Ian Cheeseman- Forever Blue

Let’s talk about Rodri! That’s one of the most popular songs by Manchester City fans right now.

It celebrates the fact that Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante, to give him his full name, scored the winning goal in Istanbul in the Champions League Final. The 27-year-old Spaniard joined the Blues from Atletico Madrid for just over £60 million in July 2019 and I guess scoring that goal made the fee worth it alone.

He followed two City legends as defensive midfielder, although of course it’s not quite as one dimensional as that title suggests. Yaya Toure and Fernandinho had excelled in the same position in previous seasons and it took him a few months to settle into the role, but he’s now become the heartbeat of this star-studded team.

The headlines are normally reserved for Erling Haaland these days. There’s no doubt that the arrival of Haaland has ignited City’s following all around the World while, very unassumingly, Rodri has got better and better and more and more crucial to the way Pep Guardiola’s team plays.

Rodri started 34 of City’s 38 Premier League games last season. He was involved in 56 games in total and he admitted at the beginning of this season that he didn’t think he could repeat those numbers this season. So far this season, he’s started every game, that’s 5 in the League, one in the Champions League plus the Community Shield and Super Cup.

As well as reading the game brilliantly, he has amazing balance. He’s not got that low centre of gravity that David Silva had and yet he always seems equally effective on his right side and his left. Yes he can play the ball or tackle with either foot but his football brain seems equally balanced too. He looks left and right and seems to have eyes in the back of his head. He’s got a great shot too, as we saw with that decisive goal in Istanbul but also at Sheffield United recently.

During the long injury absence of Kevin De Bruyne and with new signings filling the void left by the summer departure of Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri seems to have taken on a much more offensive role too. He’s been linking defence and attack and doing it with style.

City have played twice since last week. First it was a trip to West Ham United where the Blues fell behind before the break. I spoke to fans, after the game, for my YouTube channel and it was assumed by many that Guardiola had read the team the riot act at halftime, prompting the almost immediate equaliser by new signing Doku, but at Monday’s press conference the City manager said that he just listened to the anger of his own players in the dressing room and it was their terrific will to win that changed things in the second half.

Against Red Star Belgrade, on Tuesday evening, City created lots of chances and completely dominated their opponents but were then caught on the counter attack. Did I ever doubt that they were capable of getting goals in the second half? Of course not! Once again Doku, who’d replaced Bernardo Silva just before half time, dazzled on the wing. What a prospect he is!

The best goal of the night was City’s third. The build-up was slick and measured but it was man of the moment Rodri, who scored the goal that secured the win, almost passing it into the goal. As I drove home, I heard a debate on TalkSport about who was better; Rodri or N’Golo Kante. It would be Rodri in my opinion. The perfectly balanced modern midfielder who can pass, tackle and score. He’s a footballing Rolls Royce, just like Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. It’s Great to be a Blue!