Rodri: We will fight to the end
MIDFIELDER BELIEVES SIDE’S CONFIDENCE IS BACK
RODRI has warned that City have their strength and confidence back ahead of Saturday’s derby.
The Blues ended a flat sequence of one win in five games by blitzing Burnley 4-1 at Turf Moor on Tuesday night.
Spain star Rodri fired in a great goal, Gabriel Jesus returned to form with two superb goals and the team as a whole functioned beautifully to tame the normally feisty Clarets.
And with United due at the Etihad Stadium in a few days, the timing could not have been better.
Pep Guardiola had staunchly defended his team after their 2-2 draw at Newcastle on Saturday, a result which saw them fall 11 points behind leaders Liverpool.
The manager’s argument was that he was happy with the way his team controlled the game and conceded only two chances.
But Rodri acknowledged that failing to win after playing well can be damaging, and said that was why such a convincing victory at Turf Moor was important.
The reaction of the players afterwards made it plain just how vital the three points was, as they huddled together with backroom staff in the dressing room for a photo which was captioned ‘Together.’
“We needed this victory,” said Rodri.
“It was a good performance – sometimes when you lose or draw, your confidence can go down and after this victory we were really having a party in the dressing room because we needed it to bring up the mentality and confidence of the team.
“Everyone is human, and when you don’t get the results, you need to get people’s confidence up, so this was an important victory.
“We will fight until the end because that is our mentality and identity.
“In football lots of things happen. There are a lot of matches and we fight until the end.
“For me it’s important not to look at the table, to look only to the next match – that’s the way to do it.
“Sometimes victory makes you stronger and more confident. When you have a good performance and draw there are doubts about your game. We always trust our coach and our way of understanding football, and victories work for this idea.”
Rodri’s man-of-the-match display put him in a strong position to play in his first Manchester derby, and he says he does not really know what to expect.
“I am excited about it,” he said. “It’s a great match against a top team, Manchester United – I don’t know what the atmosphere will be, but it’s good that it’s in our stadium. If you have not been on the pitch you don’t know how it will be.”