admin Important topics before the Champions League group phase game between Manchester City and RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena.
Rodri has point to prove
Pep Guardiola was furious with Rodri after his stupid red card against Nottingham Forest after Manchester City lost both games last week without the midfielder available. Rodri will play for City at RB Leipzig as his ban only applies to domestic competitions, before traveling to Madrid on holiday before the international break. As good as things are for the Spaniard, Rodri will know he has something to prove when he returns to the starting XI.
City have visited Leipzig in each of the last two seasons and in the first game Kyle Walker was sent off with the same loss of composure as Rodri and would struggle to regain his place after Guardiola’s loss of confidence.The timing and importance of this game means Rodri will soon return to the starting XI, but that doesn’t mean his blood-soaked performance will be forgotten.
Pep Guardiola’s return to good standing can start with a mature and consistent performance against Leipzig. With City losing twice in a week, it won’t hurt their position to play well and remind them of their quality after two shaky performances in midfield. “There’s not much to talk about,” Ruben Dias said. “We all know the impact a player has and what he can bring to us.His presence is important to all of us.
Last chance to impress Arsenal
Kalvin Phillips could do everything in his power to secure a place in Arsenal’s starting XI with Rodri set to play in the Champions League. Mateo Kovacic was praised by Guardiola on Tuesday but he didn’t put in a brilliant performance for Wolves. So if he starts, he has to prove to the coach that he deserves to play at the Emirates.
With the return of Bernardo Silva there will be further competition for places on the wings and in the middle, so the likes of Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden may think that at least one of them has to go to the bench. Arsenal (but maybe not Haaland). With the squad looking slightly healthier, it means there will be competition for places and places in the starting eleven again on Sunday for City’s first big test of the Premier League season.
The arrival of Oscar Bobb, who moved to Wolves at half-time to replace Matheus Nunes to turn things around, also complicates the midfield situation. Thanks to a mix of signings, stutters and injuries, City no longer have many players in their squad who can’t be dropped. Almost all roles are up for grabs on the trip to the Emirates – except perhaps that of striker and goalkeeper.
Angry City must win again
Dias said it was “tense” in the dressing room; at the Molineux Stadium after City lost 100% of their Premier League performance on Saturday. He wouldn’t reveal whether one, two, three, four or five members of the team spoke – or if none at all – but he maintained his list of “winners”; and he said: “It’s beautiful that we think like that, and we hate it so much.”
This hatred must have been expressed in the performance against Leipzig, which was much better than the chaotic performance against Wolves. Guardiola was much happier with his side after the cup defeat to a heavily rotating Newcastle side and expects a disciplined performance at a stadium where the hosts have performed well on City’s last two visits.
Rodri’s return is a reinforcement, as is the presence of John Stones and Bernardo Silva in the squad, even if they don’t play.The injury list is finally clearing up and City will need experienced players for the toughest game of the group stage. They have not lost three games in a row in the same season since 2018, when a Manchester derby defeat was sandwiched between two Champions League quarter-finals against Liverpool. They suffered two defeats at the start of the 2021/22 season, having lost their final game of the previous campaign, but will be looking to avoid a repeat of their terrible run from five years ago.
Big step towards qualification
Pep Guardiola returned twice to continue his speech in which he talked about Tuesday’s busy schedule and expressed his complaints about the expanded format of next year’s Champions League. “I’m a manager, but not a coach,” he said.“I don’t train with the team. Do you think we give Mateo [Kovacic] or Jeremy [Doku] time to figure out what we’re doing? Good food takes time to cook. A microwave oven is not the same. Culinary preferences aside, Guardiola’s side have played six away games in seven games and have borne the brunt of an injury crisis that is only just beginning to ease.However, Guardiola wants to qualify for the Champions League group stage as quickly as possible to reduce the burden even further in the winter.
If City were to take six points from six in the toughest six-a-side game on paper, they would be in a good position to qualify after a two-legged tie against Young Boys. The coach said the best way to qualify was to win all home games and one away game. The second part of that goal will be achieved on Wednesday, albeit against the team that beat them at the Red Bull Arena in 2021 and earned them a draw in the round of 16 last season.
Gvardiol returns
When these teams met in February, Josko Gvardiol scored the goal that canceled out Riyad Mahrez’s first goal.Less than eight months later, neither striker plays for his club anymore, although Gvardiol hopes to play against his former club. Pep Guardiola praised the young Croatian’s quick adaptation to the team and Ruben Dias praised his attitude and personality as well as his obvious talent.
If Gvariol were to actually play, he would probably start at left-back: he only played for Leipzig for a month in 2021. He himself admitted that although he has played as a full-back in the past, in Leipzig he prefers to play the center. He has only played once for City there – last week at Newcastle – and the left-back has improved significantly as he continues to adapt to Guardiola’s system.
Although Gvardiol will return to his old club sooner than expected, he will do so in a new role and on the other side of a game in which City performed well. City will hope he helps them secure their first win at the Red Bull Arena at the third attempt.
