Why always Rodri? Man City and Pep Guardiola must answer uncomfortable transfer question

With the game against Wolves done and dusted before the final whistle, Pep Guardiola had time to make five changes.

Off came Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Nathan Ake, Bernardo Silva, and Kevin De Bruyne. . . and on stayed Rodri. City's midfield maestro saw out the full game, stretching his lead over Foden as the most-used player at the club this season in an advantage that he is unlikely to lose with just four games to go.

Why always Rodri? He didn't particularly look like he needed the rest on Saturday in fairness, but the warning that he gave a year ago has arguably already played out and City are no closer to heeding it.

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Last summer, Rodri told City coaches that he couldn't go on playing as often as he had done in the Treble year. It had been a Herculean effort to be on the pitch for so long and as close as the player can seem to immortal he knew that the longer it carried on the more chances he had of flying too close to the sun.

Despite another stellar year where he has shown himself to be the best player in his position and built up a 70-match unbeaten streak, Rodri's form has slipped a little at times. It hasn't been much, but small margins can make a big difference when competitions are decided by a couple of points or a penalty shootout.

City were given a bruising reality check in the first half of the season when the 28-year-old was suspended for four games and they lost all four, exiting the Carabao Cup and suffering the only three league defeats they have had over the entire campaign. And with Kalvin Phillips' stock managing to