Since last season when he was crucial in the treble won by Manchester City and in particular the first Champions League in the history of the English club, Rodri (27 years old) has taken on another dimension. Launch pad for Manchester City’s game, the Spanish defensive midfielder is the lucky charm of Pep Guardiola, but also of Luis de la Fuente with Spain. The former Atlético de Madrid who has won almost everything in the past year (Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, Nations League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup) simply has not lost a single match – excluding penalty shootouts (Manchester City lost the Community Shield against Arsenal on August 6, editor’s note) – since March 28, 2023 and a qualifying match for the Euro against Scotland (2-0 ). With the Mancuniens, we have to go back to February 5, 2023 and a Premier League match against Tottenham (0-1) to find traces of a defeat for Rodri.
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A true talisman undefeated for more than a year, Rodri took on even more dimension this year when Ilkay Gündogan left for FC Barcelona and during which Kevin De Bruyne missed the first part of the season due to injury. Boss of the Sky Blues midfield, he has also refined his statistical contribution since he has 8 goals and 12 goals in 41 matches this season. Simply mind-blowing figures for a defensive midfielder. Another striking statistic, Manchester City’s four defeats on the domestic scene took place when Rodri was absent, proof once again of his simply crucial importance to Pep Guardiola and his plans. Currently third in the Premier League, one point behind Arsenal and Liverpool with seven matches remaining, Manchester City is also in the FA Cup race (semi-final against Chelsea on Saturday April 20) and especially in the quarter-final of Champions League. This first leg against Real Madrid which ended with a score of 3-3 showed the complexities of the Rodri case.
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Rodri reaches the limit
Almost perfect since the start of the season, he completely missed his match against Real Madrid. “Contrary to usual, the Spanish metronome did not weigh as much in the Mancunian game. Fewer horizontal passes, a few missed restarts, Rodri seemed more in difficulty than usual, hampered by Real’s tactical plan., we judged his match by giving him a score of 4/10. A performance below what he regularly displays which can be explained by the lack of freshness of the Spaniard who has no real replacement and already has 4,015 minutes to his credit since the start of the season that this either with his club or his selection. “I need rest. Let’s see how we evaluate, how we experience the situation. Each of us can do better, including me. But we have to rest to be honest. We showed our mentality to come back. The media has been talking about rest and it’s important. They were a little fresher than us in the first half, that’s normal. But coming back with these goals sums up the mentality of the champions that we are.he admitted after the meeting.
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His coach Pep Guardiola was also on the same wavelength when drawing up an observation on the performance of number 16 of the Sky Blues: “he was so tired, he was missing too many things, our process was not good. He was in positions he shouldn’t be in. In the second half, he was more present in the right areas and the result was better. A Rodri who is reaching his physical limits as he enters the home stretch of the season is not really the best thing for Pep Guardiola. The latter who plans to rest him against Luton Town this Saturday if we are to believe The Telegraph will have to manage his player well in this final straight. Preserved for the return match against Real Madrid which will take place next Wednesday, Rodri will also have to be operational for the title race in the Premier League where the slightest misstep risks being eliminated from lifting the trophy. Manchester City are warned, the Rodri case will be one of the important factors to manage at the end of the season.
Pub. 04/12/2024 5:00 p.m. Updated 04/12/2024 5:25 p.m.
2024-04-12 15:00:05
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