Rodri Manchester City
Manchester City players are determined to keep up the momentum going into their final Premier League fixture of the season, even as injury concerns are mounting. That is according to Rodri, who pointed to the fitness of the City squad as a reason for their chances of a treble going to the last two games of the season. Rodri had to start in defence as five players couldn’t travel to Brighton on Wednesday for fitness reasons, with John Stones and Phil Foden being substituted at the Amex Stadium as a precaution when they picked up knocks of their own.
Rodri said: “It wasn’t easy to keep the level after we celebrated [the Premier League title] but the lads were incredible. It was so tough; they possess the ball so well and are so demanding without it. It was a nice game to play. Today was a good game and test to prepare ourselves. We have one more game to prepare [for United and Inter]. The team is training good, and we have to recover. It’s important to rest because some players have played a lot of minutes this season, but at the same time you have to keep the level and not drop it. We’re doing amazing. We have to sustain the energy.”
Praising the mentality in the squad ahead of the second and third legs of a potential treble, Rodri said the whole group is invested in finishing the job after working hard all season to get in the current position where they are two games away from making history.
Rodri said: “When you are playing every three days, the level of the lads is unbelievable. We have shown how good the team is in the last part of the season. This is what champions do. You have to be smart to not get injured. Everyone participates. It’s been so tough this season. But the most important thing is to arrive with energy and with the feeling. It’s a dream to arrive in this situation. We have been fighting for nine months to arrive in this moment. We want to grab it. We want to be ourselves, to give everything. We have to keep with the same energy, the same mood, same ambition as the previous games. With this spirit and with the help of the people, we can achieve.”
