Joe Hart thinks Man City could have beaten Arsenal if £63m played his best

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Joe Hart believes Manchester City could have taken all three points against Arsenal at the weekend had one of Pep Guardiola’s key players played at his best.

The point was a positive result for the Manchester club away at the Emirates Stadium, but there would have been disappointment in the away dressing room having come so close to the three points.

Hart believes Erling Haaland stepped up for his team against Arsenal, not only by opening the scoring, but also by the defensive shift he put in.

The former City goalkeeper has now stated that he thinks the Manchester club could have beaten Mikel Arteta’s team had another of Guardiola’s key men played at his best.

• READ MORE: Micah Richards says £55m Man City player looks so much smarter this season

Manchester City need Rodri back to his best

Rodri has only started becoming a regular in Guardiola’s starting XI in recent weeks, and the Man City star knows it is going to take some time for him to get back to his best level after recovering from an ACL injury.

Stewart Robson believes Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch has surpassed Rodri as the best midfielder in the Premier League, but it should not be long before the Spaniard is back at his best, which Hart believes Man City need.

Speaking on Premier League Productions’ The Weekend Wrap, the former goalkeeper thinks Guardiola’s team could have beaten Arsenal had the 29-year-old been at his best.

“Look, a dominant Rodri is a different player in that game; he became very passive, he didn’t really feature, he was the most recent Ballon d’Or winner, but the game didn’t dictate around him there. Credit to him, but getting Rodri up to speed is key,” Hart said about the midfielder.

Guardiola will be keen to have Rodri back to his best this side of Christmas, but the legendary coach also knows that it is not something he can rush.

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Rodri’s numbers against Arsenal

The Arsenal match was the first time Rodri had played the full 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, which certainly had an impact on him, having not done this in so long.

The Spaniard’s performance against the Gunners was a good one, with the 29-year-old ending the contest with one shot, four passes into the final third, a pass accuracy of 88%, 65 touches, 1/1 dribbles, 3/3 accurate long balls, two tackles, 11 clearances, three recoveries, and won 4/7 ground duels.

The £63m midfielder’s display was a solid one, and he certainly played his part in Man City being so good defensively. However, there is more to come from the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, which is a scary thing for the rest of the Premier League.