Manchester City's worst nightmare is now a reality

In this week's press conference, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiolaconfirmed the news regarding Rodri. "He had surgery this morning - ACL and some meniscus, so next season he will be here. This season is over. We got the worst [news possible] but it is what it is." 

Manchester City's worst nightmare is now a reality

Just 5 days before Rodri went off against Arsenal FC with an apparent serious injury, he spoke ahead of the Champions League clash with Inter stating his concerns with the football calendar. Rodri mentioned how 40-50 games are doable, but increasing this number will only cause problems. When asked about the possibility of a strike, he noted "I think we are close to that. I think if you ask any player he will say the same."

Before this injury, Rodri had missed just 5 games for Manchester City. A shocking number given his usage rate with the club, and boss Pep Guardiola's constant reliance on the midfielder to gain control of games, and lead the team to victory after victory. A bit of cruel irony from the football gods, as Rodri had every chance to win the Ballon d'Or this season after an incredible past 9 months (and beyond) for Manchester City, and with everyone coming to terms with just how incredible of a footballer Rodri truly is.

These concerns should not be taken lightly and are a sentiment that many big names have expressed in recent years. When players, such as Rodri, say "And if it keeps this way, there will be a moment where we have no other option, I really think..." it makes you think. Are we now commercializing the game too much at the expense of elite players?

Manchester City have relied on Rodri for a number of seasons now in the Premier League and beyond, and there is nobody in their squad that can do what Rodri does, it's that simple. There is a combination of players that can play in his role, but they are all alternatives to the preferred option. Rico Lewis can play in that holding role, but he is still young. Kovacic can certainly play that role, but perhaps not by himself. John Stones could act as a second pivot in deep lying positions, adding his defensive expertise alongside a potential Gundogan, who played there for City years ago.

All of the options at Pep's disposal just mask the development of a massive threat to elite-level football across the globe. Last year, Rodri played 50 games for Manchester City and added 16 with Spain as they won the Euros and was given an extended summer break because of this. The year before that, Rodri played 56 matches as City won the Treble and Rodri scored the winning goal for Manchester City in the Champions League Final. That year he also played an additional 17 games for Spain. The numbers don't look good, and the appetite for more games from FIFA and UEFA does not seem to be getting any smaller.

While a strike might not materialize, the point remains. The player's well-being must be taken into consideration, as it always should have been when creating the football calendar each year. Manchester City can feel hard done here with Rodri's injury, other teams can thank their lucky stars it wasn't their most important player who went down, but the way I see it, injuries like this one will become more and more common if those in power don't head the words of their prized assets.

In addition to the players making these demands, it has to fall on the consumers of the sport as well. So long as viewership continues to rise, there will be more games. Fans have to raise these concerns as well, and be willing to see less of their favorite players in exchange for seeing them play at a higher level, and ideally for a longer period of time.

There are so many parties involved that will need to be aligned in order to lighten the load on players at the top level, and this could (and likely will) take many years, potentially decades, to correct. That is, if we as a footballing community, care about players' wellbeing.

Simply put, it's time that FIFA focuses on what they claim to have at the forefront of their minds, at least, according to their website. "of primary importance in football's present and future is the protection of player health and wellbeing." These words are well and good, but soulless without action to back them up.