Rodri has said that with the addition of Mateo Kovacic at Manchester City, he could become a much more potent threat in the final third.
As quoted by journalist Simon Bajkowski, the Spanish international gave an insight into the Croatian international’s impact since joining him in a double pivot.
With Rodri scoring the winner against Sheffield United on Sunday, he believes that the added support of Mateo Kovacic could allow him to improve his game going forward.
Rodri says Mateo Kovacic can make him ‘improve’ his game even more
Branded as an ‘exceptional player’ by Pep Guardiola, the former Chelsea technician has sat in a midfield pairing alongside the former Villareal anchor so far this season.
The pair have dominated proceedings in every game they played, as their seems to have been a sense of chemistry about them from day one.
Rodri now believes that with the signing of Mateo Kovacic, he could have more of an impact from an attacking sense.
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“Ilkay [Gundogan] and Kevin [De Bruyne] played much higher than me so I needed to cover them but now with Mateo, I can go forward more. He’s a very experienced player and a smart player. It’s easy to play with him. He has a special ability to break lines with the ball.”
Rodri elaborated on why he is enjoying playing alongside Mateo Kovacic, saying, “He speaks fluent Spanish so it’s even easier to communicate. I can improve in these terms even though it’s not my role. I can do it and in situations where I pay attention to the strikers and wingers, I can take advantage of space in the final third.”
Rodri can certainly add more goals to his game
With how tremendous a ball-striker Rodri is, perhaps Mateo Kovacic can sometimes sit deeper and let him strike from distance.
In the 2021/2022 season, the 27-year-old bagged as many as seven non-penalty goals, which proves that he has a knack for putting the ball into the back of the net.
Against Sheffield United, Rodri was positioned inside the box as he walloped the ball into the bottom corner.
Mateo Kovacic’s added protection allows him to venture forward and take such positions, which could make him a bigger goal threat and add to his near-perfect skillset.