Not Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne, here’s who fans RATE as an important player at Manchester City
Pep Guardiola even called him 'undroppable' during the treble-winning campaign.
Follow Us
Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland. (Via Manchester Evening News)
Manchester City won their first-ever Champions League last season. Thanks to a crucial goal in the club’s history by holding midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez. However, the player did not feature in the club’s last final in the competition. The result was the same on the scoreline but not on the cards for the Cityzens. From scoring against German Giants Bayern Munich to Premier League teams. The Spanish midfielder has cemented his place as one of the best midfielders of this generation.
Many might argue that Pep Guardiola sees a lot of himself and Sergio Busquets in the player. A new argument on social media questions whether he might have been the most important player for City over Erling Haaland and even Kevin De Bruyne. He turns up on the most significant occasions for the club. He has constantly been a dependable player for the fans. His stature has been so high that Kalvin Phillips has hardly made an impact, as he hardly puts in a bad shift.
However, his importance was further underlined when he lost his head against Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forrest. He then got a three-match ban for manhandling him. It was bizarre for the fans to witness their calm, composed midfielder lose his head. This proves he is only human, but the ban was a curse for his side as they lost all three matches without him.
They also got knocked out of the Carabao Cup against Newcastle United, and things would have certainly been different had he featured. Another shocking result came against title challengers Arsenal, who scraped a narrow victory after 15 attempts against City.
With Rodri finally returning to the City lineup after the International break, a potential improvement is on the cards for the treble winners as they look to defend their three crowns.
Rodri, the unsung image of a modern footballer
From living in university accommodations to pursuing a business degree and being a professional footballer. From donating blood to donating his wages to charity. Without any fuss or expression on social media. Rodri is certainly one footballer every budding player can look up in all terms. The player is humble in his attire and hardly boasts of his achievements, keeping his head down and putting in a massive shift for the Manchester Club, day in and Day out.
Rodri is also the definition of someone who knows how to turn up on the most significant occasions when his team needs a star, despite his defensive position. Whether Manchester City needed a last-minute winner against Arsenal at the Emirates in the previous season. Or his goal against Aston Villa in the last game helped City’s historic comeback. Another astonishing fact about him is his versatility to play as a center back for his country and excel at that.
Rodri has proven to be a complete footballer, with world-class defensive abilities, passing skills, and a maestro’s strike. As he created the news for losing his head recently, it’s time he works on the one department he lacks, which is his temperament; following that, he could be a player every manager in the world would only dream of having played for them.
In case you missed:
- Pep Guardiola blatantly admits he failed to maximize Kalvin Phillip’s potential, admits Man City’s style is TOUGH for him
- Declan Rice names this treble-winning Manchester City ‘top player’ as his role model
Stay Updated!
Syed Talib Haider
(1039 Articles Published)