Rodri has declared that Manchester City are at the top of their game and hungry to avenge their Champions League semi-final heartbreak against Real Madrid last season as excitement builds ahead of the first leg of the rematch.
It has felt for some time that it would be difficult to ignore the psychological aspect of what happened in the previous meeting; City held a two-goal lead in the 90th minute of the second leg at the Bernabéu only to concede twice and lose in extra time.
Pep Guardiola called for cool heads. The City manager – whose team have won 17 of their previous 20 matches in all competitions, drawing the other three – saying it would be a “huge mistake” to seek revenge. But Rodri took a different tone. He was only too happy to acknowledge the motivational aspect of the last tie, offering it up with his first words at the press conference on Monday night.
“We will have the chance for revenge,” the midfielder said. “We have the philosophy that you can learn from past experiences. We did 180 minutes of brilliance but it wasn’t enough. The last minutes in that second leg … we didn’t handle it the right way.
“You have to kill when you can. We respect them [Madrid] – the king of this competition – but we have weapons. We are in a great moment and we are afraid of nothing. We are here to fight again and of course we have the hunger for revenge.”
Rodri admitted he had not watched a rerun of last season’s second leg because he did not have to; it is seared on to his mind. It is the same with Guardiola, who has reviewed both legs, but he appeared determined to avoid making headlines with his words. He did comment on the Madrid danger man, Vinícius Júnior, saying it “seems he does something every time he touches the ball”.
Guardiola said: “I know the demand from my club to win the Champions League. I had the feeling when I arrived. They didn’t ask me but I know the feeling that after the first Premier League, the target was the Champions League. When you don’t have one trophy you want it. It’s nice, in a good way.
“The way we played last season [against Madrid] was really good in both games but it was not enough. We are not here for revenge, it is just another opportunity. As much as we are here, one day we will get it. One day we will reach the final and win it.”
Erling Haaland’s explosive form was a talking point, with Carlo Ancelotti, the Madrid manager, noting how the centre-forward had offered City a more direct option. Guardiola’s tactic of building with a back three and asking John Stones to step up into midfield alongside Rodri was also discussed, the feeling in Madrid being that it has been a byproduct of Haaland’s arrival.
“[Haaland] is a very dangerous player,” Ancelotti said. “But only talking about him means not talking about a very complete team. We are not thinking about a game to stop him but to stop a team that seems unstoppable. What I can say is that City is a more complete team compared to last year.
“He [Guardiola] had Gabriel Jesus last year, who was dangerous but had different qualities to Haaland. Maybe they are a little more direct, they use a bit more the long ball. Then there is [Kevin] De Bruyne behind him so they can use the long ball and the second ball. But that doesn’t mean they have changed style.”
Rodri said: “[Haaland] fits in so well and as a team we are getting the best moments from him, understanding each other. We are seeing a wider vision from him, it’s not just scoring. We’ve changed [tactically] from how we played last season.”
Rodrygo, the Madrid winger who scored the late goals to draw Madrid level in the second leg last season, had his house burgled during the Copa del Rey final on Saturday. Rodrygo scored both the goals in the 2-1 win against Osasuna.
