Rodri achieved a record 60 consecutive unbeaten matches for Manchester City this week and underlined why he is the best midfielder in Europe.
He is certainly the best since his predecessor Fernandinho, who was a true class act, one I would rate as the best we have seen in the Premier League.
Given that it was my position, you’d expect me to say this, but it was always the most underrated role. Now, with increased television scrutiny, people have woken up to its importance.
We always say that you need a good backbone in your team. Well, Rodri is the backbone of the spine.
It is not a position that is played by instinct like a striker, it is a thinking position. His first thought is: “Where is the danger?” If we lose possession, “Where are we vulnerable?” You interrupt the work, whether fairly or unfairly. Fernandinho was a master at that and Rodri has learned it well.
Rodri is the best midfielder in Europe and the best since his predecessor Fernandinho
The Spaniard protects his back four very well and rarely gets out of position in the City side.
Former Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho (above) was a master at breaking up play.
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You try to never expose the defenders behind you and take as few touches as possible, to allow the scorers in front of you more time and space to win the game.
In my opinion, although I could pass the ball and be creative, I always thought that my defensive duties were the priority. Rodri seems the same. His role in City’s press is key to the way he plays.
Pressing is not new. We used to call it “closing” and Ronnie Moran at Liverpool would say that the team that “closes” best, or more simply, “works hardest”, wins the league. In City, Liverpool and Arsenal we have the teams that are working the hardest right now. But pressing isn’t just about working hard and wanting to do it, it’s about playing the game in your head and Rodri does that part better than anyone.
The best pressure is when the players move as one, as if they had a rope tied around their waist. One leaves, they all leave. One turns off, it breaks down. When Erling Haaland or Julián Álvarez are closing down a center back, Rodri is already evaluating the options that center back has and is closing down that option. He is excellent at reading the game.
He’s a big guy but he moves around the field. He doesn’t have to make too many 50-yard recovery runs because City don’t give the ball away too often.
But what I also like about him is that, when he has the ball, he is willing to throw it forward, to take risks. Too many midfielders today will point to their high pass completion statistics and say they are doing a great job. The problem is that most of those passes are in their own field and go sideways. Rodri does not like to be in the square, he makes significant passes into the danger zone.
He protects his back four very well and rarely leaves his position. I’d say he and Declan Rice are probably the best in the country at that.
The only criticism I would make is that he should score more goals. I averaged one every seven games and he is one every nine. On today’s fields and on this team, he should do better, but he knows it.
If you have to compare him to other holding midfielders of the modern era like Claude Makelele or N’Golo Kante, I would say that Rodri is on a different level as he is much better on the ball. But the real time to judge him will be at the end of his career and that is shaping up well.
Liverpool will put pressure on City like few other teams on Sunday, so they will have to give their best. Even if it’s 0-0, I bet it’ll be a fabulous watch.
City midfielder Rodri is excellent at detecting danger and protects his back four very well.
Defensive duties were always the priority for Graeme Souness despite his creative talent.
He has been a fundamental part of the City team and Guardiola admits he doesn’t know where they would be without him
Pep Guardiola says he doesn’t know where City would be without Rodri, but he does have other great players.
In Phil Foden, City have someone destined to be a superstar. The only thing that will stop him is if he stops going to work every day wanting to learn something new and develops a big head, or if he suffers a serious injury.
He had fantastic natural ability when he came on the scene and now, at 23, he has greater awareness so he can be used anywhere in midfield.
He definitely has the qualities to become Kevin De Bruyne’s successor as City’s main goal provider and will become one of the first names in the England squad. You can score him along with Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice. What a trio of midfielders that will be for the next decade. And this is only going to get better.
Klopp and Pep are too affectionate
It is the last Premier League meeting between Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola and possibly the most important as the result could determine the league title. It’s not that we see them fight because they respect each other too much.
They are two fabulous coaches with two fabulous teams, but their time has been something of a love fest. I wouldn’t say it’s been a rivalry like Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, as I don’t remember them ever falling out.
Liverpool and City were two different jobs when they arrived as managers. When Pep arrived, City had recently won the league with a very good team put together at a great cost, while Jurgen turned Liverpool into champions and constant challengers with a much smaller budget.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp (left) with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
Blue cards would end diving in two weeks
Ask anyone what frustrates them most about football and I guarantee it’s diving.
That and the criticism of the referees are the highlights that irritate fans and football fans alike. FIFA missed a trick last week when it rejected the idea of blue cards. “It’s a red card for the blue card,” said its president, Gianni Infantino. Well, for me, put them in the Premier League and you’d eradicate diving in two weekends.
Football legislators have decided not to extend the process of obtaining blue cards beyond grassroots football
I was at an event with former coaches and players in Scotland last week and we were all talking about this topic. We know how it plays out: A player falls trying to get someone in trouble and screams and rolls around like he’s broken his leg in three places. Then all his teammates surround the referee and pressure him to send someone off. He doesn’t look good.
If FIFA allowed a blue card for diving or dissent when a player is lost, even for a short period of time, that handicap would sometimes cost teams dearly. They would soon clamp down on the theatrics and then that would trickle down to the grassroots.
The Premier League is the most watched and loved league in the world; set the example there and others will copy it.
The current scenario is unpleasant and anti-British. Our league has always been revered for its honesty. Let’s be honest again.
Tuchel’s pre-match antics were unique
Thomas Tuchel broke his toe kicking the door while giving Bayern’s pre-match talk about their victory over Lazio this week. It seemed to work, but it’s unique to do it before a game. Afterwards it’s different.
I put my foot in front of a TV in the Dunfermline dressing room when I was angry at Rangers and threw tea and sandwiches after a game against Hibernian. The players were not happy because it stained their clothes. I remember Jack Charlton was in high spirits after a game or two at Boro. He would throw cups, sandwiches, anything and everyone was afraid of him. You were glad he didn’t throw out the contents of his Range Rover, which were usually full of smelly fish or rotten pheasants.
Bayern Munich coach Tuchel was seen limping after their Champions League victory.
De Zerbi is not entirely prepared for an important position
It will cost clubs around £12million to lure Roberto de Zerbi from Brighton this summer. It’s worth it? Well, £12m is nothing these days in Premier League terms and, if successful, it could be very cheap.
Brighton finished ninth under Graham Potter and De Zerbi led them to sixth place last season. They are currently ninth. Is that worth a move to one of our elite clubs? If Brighton stay where they are, you could argue they only deserve a pat on the back. But suitors will acknowledge that he now knows Premier League football and, unlike some foreign managers, will not be surprised by what is in front of him. However, the demands placed on it will certainly change.