Man City’s star could become England’s greatest ever Invincible against Man Utd
RODRI wants to become the greatest ‘Invincible’ of English football in the Manchester derby on Sunday.
The Manchester City giant last lost a club match at Tottenham in February 2023.
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Since then he has gone unbeaten 58 times, equaling the record of former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho.
A draw or win for the midfielder against Manchester United this weekend will see him go even further past that milestone and once again underline his importance to Pep Guardiola’s team.
No wonder his City teammates claim the 27-year-old is the ‘finished article’ – and put him in contention for one of football’s top player awards.
Asked whether he should be considered for the Ballon d’Or, City skipper Kyle Walker said: “For what he did last season, what we did as a club and the specialist he is in his position, he should be mention.
“He doesn’t have social media. I don’t know… maybe that’s it!’
It cannot be a coincidence that City has been unbeatable for over a year with Rodri in the selection.
When he was suspended early in the season after a red card against Nottingham Forest, City lost all three games without him: at Newcastle, Wolves and Arsenal.
City made the move for England star Declan Rice in the summer before opting to join Arsenal from West Ham for £105m.
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Walker is a big fan of the 25-year-old Rice, but says he is not yet at Rodri’s level.
He added: “I don’t think there is a better midfielder in the world at the moment than Rodri.
“Rice is playing very well and Mikel Arteta can teach him the philosophy and probably the Barcelona way that Rodri grew up with.
“Dec has more than enough potential for that, but he is not yet the finished article.
“The finished article – or a step above the rest – right now is Rodri.”
Rodri does so much more than just protect his defense – although he does that quite well.
His all-round game has improved. He is coming up with some huge goals, none bigger than the one in Istanbul, which won the Champions League in June.
Walker added: “The most important thing about him is his consistency, the level he always plays at and how he adapts and commits to the game.”
Defender Nathan Aké is grateful for the barrier Rodri provides the City backline, but says there is so much more to his game than that.
The Netherlands international said: “Rodri is huge for us. He is probably the best in the world in his position.
“The way he controls games and scores crucial goals at crucial moments. He is a great all-rounder.”
It seems strange that after a largely disappointing first season in 2019/20, some pundits were wondering whether the £62.5m signing was ready to step into the shoes of City legend Fernandinho.
He has proven the doubters wrong in the three years since, writing his name into club folklore with the aim of beating Inter and completing the Treble.
Although he was given the night off at Luton this week – and City still thrashed in six minutes without him – he has become indispensable to Guardiola for the biggest games.
During the pre-season tour of the Far East, Rodri admitted that his workload had been too high.
The Etihad medics appear to have listened, as Phil Foden, Walker and Ederson have all played more minutes than him this season.
City want Rodri to be available when it really counts, and since his red mist moment against Forest in September he has cleaned up his act.
He has not been booked in his last seven home games, meaning his seven yellow cards give him some leeway for what could be a costly suspension.
City have been without key figures such as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, but losing Rodri for an extended period would be a bigger blow.
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