Pep Guardiola handed enhance as Rodri offers harm replace with Man City season ‘essential’
Manchester City’s Ballon d’Or winning midfielder Rodri has offered a huge boost to Pep Guardiola while admitting things are ‘critical’ for the fallen Premier League champions
Manchester City star Rodri has labelled his side’s season as “critical”.
But the Spanish midfielder is backing himself to come back before the end of the current campaign, in a bid to hand Pep Guardiola‘s men a much-needed boost. Rodri made just two appearances before suffering a knee cruciate injury which left him requiring surgery and facing months on the sidelines.
Since then the English champions have suffered a dramatic collapse, having won just two of their last 14 games in all competitions. But Ballon d’Or winner Rodri insists there will be no panic in the dressing room – and has urged the squad to stick together.
Rodri said: “We are in a critical situation at City, and it is a time when the team has to be united. I know that we are in a bad time, a time that we are perhaps finding difficult to assimilate and in which we are not feeling well, but in the end this is part of sport.
“You have to pick yourself up. The good thing is that there is room for improvement in the rest of the season. This changes a lot.
“Football changes. I don’t think that in the end this moment will be very significant, neither for the good nor the bad. You go through phases throughout the year.
“The seasons are longer now and maturity and calm are important. Obviously, you must not relax or believe that this is going to change overnight.
“That doesn’t happen in football. It has to improve gradually. We are in a situation, I would say, that is a bit of a limit. You have to try to win, but without panic.”
Rodri is confident he can return to action sooner than expected and he added: “I don’t want to confirm anything, but my idea is to try to come back a little earlier.
“I know myself, I am a person who recovers well, a person with a positive mentality. They have said that the issue of the head was very important in the recovery.
“As I said, everything is going very well. Of course I want to play again this season.”
