Rodri says he has never been prouder of his Manchester City teammates after their late defeat against Manchester United on Saturday.
City were heading for a much-needed three points in the Premier League thanks to Jack Grealish’s second-half goal, but a controversial equaliser from Bruno Fernandes was quickly followed by a Marcus Rashford winner to move United to within a point of the Blues in the table.
The loss left City needing a favour from Tottenham in the North London derby on Sunday to prevent Arsenal from moving eight points clear at the top of the table, before Spurs visit the Etihad on Thursday as Pep Guardiola’s side look to get their campaign back on track.
Guardiola said after the game that he ‘doesn’t care’ about winning the Premier League, adding that City cannot win the title – although he could have been referring more to his side’s attitude and mentality than their actual title chances.
Still, midfielder Rodri was insistent that the derby defeat changes nothing in City’s campaign, and denied that the result is season-defining.
“No. There’s a long way to go,” he said when asked if the Blues’ season has been altered by the result.
“In the end it’s going to give more spice to the Premier League but it’s only one game so we cannot drop. We have experience, we know where we are, we know the team we are. Now it’s building – our way is to work every day and perform well.
“It’s not a big result, it’s a big game. Even if we won today nothing is clear and nothing is won.”
These Rodri’s comments were shared on Twitter by City Xtra and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters.
@ItsElyon093: “Thats the mentality fam! 💙”
@Darxze: “Don’t reckon we win the league but rodri is our future captain”
@jdotzz2: “Rodri should be our captain”
@100_mcfc20: “Tbf at least the players have this mindset even if it looks unlikely. Would be worried if they didn’t.”
@b_bscb: “This guy mentality is not over until is over”
@charlottemcfc5: “this guy gives me strength, talks well and actually backs up with the performances.”
@TwitchFutThomas: “Believe in this team!! We haven’t won 4 league in 5 years for nothing. We will fight till the end 💙.”
@alexrawlins22: “Good mentality but lets be honest we are not winning the league this year. We are not looking good and Arsenal look unbeatable right now. We will be lucky with finishing second and the FA Cup.”
