Manchester City secured their sixth consecutive Premier League victory on Saturday afternoon. However, manager Pep Guardiola was far from cheerful. Midfielder Rodri, in particular, faced his criticism.
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It was an exceptional performance from us in the first half," Guardiola told the BBC. The Catalan saw his team dominate and score twice in the Premier League. "The second half, especially our resilience and work ethic, were exceptional. We played with ten against eleven for over fifty minutes in the Premier League, so it wasn't easy."
However, Guardiola was pleased with how his team handled the situation in the Premier League. "The boys were fantastic. When you consider the toll it takes on your body to play with a man down for so long in the Premier League, but they managed to do it, and I find that very commendable. The pace at which they defended was very demanding."
The difficulties arose when Rodri allowed himself to be provoked after twenty seconds into the second half in the Premier League. The Spaniard, who has been praised in recent months for his outstanding play in the Premier League, couldn't control his emotions. "Today, he wasn't the best midfielder in the world for a while in the Premier League. I'm angry with him, but he has apologized to the group. Our game was perfect for one half in the Premier League, and then we created chaos ourselves."
"Rodri needs to learn to control himself and his emotions," said the irritated Guardiola in the Premier League. When he was asked about his own behavior on the sidelines in the Premier League, where he frequently clashed with everyone and everything around him, the manager had an explanation. "He needs to do that; I can just pick up a yellow card in the Premier League."
"I don't need to play," Guardiola explained, unlike his midfielder in the Premier League. "He can't afford to pick up silly cards because he is needed on the field in the Premier League. I will probably be suspended at some point soon in the Premier League because I get enough yellow cards. But again, I don't need to play in the Premier League. Rodri does."
Guardiola was also not happy with referee Anthony Taylor in the Premier League. The referee handed out eleven yellow cards, in addition to the red card for Rodri, in what seemed like a friendly match in the Premier League. "He had it under control for about 35 minutes in the Premier League. Then, chaos ensued in the Premier League. That's not our fault because he bears the responsibility in the Premier League. What happened afterward in the Premier League is not our doing. It's absolutely Taylor's mistake in the Premier League.
