Decoding the Rodri-Foden Exchange that Stole the Spotlight
Elijah Adebayo’s goal shortly before halftime gave the Citizens the lead, but goals from Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish sealed a 2-1 victory.
So why did Phil Foden and Rodri fight while Manchester City beat Luton? Let’s examine this.
Why Phil Foden and Rodri disagreed
As Rob Edwards witnessed his team try to pull even with Manchester City, things became heated at Kenilworth Road in the closing minutes of play.
Rodri and Phil Foden were spotted fighting as the game was coming to an end, but before that, Pep Guardiola seemed to chastise Ruben Dias for carelessly giving up a corner.
According to the Manchester Evening News, the reason for this was because the Spain international was not happy with how the England international made it so easy for Ross Barkley to walk through and attempt a shot on Ederson.
Mateo Kovacic was also at fault for letting the Luton No. 6 go forward with ease, but Rodri is alleged to have vented his resentment specifically at Foden.
John Obi Mikel saw Dias exhibiting leadership during the 2-1 victory as well.
Despite Luton, Manchester City still seemed uninterested.
Given that teams like Liverpool, Arsenal, and Aston Villa are ranked higher in the Premier League table than Manchester City, a victory was imperative.
Despite the fact that Guardiola’s team managed to capture all three points, there seems to be something wrong with the triple winners.
Players like Dias and Josko Gvardiol are having difficulty on defence. It is true that the latter is playing left back instead of centre back, which is his favourite position.
In addition, Kovacic has not yet demonstrated that he can adequately replace Ilkay Gundogan, since the Croatian international leaves Rodri somewhat exposed when playing as his partner. John Stones must quickly return to full fitness in order to assume the midfield role.
Hopefully, when the FIFA Club World Cup kicks off in a few months, Manchester City will start to look like themselves again.