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PEP GUARDIOLA CONFIRMS RODRI AS THE WORLD'S BEST MIDFIELDER AFTER SUNDERLAND RETURN
Rodri makes his long-awaited return! Read Pep Guardiola's honest assessment of Manchester City's 0-0 draw and the latest injuries.
Pep Guardiola didn’t hold back after Rodri’s performance off the bench against Sunderland. Even though City walked away with just a point after a goalless draw, Guardiola made it clear: this is what they’ve been missing for the past year and a half.
City wanted the win, not just to break Sunderland’s unbeaten home record, but to keep up with Arsenal, who now sit four points clear at the top. The drawstrings, no question. But when Rodri came on for the injured Nico González in the second half, you could feel the shift. The midfield finally settled down, and City looked more like themselves.
Guardiola was almost relieved. Rodri, who’s barely played in the league since coming back from that nasty cruciate ligament injury last September, is finally getting back to match fitness. And City needs him badly.
“He changed the game,” Guardiola said. “In just 45 minutes, he showed again why he’s the best in his position. We struggled to get things going in the buildup, but once Rodri was out there, it was different. He breaks lines, we move better, and honestly, after a year and a half without him, we’ve really missed him. Hopefully, he can stay fit now because he just makes us better.”
Sure, Arsenal dropped points at Sunderland earlier this season, too, so it’s not an easy ground for anyone. Guardiola admitted as much. “It’s always tough here. We had so many chances in the six-yard box, and we just couldn’t convert. The first half wasn’t great; we didn’t stick to the plan, but overall? We played really well against a fantastic team. I’m proud—my players gave everything to win.”
He knows his players were disappointed after the final whistle, but there’s no time to dwell. Chelsea are up next, and City can’t afford to let their heads drop.
There’s more bad news on the injury front. Both Savinho and Nico had to come off and probably won’t make it for the Chelsea match. “Savinho doesn’t look good,” Guardiola admitted. “Nico, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Rodri, though, was the real bright spot. He came on at halftime, completed 52 passes, and helped City push for a winner. It was his first real appearance since a brief cameo against Bournemouth back in November. After so long out, you could see how much the team missed him.
City had chances. Haaland and Gvardiol both forced great saves from Robin Roefs, and Savinho blasted over from close range. Still, the goal never came. It’s City’s first 0-0 of the season, and now they trail Arsenal by four.
Guardiola summed it up: “It was a really good game, especially the second half. The first half was tight; we just couldn’t finish our chances in the six-yard box. But against an unbeaten home team, I’m proud of the way we played. We did everything to win—it just didn’t happen.”
TRANSFER SHOCKER: JAMES TRAFFORD REACTS TO GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA’S SUDDEN DEADLINE DAY ARRIVAL
James Trafford opens up on losing his Man City spot to Donnarumma. Get the latest on his England World Cup hopes and future goals.
James Trafford says he was pretty surprised when Manchester City brought in Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Trafford had just come back to City for £27 million after turning down Newcastle, and it looked like he’d finally landed the number one spot, especially with Ederson on his way out. Pep Guardiola seemed ready to trust him long-term.
But then things shifted. Trafford started the first three league games, but on deadline day, City snapped up Donnarumma from PSG. Since then, the Italian’s been the first choice, and Trafford’s mostly found himself playing in the domestic cups.
“I didn’t see it coming, but that’s football,” Trafford said. “Stuff happens. You keep working hard, and when you get the chance to play, you give it everything.”
He’s still in the early days of a five-year contract, less than a year in, but with the way things are, Trafford doesn’t know what’s next.
“I’m just taking it day by day, working hard, and whatever happens, happens,” he said after playing in City’s FA Cup win over Salford. “I’ve got a contract, but I don’t know what next season brings. All I can do is keep trying to get better.”
Not playing regularly could hurt his shot at making England’s squad for the World Cup, and Trafford knows it.
“Everyone knows my situation,” he said. “When I play, I’ve just got to play as well as I can.”
He insists there’s no friction with Donnarumma. “He’s a great guy, honestly. We both train hard and push ourselves. He’s already had a fantastic career and sets really high standards.”
Some people struggle with setbacks like this, but Trafford just gets on with it. “I try as hard as I can and focus on what I can control.”
On the bright side, he’s been part of City’s run to the Carabao Cup final, and, unless something goes wrong, he’ll get his chance at Wembley against Arsenal next month.
“That’ll be a great game,” he said. “All I can do is play my part, help the team, and stick to the plan.”
LEGEND STATUS: ERLING HAALAND EQUALS COLIN BELL’S GOAL RECORD IN FULHAM STROLL TODAY
Erling Haaland equals Colin Bell's scoring record as Man City beat Fulham 3-0. Read how Pep’s side closed the gap on Arsenal.
Erling Haaland climbed to joint-fourth on Manchester City’s all-time scoring chart, tying with Colin Bell, as Pep Guardiola’s team brushed aside Fulham 3-0 and closed the gap on Arsenal.
Haaland’s 153rd goal for City came in a match that felt easy for the home side. They barely broke a sweat at the Etihad on Wednesday, cutting Arsenal’s Premier League lead to just three points.
Antoine Semenyo struck first, keeping his hot streak alive, and Nico O’Reilly added another in a match that was basically one-way traffic, with rain pouring down all night.
City did all their damage before halftime. Job done, Haaland didn’t even bother coming out for the second half.
After struggling for a bit, Haaland seemed to snap back into form with a clutch penalty winner at Liverpool on Sunday. Maybe that’s the spark he needed.
Matching Bell’s tally is no small feat—especially considering Haaland’s done it in just 183 games, while Bell had 492.
Honestly, this game was a walk in the park for City. In the last meeting at Craven Cottage, City led 5-1 after 57 minutes but almost let Fulham back in, scraping by 5-4. This time, there wasn’t even a hint of drama.
Fulham made it easy, coughing up possession over and over and giving City every chance to attack.
You could tell a goal was coming. Phil Foden, starting after a spell on the bench, nearly scored twice early on. O’Reilly wasn’t far off either.
The breakthrough came 24 minutes in. Matheus Nunes whipped in a cross from the right, Haaland nodded it down, and Semenyo slid in to poke it past Bernd Leno.
That was Semenyo’s fifth goal in eight games for City, and his third against Fulham this season; he’d already scored twice against them for Bournemouth back in October.
Fulham did get a sniff at goal when Harry Wilson forced a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma, but City hit right back. Haaland got clipped by Joachim Andersen on a counter, but Semenyo kept going and slipped in O’Reilly, who coolly chipped Leno for 2-0.
City’s third came after Fulham gave the ball away yet again. Rayan Ait-Nouri found Foden, Foden passed to Haaland at the edge of the box, and Haaland buried it in the bottom corner for his first league goal from open play since December.
There was a quick VAR check for a possible penalty, with Semenyo claiming his hair got pulled, but nothing came of it.
City eased off after the break. Fulham tried to respond, and Wilson had a lively run, but it fizzled out.
Even with City playing in second gear, Fulham couldn’t get anything going.
Foden tried his luck from a distance but didn’t really trouble Leno, and Josh King forced a late save from Donnarumma, but that was about it.
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