Rodri made his first start for Manchester City since September in their 5-2 thrashing of Juventus at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Thanks to goals from Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Savinho and an own goal from Pierre Kalulu, the Manchester City maestro marked his return to the starting line-up with a victory.
Pep Guardiola deployed Rodri in a double pivot alongside Tijjani Reijnders and the Spaniard was largely brilliant, playing a whole host of line-splitting passes, controlling the tempo of the game and looking at ease.
Manchester City fans lauded the Ballon d’Or winner’s composed display and noted how much better their side looks with him on the pitch.
- READ MORE: Nathan Ake shares what Rodri does behind the scenes that actually makes him ‘dominant off the pitch’
Man City fans rave about Rodri as he returns to starting XI vs Juventus
One Manchester City fan noted how much superior the tempo of his side’s display from the middle of the park was with Rodri at the base of midfield, writing: “The rhythm in midfield when Rodri plays, I have missed this.”
A second supporter noted how the Spanish international is yet to return to his absolute best and yet, Pep Guardiola’s men look like a different team with him pulling the strings: “Even with Rodri at 20%, City are a different team entirely. The direct passes, the calmness, the ability to dictate the game. Unreal player.”
A third Manchester City raved about Rodri’s passing against Juventus, claiming: “Rodri is insane man, these constant forward passes are single handedly keep us on the front foot. He’s a joke.”
A fourth City supporter pinpointed how the former Atletico Madrid midfielder’s performance so early after returning from an ACL injury was a real positive: “Incredibly encouraging Rodri display that. No concerns at all that he’ll find his level again.”
A fifth supporter predicted the 29-year-old to play his best football by October, describing his showing as “average” due to the four-time Premier League winner’s lofty standards: “That was an average Rodri performance, so very bloody good. he’ll be absolutely fine come October.”
Finally, a sixth Manchester City fan simply wrote: “Rodri is back, by the way. Things we love to see as City fans.”
It’s safe to say that the Sky Blues supporters were impressed by their talismanic midfielder’s latest exploits.
Rodri stats for Man City vs Juventus in FIFA Club World Cup clash
The midfield maestro will take time to get up to speed.
But even the stats show just how well Rodri played against Juventus, justifying why Manchester City fans sung his praises.
| RODRI STATS VS JUVENTUS | |
| ACCURATE PASSES | 67/71 (94%) |
| CHANCES CREATED | 1 |
| PASSES INTO THE FINAL THIRD | 11 |
| DUELS WON | 4/5 |
On the ball, Rodri was as composed as ever, misplacing just four out of his 71 passes, creating a chance and playing 11 passes into the final third.
While even out of possession, the Manchester City legend won four of his five duels in what was yet another accomplished performance from him.
