ROD GOES BACK TO THE FUTURE
RoDRI admits he still has a lot to learn as he gets used to life in the Premier League.
City identified the Spanish midfielder as the ideal successor to Fernandinho in the crucial holding role and were able to land him in summer for a club record fee.
The 23-year-old has made a promising start and was missed during a recent spell sidelined with a hamstring injury, but is yet to master all of the qualities that Fernandinho brings to the position and was unable to prevent the Blues falling nine points behind league leaders Liverpool with defeat at Anfield on Sunday.
Despite a terrific education in La Liga, first with Villarreal and then under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, coming to the Premier League has demanded adjustments that Rodri needs more time to get used to.
“The Premier League is, along with La Liga, the most competitive league,” he said.
“This football is more vertical and makes you learn because you are not used to it. I am a more complete player.
“There are great teams in england that make you compete at the maximum level, the same as here in Spain.
“I feel I have a big room for improvement.”
If Rodri is still improving, he feels in the best place to do it and relishes working with Pep Guardiola.
“He has a competitive edge, this desire to put pressure on the rivals, to study and analyse how to harm them. He is a workaholic, he dedicates the 24 hours of the day to his players, to himself and to find the way to win matches,” said Rodri.
“At an individual level, it has helped me a lot that he played in the same position than me. He gives me lots of advice on how he sees football.”