Emmanuel Petit knows all about what it takes to be a top midfielder.
Having made 523 combined club appearances for Arsenal, Chelsea, Monaco and Barcelona, as well as playing in 63 senior games for France, winning numerous trophies along the way, the 53-year-old undoubtedly has the pedigree to recognise a top midfielder when he sees one.
In fact, the Frenchman has now shared his verdict on how one current Manchester City midfielder goes about his business on the pitch and how opposition players have to try and subdue him.
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Emmanuel Petit says Rodri controls the midfield with ease
Speaking on talkSPORT after seeing France lose 2-1 to Spain in the semi-final of the 2024 European Championship, Petit said this on the subject of Rodri and how important he is for Spain and has been for them at the Euros.
He said: “It’s the same with City, every time that he’s not in the team, City struggle to win the game because he’s controlling the midfield, tactically, but as well he’s a leader in the midfield.
“The last game they played before France against Germany we saw a German player trying to mark him [across] every single inch of the pitch because he was the main man in the midfield.”
Rodri can do anything on the pitch
Having ended his previous Premier League campaign with the highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (96) at City, as well as the highest number of progressive passes (376) in the entire division, it’s clear that Rodri is just as effective on the ball as well as off it.
Described by Micah Richards as the best holding-midfielder in the world, the 28-year-old has had more touches (451) than any other player for Spain at the Euros, which highlights just how equally prominent and important he is for his country as he is for City.
Now that Petit has shared how significant he thinks Rodri is on the pitch, it’s clear that he is someone that opposition sides need to contain if they want to stop either City or Spain from dominating matches.
