See amazing Stats that shows why Man City boss Pep Guardiola prefers Rodri to Haaland
Rodri may have literally forgotten what it’s like to lose.
The Manchester City midfielder has reached an incredible milestone, having made it 365 days without defeat for his club.
Rodri’s phenomenal year included the Champions League match-winner and four other trophies
Rodri’s phenomenal year included the Champions League match-winner and four other trophies
The Spaniard’s last loss in sky blue was on February 5 2023, coming in a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham.
Since that day he’s racked up a whopping 42 wins, ten draws and five titles.
That included a Champions League final match-winner and City’s first-ever European Super Cup and Club World Cup.
His only defeat in that period was with Spain a month later in Nations League against Scotland and he showed how much he can’t stand losing with a slightly petty outburst about the victors’ tactics.
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That’s a barely noticeable blotch on an impeccable record which has seen Rodri ranked as the best midfielder in the world by many, and the best player in the world by some.
Some of his Man City teammates continue to take the spotlight, namely Erling Haaland, but the Norwegian can’t compare, losing five games in the same time period.
Despite his record, Rodri was left out of the FIFA FIFPro Men’s World 11, with teammates Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne in midfield alongside Jude Bellingham.
Asked about his lack of recognition after his treble-winning season with City, Rodri said: “I have said it many times, individual awards are things that we players can control.
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Rodri’s last 365 days have been nothing short of incredible
Rodri’s last 365 days have been nothing short of incredible
“If I’m honest, it’s not something I think about a lot. I am a player who is fulfilled by collective titles and everything that comes after that is welcome.
“But I’m not worried about whether I’m in the eleven or not. There are already people who value me and me them.
“That there are people who value or don’t know how to value what one is capable of doing… Obviously, last year, for me, was unbeatable, incredible. I have been in many elevens and this one did not affect me.”
“At first our relationship was very good“, said Sergio Aguero regarding his bond with coach Pep Guardiola. However, as per Man City’s highest-ever goalscorer, the relationship between the two did turn ‘sour‘ at some point. Perhaps this might even have led to the Argentine not fulfilling his promise to the Cityzens.
In a recent interview, the man with 184 Premier League Goals spoke about his up-down relationship with the Manchester City boss. Aguero said (translated via DeepL), “At first our relationship was very good, then we started talking a lot, especially because of the pressure.” The striker revealed that it eventually led to a lot of tense moments, which made him go crazy. However, he clearly remembers the moment which caused tension in their relationship.
The center forward revealed, “In a game against Stoke City, I scored two goals and in the conference, he (Guardiola) said something like: I like Agüero to score goals, but I want him to work more for the team.” This did not impress the club legend, and he even went on to have a straightforward talk with Pep Guardiola.
Aguero revealed, “I asked him why he didn’t tell me and he apologized to me because he didn’t realize. Game after game we tried to find a way for me to increase the pressure.” For the now-retired striker, this was mentally demanding. Aguero said, “I thought he didn’t like me, but in reality he was the coach doing what he thought was right.” However, the Argentine quickly realized the truth. As per Aguero, “I think today it’s not a question of whether he liked me or not, it was just that it didn’t serve his ideas and we had to respect that.”
Toward the end of his Manchester City career, Aguero was repeatedly not picked in the starting XI and fell behind Gabriel Jesus in the pecking order. Although disappointing for Aguero, this was a fair decision by Pep Guardiola and the star himself recognizes so.
Aguero explains the ‘Pep Guardiola rule’ that saw Gabriel Jesus preferred ahead of him
The Argentine had once famously promised to not leave Manchester City until he won the Champions League with them. However, he could not fulfill it as the club opted not to renew his contract. And the reason being his injury issues. Pep Guardiola had very strict rules regarding fitness, and Aguero explained this via Twitch. He said, “If your ideal weight is 79-80kg and you were 80 kilos and 100 grams you would be fined and you would not play.”
In his 5 seasons with the Spanish boss, Sergio Aguero started more than 25 league games in just two of those. His fitness issues worsened in the final season when he made just 12 league appearances. By this time, Gabriel Jesus was firmly the preferred attacker to lead the line and Aguero’s time at the Etihad was all but over.
What do you think of Aguero’s comments? Tell us below.
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