Pep Guardiola hailed Rodri’s long-awaited return from injury and said Man City’s performance against Juventus showed how much they had missed him.
City put in their best showing of the Club World Cup, and one of their finest performances for some time, as the Spanish midfielder made his first start since September last year in their 5-2 victory to seal top spot in Group G.
Rodri was at the heart of City’s play with and without the ball and even played longer than his manager had expected, having come off the bench in both of their previous games at the tournament in the USA.
“Sooner or later Rodri had to start,” explained Guardiola. “I said, ‘okay, 45 minutes’ but at half-time he said he wanted five to 10 minutes more. The game was under control.
“In the last few games we have conceded a lot of transitions but it didn’t happen this time. Everyone knows how important Rodri is. He is one of the best players in the world. When they’re not in a team, they’re missed.
“We’re happy he played a good 60 minutes and hopefully he can help us again a lot like has happened ever since he arrived.”
Rodri won the ball back in the middle third more than any of his midfield team-mates and despite playing only an hour, completed the fourth-most final third passes of anyone in the City side.
Unsurprisingly, his team-mates were similarly happy to have him back among their line-up, including Jeremy Doku, who scored City’s opener in their thumping win.
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Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol gives his verdict following Manchester City’s convincing win over Juventus at the Club World Cup
When asked about the impact of the midfielder he said: “Rodri won the Ballon d’Or!
“Having him back in the team, you can see the difference and how important he is. First game back starting against a big team, he showed his qualities and he had a lot of impact. I’m happy for him.”
Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Savinho and a Pierre Kalulu own goal completed City’s fantastic five to set up a last-16 tie with Al Hilal.
Bernardo Silva was not among the scorers but had a strong message both for Rodri – and City’s upcoming opponents – as they look to get their hands on a more significant share of the £774m prize pool in the USA.
“I don’t have to speak much about Rodri, his career speaks for itself. Everyone knows how important he is for us. We’re happy that slowly he’s getting back to his best level, we know it takes time with the injury he had.
“But you saw here he is getting better and better, and even without being at 100 per cent he helps the team a lot. His character as well makes him a big player.
“We’re very happy with what we did against a top team. It was our best performance at this tournament. I don’t know if it’s a statement win, it’s just three points. We’re happy to be here and qualify for the last 16.
“We’re here to win so we’re one step closer to that goal. It’s now kill or be killed. We have to be ready.”
