Pep Guardiola expressed influence on Rodri’s return to Manchester City after he beat Juventus 5-2 in the club World Cup.
City scored 100% of the record in the ninth minute opener of Jeremy Doku, with goals from Pierre Kalulu and goals from Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Savinho and finished first place with a 100% record.
Rodri started for the first time since tearing the ACL in September, and Ballon d’Or D’Or was absent for most of 2024-25 years, seen as a key factor in City’s trophy-free sports, who only confirmed Champions League qualification on the last day.
His influence was obvious in the 66 minutes on the court, and Guardiola praised the midfielder after Manchester City’s latest major win.
Guardiola told Daz: “We miss him [Rodri] A lot, right? Last season, I had an incredible team, but had a lot of problems. Damage, damage, damage.
“Which team won’t miss the best player in the world?! His calming score, he knows exactly what he has to do with the ball, personality and many things.
“I didn’t expect him to play for a long time after 45 minutes, but he said, ‘A few more minutes’, in the second half, the game was good, after control, OK! He will be ready for the next game!”
RB Salzburg vs Real Madrid – Club World Cup free betting and betting website
Guardiola was pleased with City’s overall performance, and Ederson’s mistake was Teun Koopmeiners’ 11th minute equalizer and Dusan Vlahovic’s late comfort to enjoy the only blemish next to him.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been doing today (with and without the ball) and the players have been putting it in.”
“We talked about what we had to improve on is who we were and were happy to finish first in the past and recent matches, top direction. We are waiting for who we are our opponent.
“Listen, it’s just a game! But I think today, the players feel again what they have to do to be a good team. There’s no more secrets than that. Words or images aren’t necessary, they play and know.”
The victory may see Manchester City avoid facing Real Madrid in the past 16 seasons. Los Blancos faces Red Bull Salzburg in the Group H finale and they are expected to win the group. Salzburg and Al Hilal are other possible opponents to the city in the next round.
Source link
