Manchester City midfielder Rodri refuses to wave the white flag, insisting the team can still produce a miracle in the Champions League despite a dismal run of form.
‘We Can Turn This Around’: Rodri Backs City to Stun Real Madrid
The Blues stumbled again on Saturday, managing only a 1-1 draw at West Ham United.
The result extends a damaging month for the reigning champions, who now find themselves nine points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
While the Gunners have played one game more, City’s recent stumbles—including back-to-back draws—suggest they lack the relentless charge typical of Pep Guardiola’s teams in previous seasons.
However, Rodri’s focus has already shifted to Tuesday’s colossal challenge at the Etihad.
After a disastrous 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League playoff, the Spanish midfielder believes his side can defy the odds and overturn the deficit against the reigning European champions.
“We are alive in other competitions, and on Tuesday we have a massive game that I really believe we can turn around,” Rodri stated.
“The players who play have to score.”
While the Premier League title race appears bleak, Rodri is not ready to surrender. He echoed Guardiola’s sentiments after the West Ham match, acknowledging the struggles in front of goal that have plagued their campaign but vowing to fight until the end.
“Maybe the title race is over, yes, maybe no. We’re not going to drop our hands; we’re going to keep fighting,” he said.
“We know it’s going to be difficult because we have the experience of what you need to win at the end.
I think the distance is too far, but we’re going to fight until the end. Now is a moment for no regrets.”
The midfielder pointed to a recurring issue that has cost City dearly this season: a lack of cutting edge. Despite dominating possession and creating chances, they failed to kill off West Ham.
“Today we showed a little bit of what the season was—ups and downs,” Rodri admitted.
“The last pass or the last strike makes the difference. Football is about goals, and we couldn’t find the players to have numbers in terms of goals.
That’s the most important thing because we created the chances and controlled the games, but this is what makes the difference.”
Whether they can find those goals against Madrid remains to be seen, but Rodri insists the fight is not over.
