Former Premier League player Fabrice Muamba has claimed that Manchester City midfielder Rodri struggled during the club’s recent 1-1 draw against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Pep Guardiola’s side found themselves behind at halftime thanks to a strike from Vinicius Junior, only for Kevin De Bruyne to score an equaliser in the second period of the game.
Despite the Citizens managing to avoid defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu, one figure ended up seeing his performance come under some scrutiny from one pundit, in particular.
Muamba on Rodri’s performance
Speaking in a live stream following the match on his YouTube channel, Muamba had this to say about the City midfield figure and his efforts in the game.
He said: “What I didn’t like about City was that some players had a quiet game. Rodri was put in an awkward position. He was playing against guys who are comfortable on the ball, he was playing against guys who are comfortable on the ball compared to the Premier League where he doesn’t play against [Toni] Kroos and [Luka] Modric every week. Today he was in a very difficult position. He did what he had to do, but it was difficult for him.”
With the full 90 minutes under his belt on Tuesday, the 26-year-old midfielder, who City splashed out a then club record fee of £62.8m for back in 2019, had 92 touches of the ball in total, successfully completing 77 of the 81 passes he attempted.
Despite Muamba suggesting Rodri had a difficult time playing against the likes of Kroos and Modric, Sky Sports had a differing view on the Spaniard’s endeavours as they said this about his performance on their player ratings article.
They said: “Unfazed by the big occasion on his return to Spain, he was dictating the play for City and was a handful for Real. Also showed his grit in the midfield battle. City’s most consistent performer delivered again as he controlled the game for long periods against two of the world’s best midfielders.”
