I’ve learned my lessons – Pep Guardiola sends a message to Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder Rodri as he leaves the pitch during the UEFA

I’ve learned my lessons – Pep Guardiola sends a message to Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder Rodri as he leaves the pitch during the UEFA

Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola congratulates Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder #16 Rodri as he leaves the pitch during the UEFA…

Recently, Ilkay Gundogan made an interesting revelation about Rodri.

During the Spaniard’s debut season at Manchester City, Gundogan revealed that after training, the Spanish international would spend time speaking to Pep Guardiola and learning how to better his game.

It is safe to say that such conversations with Guardiola have helped him become the player he now is — with Barcelona’s Pedri recently claiming that Rodri is the best holding midfielder in the world.

Manchester City’s number 16 has a case for being the most consistent player in world football — showcasing his class in a Spanish shirt at Euro 2024 after shining at the 2022 World Cup.

Rodri of Manchester City and Pep Guardiola the head coach / manager of Manchester City during the FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023 Final match…
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Rodri reveals important lesson Man City boss Pep Guardiola taught him

While Rodri was not the finished product at Atletico Madrid, he was a top-quality player.

However, as is the case with several players who step foot into the Premier League, there is an adaptation period that they must undergo.

The 28-year-old’s case was no different.

As an undeniably world-class midfielder now, Rodri has revealed that that Pep Guardiola taught him an important fundamental of where to pass the ball as one of the important decisions he must take in possession as a part of the manager’s system.

In an interview with The Guardian, the Spanish vice-captain said: “In the first year, yes. Because when a player tries to adapt to Pep’s [Guardiola] football, to a new environment, he needs information: to see things, repeat them, go over them, learn. He’s a coach that requires your attention, understanding.”

“As a midfielder, you don’t so much need to learn the practical work, although it’s always useful: receiving, passing. In theory, you already have that; what you don’t have is the ‘where does the pass go?’, the decision. So you talk. Pep has been a pivot so it’s simpler, more direct. Videos too.”

Clear to see Rodri has understood Guardiola’s demands
It is evident to see when Rodri is on the pitch that he has no questions about which decision to make when he is on the ball.

Whether that be in terms of the former Villareal anchor’s passing, how he surges forward with the ball, choosing the right moments to shoot from distance or knowing when to slow or fasten the game down.

Rodri’s unique understanding of the game seems to have improved under Pep Guardiola’s guidance — turning him into one of the most intelligent players in the world.

The Manchester City talisman is a student of the game — as evidenced by his post-training chats with Guardiola and he has taken all the feedback from the great man and applied it to his craft.