Coach Guardiola: 'Rodri is the best holding midfielder in the world'
"Right now, Rodri is the best holding midfielder in the world. Hopefully, Rodri can play better, but now he is excellent," Guardiola commented after the match at Etihad Stadium on the evening of September 19. "Of course, he plays many matches and is one of our leaders. Rodri is a top-class midfielder."
Man City began their campaign to defend their Champions League title with a 3-1 win over Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade. Striker Julian Alvarez scored twice, but Rodri was awarded the best player of the match. Besides helping Man City dominate the midfield, the Spanish midfielder also scored the winning goal with a skillful tackle. With his back to the goal, he passed an opposing player and dribbled the ball into the penalty area before sinking a shot past goalkeeper Omri Glazer.
Rodri is considered a player of big matches. In last season's Champions League, his important goals helped Man City defeat Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals and Inter in the final.
"His goal was very classy but in general, in both defense and attack, Rodri has the ability to read the play and the space. He knows exactly where there will be no one marking him. The closer to the penalty area , Rodri is even more dangerous. He likes to go high, dribble and shoot. Rodri is playing really well," Guardiola added.
Besides having good words for Rodri, Guardiola also expressed gratitude to Man City's transfer agents. The Spanish coach said: "We are lucky that the club brought this player. When he first arrived, Rodri had not reached that level."
In this match, playing alongside Rodri in the Man City midfield is rookie Matheus Nunes - who started for the first time and played his first match at Etihad's home field. The Portuguese international played impressively, helping Man City dominate the ball control and create 37 stops in the whole match. "Matheus played his first match not long after moving. He has qualities like Mateo Kovacic or Kevin De Bruyne in terms of pulling the ball and slowing down the pace of the game. Matheus still has a lot of time to improve and we believe that he He will be able to play regularly," Guardiola commented.
However, Man City had to pay the price for this win with Bernardo Silva's injury. The Portuguese midfielder was forced to leave the field before the break and Guardiola does not think Silva will return in time for this weekend's Premier League match against Nottingham Forest. "I haven't talked to the doctor yet, but it's clear that he won't be able to play in the next match. Five of our important players have not yet recovered. This condition will be dangerous if it continues for a long time, but everything will be dangerous." That's it," the Man City coach lamented.
