close to Rodri’s total of 2,938 minutes — the highest in the Manchester City squad.

After the league season, Rodri played in the Euros and reached the final, which was also the case for Bukayo Saka. Although Saka is younger and doesn’t cover as much ground as Rodri, resting the 23-year-old winger occasionally would still be wise.

With Raheem Sterling’s signing, Mikel Arteta should place more trust in other forwards and reduce the burden on Saka before the schedule intensifies towards the end of the year.

William Saliba, who played every minute in the Premier League last season and also featured prominently at the Euros, can also benefit from better management. Giving him rest against lesser opponents would help lower his exertion and prevent a season-disrupting injury.