Danny Murphy hailed Rodri on Match of the Day last night, but could not understand what triggered the Manchester City midfielder when he got sent off yesterday.
City beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 at the Etihad to maintain their 100% start to the new season.
Phil Foden opened the scoring, and Erling Haaland added a second not long after.
City might have gone on to score a few more.
But they went down to 10 men at the start of the second-half when Rodri completely lost his head in a scuffle with Morgan Gibbs-White.
The Spaniard placed his hands around the midfielder’s neck only for a very brief moment, but was rightly dismissed.
It was a huge shame, because he had been playing so well in the game. Murphy hailed his performance on Match of the Day, but admitted he was shocked to see the star lose his temper…
Danny Murphy reacts to Rodri getting sent off against Nottingham Forest
Rodri is usually such a calm player.
The way he plays the game is also reflected in how he behaves on the pitch.
So it was really surprising to see him get so riled up.
And Murphy was totally puzzled by the Spaniard’s reaction.
He started by praising Rodri, saying: “What we saw in the first-half was another demonstration of his wonderful ability, in all aspects of midfield player.
“I think he’s arguably one of Man City’s most consistent performers. In the last two seasons, for me, he’s probably been the best holding midfielder player in the world.
“Without De Bruyne there has been a lot of questions about who’s going to open up defences. He’s showed this part of his game, that is an unbelievable pass to spot that ball to Kyle Walker.
“This is what he does brilliantly which is spot danger. And this is what he’s also really good at – it’s maintain good possession and getting the team on the front foot.
“He’s just got an awareness and elegance about his place.”
On the red card incident, Murphy said: “He very rarely loses possession and he very rarely loses his head.
“Here, I’m really not sure what triggered him, because although it’s a nudge in the back from Gibbs-White, there’s no need for the hands around the neck. Once he does that, there’s really not much he can argue.”
Rodri’s actions drew criticism from Pep Guardiola after the game.
Absolute stupidity from Rodri
This was shocking from Rodri, a player who is normally so calm.
Gibbs-White clearly got under his skin in that moment, but the Spaniard should have controlled his emotions better.
Now City have to proceed without the £63 million star for the next three games.
He is perhaps the most important player in the team in terms of just how much he brings to such a crucial position.
Hopefully, someone can step into his shoes and offer a similar level of quality.
