Manchester City
Guardiola: Rodri’s Peak Will Come at the World Cup, City Must Manage Short-Term Dip
Guardiola says Rodri will reach his best at the World Cup; City must manage this season carefully…
Pep Guardiola has delivered a measured assessment of Rodri’s recovery, warning that the midfielder is unlikely to regain his peak form until next summer’s World Cup. Guardiola framed the season as one of careful management rather than immediate return to elite levels.
Rodri’s absence was felt as City failed to defend their Premier League crown. The eight-time winners actually failed to win any silverware for the first time since Guardiola’s first year in charge (2016–17), and the team have shown fragility in the early stages of this season. City dropped points from a winning position against Monaco in midweek, and two defeats from their opening six Premier League games means they are already five points behind early pacesetters Liverpool.
Much had been expected of Rodri following his Ballon d’Or win in 2024, but Guardiola urged patience. “Rodri has been and is an outstanding player,” Guardiola said. “Everybody knows it. But I said to Rodri, and maybe he struggled to understand: it’s not about six months or seven months (after the injury). ‘Ah, (after) eight months I’ll play and be the Rodri of before’. No.
“Rodri will be good at the World Cup with Spain. In the World Cup it will be the best Rodri and next season will be the best Rodri. This season will be how we handle it, step by step.
“It’s normal, it was one year on the massage table. The body changes, the rhythm changes. It’s a question of time. If he’s healthy and works with what he has to do, he will be back.”
City signed Nico González from FC Porto in January for a reported £50 million ($61.9 million) to supplement midfield options while Rodri continues his recovery. The Spaniard has been steady yet unspectacular so far. Guardiola defended the young signing and reminded reporters of Rodri’s own adaptation period in England. “He is so young,” Guardiola said. “Rodri has been with us seven years. He is not (here) even one year and in a tough period. There are many things that step by step he is going to take, because he is open-minded and incredibly coachable.
“Not all the players are. He is and he will get it…Even Rodri—the first season—struggled. It’s normal. New environments and you need a process to understand it. Nico is Nico. He has to use his talent as Nico. He can improve a lot.”
Crystal Palace
Haaland and Glasner Sweep September Premier League Monthly Awards
Haaland wins September Player of the Month; Oliver Glasner earns Manager award after Palace unbeaten
Erling Haaland has been named the Premier League Player of the Month for September 2025 after a run of strong performances for Manchester City. The striker collected the prize as City went through an unbeaten September and secured important wins for their supporters.
“I’m really happy to win this award for a fourth time,” Haaland told club media . “It always means a lot, so thank you to everyone who voted for me. I also want to thank my teammates, the coaches and all the staff—we do everything together.
“September was an important month for us as a team. We played some really good football, stayed unbeaten, and got important wins for our fans. I’m happy I could help the team with goals and performances.
“Now we just keep going—keep working hard every day, because there’s a tough schedule after the international break. Hopefully we can keep the same level and win even more games.”
On the managerial side, Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner was awarded Manager of the Month after an impressive September at the helm of the Eagles. Palace finished the month as the Premier League’s only undefeated team, following a draw with Sunderland with big wins over West Ham United and reigning champions Liverpool. Glasner’s work with the FA Cup and Community Shield winners was singled out as Palace reached new heights in the early season.
The outcome marks Crystal Palace’s first Manager of the Month success since April 2014, when Tony Pulis collected the trophy. The monthly honours list also records past winners for context: Jack Grealish (Everton) was cited for August, as was Arne Slot (Liverpool) for the same month.
These awards underline the players and managers who have had the most influence on Premier League results in the opening stages of the 2025/26 season.
Manchester City
John Stones: The Toll of Recurring Injuries and a Moment of Doubt
John Stones reveals he considered retirement after repeated injuries; long absences and low minutes.
John Stones has spoken candidly about the emotional strain of a season hampered by repeated fitness setbacks. The Manchester City centre back admitted that last term’s interruptions were so severe he briefly entertained the idea of ending his playing career.
“Last season was tough for me, to the point where I thought about stopping,” Stones told BBC Radio 5 Live. Across the campaign he missed a run of four consecutive games and was repeatedly sent back to the sidelines by fresh problems. The 31-year-old said those interruptions left him frustrated after long periods of strict preparation and professionalism.
“I didn’t want to do it. I had had enough of being so professional and trying to do everything right in my power, to then keep breaking down and not having the answers. It was a very difficult place to be in.” Stones has endured a long catalogue of absences since his breakthrough with Everton in 2012, missing 137 matches across all competitions with those absences spread over 22 separate issues.
Statistically, Stones has not returned to the levels he reached in his first season at City. Not since 2016–17 has he reached 2,000 Premier League minutes in a single campaign; that 2016–17 season produced 2,014 minutes and remains the year in which he made his most Premier League appearances for the club, 27. In the current 2025–26 season he has recorded 264 minutes to date.
Stones spoke about the mental challenge of repeated setbacks and the difficulty of finding explanations when a player believes he has done everything right. “There comes a point where you don’t know why it happens and it is even harder when you put in so much effort, or you are ultra professional, to be able to play and be available,” he added. “When that time comes and something happens, it would be easier to say, ‘Well I didn’t do X, Y and Z, that’s why,’ but when you do it, it’s then mentally challenging. Hopefully I don’t go back to that place.”
Reflecting on his motivation, Stones made clear he intends to continue fighting. “My emotions were high. I wasn’t thinking straight. I don’t think deep down I would have ever done it [retired].
“I said years ago when City wanted me to have a new challenge, I said, ‘I am going to fight.’ That’s all I have known since I was a kid. Why should I stop that now? So yes, there is that fight in me and that winning mentality that doesn’t want to stop.”
Manchester City
Rodri expects two-week recovery after hamstring issue forces early Brentford exit
Rodri optimistic two-week break will cure a hamstring issue after leaving Brentford early. Expected.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri left Sunday’s win at Brentford after 20 minutes with a hamstring problem and now plans to use the international break to recover. The midfielder had missed the 5–1 win over Burnley because of fresh fitness concerns but was selected in the starting lineup for the trip to Brentford before limping off early with the hamstring complaint.
Rodri will sit out the international break, having initially been called up by Spain, and is hopeful the time away from club action will be sufficient. He gave a clear assessment of his condition after the match.
“I’m good,” he said. “I felt a little bit in the hamstring but it seems like it’s not that much.
“I stretched the leg a little bit, a bit like in the Euros final. I stretched a little bit but it’s part of the process. I don’t feel that I feel tired muscle wise, I feel fresh but the most important thing is it’s not that big.
“It’s part of the process. The good thing about this is you get out, you don’t let the muscle stretch now. The good thing is the break so it will be even better in this sense to recover these days and hopefully I can be in the next game.”
An immediate return to the team would allow Rodri to feature at home to Everton on Oct. 18, but Manchester City manager Guardiola may choose to rest the midfielder ahead of City’s Champions League trip to Villarreal three days later. Villarreal are noted in the context of the visit as Rodri’s former employers.
City will balance the desire for a quick return from a key midfielder with the need to protect him for the Champions League schedule. For now, Rodri is relying on the scheduled break and the club’s medical staff to ensure the hamstring problem does not develop into something more restrictive.
