RODRI LET RIP TO FIRE CITY’S UNASSAILABLE RUN TO CROWN
CITY players have plenty of happy memories associated with Nottingham Forest.
It was in May last season where they congregated together as a squad at the City Football Academy to watch the Premier League newcomers defeat Arsenal in a result that handed City the title.
They had been primed to beat Chelsea a day later and finish the job, yet were able to start the celebrations early without playing thanks to Forest.
However, those memories may shrink when the Blues make their way to the City Ground tomorrow afternoon. Along the corridor and into the dressing room, it will be hard not to think of the disappointment and anger that filled the space the last time the squad found themselves there.
There was the setback before kickoff, just before the team went out for their warm-ups. Pep Guardiola and the players were crowded round a phone to see Arsenal, having been knocked off top spot by losing to City in midweek, come from behind twice at Villa to win with goals in injury time.
There was the warning from Rodri at half-time, cautioning against being too confident defending counter-attacks as they looked to protect and build on their 1-0 lead.
Then there was what came minutes after the final whistle after that message went unheeded and City spurned several good chances and then conceded late on to drop two points and let Arsenal retake the lead.
“We don’t want it. We don’t want it,” Rodri fumed at Erling Haaland,
Jack Grealish and anyone else within earshot. “We don’t want this Premier League. We don’t want it.
“Three goals in line! We don’t want the Premier League. What are we doing, guys? We missed one. We missed two. I’m not blaming anyone, guys. But if we want to win this f-ing Premier League, we have to grab it like this.”
Having rattled a metal box, Rodri stormed out of the changing room before some of the substitutes had even had time to come back in. Grealish was less angry but still downbeat as he pointed out they had undone all of their good work in the week.
If it is unusual to see the City players tearing strips out of each other, it had the desired effect. Kyle Walker came out and publicly called it ‘unacceptable’ and the players later agreed that they could not afford any more complacency if they were going to win the league. Eleven straight wins followed, including victories over Newcastle, Liverpool, and Arsenal that propelled City to their fifth Premier League title in six years. Their draw at Forest would prove a pivotal moment in the turnaround, and the same team would gift them the trophy a day before they lined up against Chelsea.
It may not be a bad thing for the
The draw at Forest would turn out to be a pivotal moment in the turnaround Simon Bajkowski
GUARDIOLA’S SIDE DROPPED TWO VALUABLE POINTS AT FOREST LAST SEASON – BUT THEN ROMPED HOME FOR THE TITLE
memories to stir on Sunday of not being able to drop any points, given how tight the title race is at the top.
With five games to go, City are just one point behind Arsenal with a game in hand and Guardiola has also refused to rule Liverpool out of the race despite their defeat in the Merseyside derby.
As it happens, Arsenal will once again play a few hours before City kick off in Nottingham as Mikel Arteta’s team travel to Spurs for the North London derby.
There may be a temptation to shut out the result, although it is pretty difficult to keep footballers – and even Guardiola – away from football.
“We watch the games,” said Julian Alvarez of their rivals. “I like to watch football and of course these types of games. I get a bit nervous but, of course, it depends on us if we want to be champions if we win every game.”
After the initial disappointment last year of watching Arsenal come from behind, the message from the players was clear: nothing changes.
Something will have to change if they are to walk out of the City Ground without suffering any more expletives from Rodri.