Rodri: Guardiola always evolving to stay one step ahead

Pep Guardiola is constantly evolving to stay ahead of the rest of the game, giving him the best advantage to keep winning, so says Rodri.

Manchester City won an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, following on from their historic treble, with Rodri’s goal sealing it as the club won their first-ever Champions League.

Rodri has been a key piece of Guardiola’s team since joining from Atletico Madrid in July 2019, and last season made 34 appearances in the top-flight, never tasting defeat in any of them.

In all competitions last campaign, he made 50 appearances, playing the most minutes of any of his team-mates (4,325). Rodri also featured in six of Spain’s seven Euro 2024 matches, helping them to win a record fourth title at the tournament.

The midfielder admitted that while Guardiola is constantly looking for improvement, he has also been the key to Rodri reaching his potential.

“To me, the unique thing about Pep is that he is always one step ahead,” Rodri wrote in the Players Tribune. “He is always evolving before the game around him can evolve.

“He is never satisfied with keeping things exactly as we played last season, because your competition is always going to be analysing last season. You don’t win four Premier League titles in a row by standing still. You either reinvent yourself or you die.

“For me, he added that final mental piece of the puzzle. “Seeing” the game in a different way. “Feeling” it — when to move into space, when to hold back. When to press, when to ease off.

“His confidence was so important to me, because you have to remember, when I came here in 2019, I was walking into a changing room with Fernandinho, Aguero, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne. Legends.”

What a year it’s been for Rodri!

#ballondor https://t.co/zwf8JtvSne

— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 4, 2024

In his five years in Manchester, Rodri has won four Premier Leagues, an FA Cup, two EFL Cups, a Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

City only failed to win the Premier League in Rodri’s first of those five seasons, while the Spaniard has only suffered defeat in two finals while at the club: the Champions League in 2021 and the FA Cup last term.

However, he says those defeats are what drive him to improve, using them as learning moments when it comes to challenging for the next trophy.

“We have been very blessed the last few years with City, but it’s not real life,” Rodri added. “In the good moments, you don’t learn, you just enjoy.

“In the bad moments, when you truly suffer, that’s when you really grow. I remember after the ’21 Champions League final against Chelsea, I walked back into the little family area, and when I saw my parents and my brothers, I literally couldn’t speak.

“It was like I was 10 years old again, at the kitchen table. I couldn’t say a word. I just thought: I never want to feel this feeling again. I have to work harder. I have to find a way to be better.”