Rodri outlines frank Man City dressing room chat that transformed Arsenal chase
Rodri has identified the moment Manchester City players lit the fire for their treble charge. Having beaten Arsenal at the Emirates in midweek, Pep Guardiola’s side travelled to the City Ground for what was seen as a formality.
But after the Gunners had won at Aston Villa earlier in the day, City gave away two points as Chris Wood scored a late equaliser with Nottingham Forest ’s only shot on target. City had laid siege to Forest but only had Bernardo Silva’s goal to show for it.
“I remember the game in Nottingham,” says Rodri. “We had a conversation. It’s not enough to play good, you need to punish. From that moment we switched on and you see it now, the behaviour and the character of the team. We identified the fact that we needed to punish our rivals.
“That is where we have improved … to finish the games. You have seen it in the last months that almost every chance we have, we score.”
They have certainly punished their rivals, winning ten matches on the spin since the draw at Forest, a streak only ended by the draw in Munich on Wednesday night which was still enough to comfortably earn a last-four Champions League meeting with Real Madrid next month.
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As Guardiola’s side head to Wembley for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final showdown with Sheffield United, it means their treble hopes are very much alive.
Rodri is chasing a treble with Manchester City (Getty Images)Have your say! Can Man City achieve the treble this season? Let us know here
And it is clear Rodri and his team-mates have discussed the possibility of emulating Manchester United ’s class of ’99.
He goes on: “That is what we work for. Now we know that if we want to achieve everything then every game is a final and we have to win – that is the mentality.”
As they defended a three-goal first leg lead, any nerves in Munich were settled just before the hour mark when the combination of Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland struck yet again.
De Bruyne now has 23 assists the season and Haaland has 48 goals.
But the startling numbers are just part of the story, says Rodri, explaining: “The basics in modern football right now is that you have to be aggressive. Look at Erling and Kevin, they made a great effort. You don’t see players of this quality running the way they do. It is the key to success.”
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