By Willow Austin
Published on 2024-05-20 06:07:22
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has explained the major reason Arsenal will have to wait for more years to win their first-ever league title in 20 years despite coming close to the trophy in the last two seasons.
Both Arsenal and Manchester City battle for the league title for the second consecutive time. And unfortunately for the Gunners, Pep Guardiola’s men emerged winners on those occasions. They won the league with five points above Arsenal last campaign and did the same this season with a two points advantage.
Speaking after the match, Rodri explained that Arsenal’s mentality was not enough to see them through the title race. He added that the Gunners came to Etihad Stadium a few weeks ago without a winning mentality.
According to him, Arsenal were satisfied with a draw against Manchester City at the Etihad. He claimed that they wanted the match to end in a draw instead of going for all the three points.
Asked how Man City keep on winning, the Spanish midfielder said: “To be honest, I think it’s in here [the mind]. It’s the mentality. Great players are all over the league, all over the clubs.
“Arsenal also they deserve, they did an unbelievable season, but I think the difference was in here [points to head again].
“When they came here, they faced us here at the Etihad, I saw them and said, “Ah, these guys, they don’t want to beat us, they just want a draw”. And that mentality, I don’t think we would do it the same way,” Rodri told Optus Sport during post-match interview on Sunday.
The league encounter between Arsenal and City ended in a 0-0 draw at the Etihad. Both teams dropped two points each as Arsenal defended throughout the match. Subsequently, the Cityzens won the league with just two points.
“And we caught it. At the end, if you give us one point, we will win the last seven, eight games even though it’s so tough. So it think [the win] comes down to mentality,” Rodri explained.
