Guardiola's inner thoughts "Lodri's absence, without Messi in Warsaw"

Nov 24, 2024

Guardiola's inner thoughts 'Lodri's absence, without Messi in Warsaw'



Guardiola's inner thoughts 'Lodri's absence, without Messi in Warsaw'
Photo capture=Ballon d'Or SNS
"Lodri is absent, and Messi is not present during Warsaw."

That was what Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was thinking. T suffered a 0-4 shock defeat against Tottenham in the 12th round of the English Premier League in the 2024-2025 season at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England on the 24th (Korea time). Manchester City has been mired in a five-game losing streak for the first time since Pep Guardiola took over in 2016. It is also the first five consecutive losses in Guardiola's career history. Manchester City (23 points) failed to close the gap with the leader Liverpool (28 points) due to the defeat on the day.

Neville, who watched the game, said "We all watched Man City lose. I've rarely seen myself completely overwhelmed in every part of it." Then "They seem to be lacking a lot. Guardiola seems to be lacking the most after his first season.



As expected, Rodri's absence is crucial. Rodri was out for the season with an injury against Arsenal. Rodri was at the heart of Manchester City. Manchester City's defeat rate is less than 3% in Rodri's absence, but it has risen to over 35% in his absence. In recognition of this ability, Rodri became the first pure defensive midfielder to win the Ballon d'Or.

Guardiola's inner thoughts 'Lodri's absence, without Messi in Warsaw'
Mateo Kovacic, who served as Rodri's backup, was also injured, and Ilkay Gundoan and Rico Lewis are certainly lacking. This is why Manchester City is sluggish.



Guardiola also acknowledged this. I compared Rodri to Lionel Messi. He said "We miss Rodri. He is the best player in the world. Imagine Messi was the best in Barcelona. Now imagine having to play the season without him. Rodri's impact on this team is at this level."

Nevertheless, Carrie Neville helped Manchester City's incomprehensible slump. Neville said Manchester City's current slump is a more fundamental problem. He said "It's not just Rodri's absence." "I don't want to use the word withdrawal, but they look like that," he said. "Getting older together, playing many games together, is too much of a physical and mental burden."





vanbasten@sportschosun.com