"He proved in 45 minutes" - Pep Guardiola claims Manchester City man who 'changed the game' against Sunderland is 'best' in his position

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola hailed the impact of midfielder Rodri in the goalless Premier League draw at Sunderland on New Year's Day. The Cityzens dominated possession but couldn't find a breakthrough.

Coming on early in the second period for Nico Gonzalez, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner put in an impressive shift. As per Sofa score, Rodri delivered 52/58 passes, including 28/32 in the opposition half, as well as 3/4 long balls. He nearly set up Josko Gvardiol for the winner, only for the attempt to be saved by goalkeeper Robin Roefs.

However, Erling Haaland and Co. drew blanks as City started the new year with a stalemate to fall four points behind leaders Arsenal (45) after 19 games. Nevertheless, Guardiola was appreciative of Rodri's contrbution and the quality his compatriot brings to the team (as per City Report):

“He changed the game. He proved in forty five minutes that in his position, he’s the BEST! When we talk about football, it’s about the players. In the build-up, when they struggle in the first half - with Rodri, we’d struggle less. We break the lines; we’d be more fluid, arrive better, move better… "One year and a half without him, we missed him a lot! Hopefully he can stay (fit) because he makes us a better team.”

Rodri was making his first appearance in two months since coming off the bench against Bournemouth away in November, having missed nearly the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign due to an ACL tear.

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"It's a tough place to come" - Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola rued his team's missed chances in the goalless Premier League stalemate at Sunderland on Thursday, having had 67% of possession.

Admitting that the Stadium of Light is a challenging place to play in, the Spaniard said that his team played better in the second half, especially after Rodri's introduction, but a goal proved elusive.

"It is a tough place to come," Guardiola told BBC Match of the Day. "The amount of chances we missed in the six-yard box, not difficult ones..." "We created enough chances, and we played well second half. The commitment and the desire in the first half was different. We created enough - the two chances from Savinho in the second half, Jeremy (Doku), Josko (Gvardiol), Phil (Foden) and Erling (Haaland). We had a lot but, unfortunately, we could not do it."

Seeking to win their seventh title in nine years, Manchester City return to action at home against Chelsea on Sunday (January 4).

Edited by Bhargav