Rodri has issued a warning to Manchester City’s Premier League rivals, saying he is prepared to up his goal total in order to keep them as the side to beat.
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Midfielder Rodri has made it a habit to score significant goals for City, and his 88th-minute winner at Sheffield United on Sunday continued that pattern. With Rodri’s powerful goal, City improved to three victories out of three in the Premier League this year, further demonstrating why the defending champions are the favorites to capture their sixth title overall.
In recent years, Spain’s Rodri has scored some important goals for City, notably the decisive strike against Inter Milan in the Champions League final to seal the Treble. He also contributed to City’s second goal in their 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on the final day of the season in 2022, when they came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat bitter rivals Liverpool by one point.
Rodri also scored the game-winning goal against Villa in the 2020 League Cup final at Wembley, and after scoring his second goal of the season at Bramall Lane, he is motivated to score more. Even though I am aware that this is not my function, I believe I can grow in these areas, Rodri remarked.
“I am confident in my abilities. I can sometimes take advantage of the space in the final third that the attackers and the wingers create when I read the game and pay attention to them. In this regard, I’m attempting to get better.
When asked if having Mateo Kovacic on the team will allow him to attack more frequently and provide a greater goal threat, especially with Kevin De Bruyne injured and Ilkay Gundogan gone, Rodri responded, “If he plays next to me, sure. I had to cover Ilkay and Kevin since they played higher than I did, but with Mateo, I can move forward more.
He is a very skilled and intelligent player. It’s simple to have fun with him. It’s even simpler to interact with him because he speaks fluent Spanish and has a remarkable ability to break lines with the ball. Pep Guardiola, City’s manager, was not there on Sunday due to his recovery from back surgery, but the team still proved they could win without him by battling back to win after falling down 1–1.
Rodri said City showed their enduring desire and winning mentality to fight back immediately to regain the lead and clinch victory. “Even though we conceded in the 85th minute, we had time until the end,” said Rodri. This says a little bit about the personality of this team. We know now with extra time you still have 10 to 15 minutes to go, so we had the mentality that we could score again.
The Puma home shirt features the traditional sky blue color but has slightly darker blue detailed stripes across the front which take inspiration from the Etihad Stadium’s walkways. City moved to their new home from Maine Road in 2003 and the shirt honors that anniversary.
“The match has altered. The added time now accounts for 10% more of the game. Since this is when bodies are the most worn out and you can see what happens with injuries at the beginning of the season, I don’t like it and I don’t think it’s healthy for football. However, football is evolving, so we must adapt.
After such a strong start to the new season, City have proven they are determined to win anything that stands in their way, according to Rodri. The team is, in my opinion, highly dedicated this year, Rodri stated. “We performed admirably against Arsenal in the Community Shield, but we fell short of victory.
“Then, we defeated Sevilla to win the Super Cup, and we played well in the other three games; thus, we must maintain this form. The good news is that we have already proven our ability to achieve it. Even if it’s very challenging to repeat, we must go for all of them. We possess the traits necessary to go back and fight—character, conduct, quality, and ambition.
