Manchester City fans have claimed that midfielder Rodri should win the Ballon d’Or after their defeat by Arsenal.
On Sunday afternoon, a late goal from Gabriel Martinelli sent the Emirates Stadium into pandemonium as the Gunners recorded a vital 1-0 win against City.
The victory was Mikel Arteta’s first Premier League victory over Pep Guardiola and also Arsenal’s first win over City in the competition since 2015.
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Coming into the match, one of the major talking points was how City would cope without midfielder Rodri, who was suspended for the clash after his red card against Nottingham Forest last month.
After watching an unusually flat and disappointing performance from City, fans have claimed that Rodri deserves to win the Ballon d’Or.
One fan said on social media: “Nah seriously after watching what this team is like without Rodri I’m telling you a Ballon D’or isn’t enough for the work he does, the entire team need to give him a portion of their weeks wages from TODAY.”
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Another added: “Man, this team doesn't exist without Rodri.”
A third fan commented: “Couldn’t agree more, he’s the heartbeat of the team.”
Someone else wrote: “If anything these last 3 games prove why Rodri should win the Ballon d’Or.”
After the match against Arsenal, Guardiola spoke about Rodri’s absence, he said: “Rodri is an important player but he is not there for the reason everyone knows and we have to move forward. Every game is completely different.
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“That is a stat [three defeats in three games without Rodri] we cannot deny it. But we put players to control more passes but they [Arsenal] are aggressive in these areas. We will come back and continue. We will move forward.”
Guardiola added: “That game, we started really well with two or three chances. They started the second half really well with the rhythm. The it was tight and they got a deflection goal.”
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Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Manchester City, Arsenal, Rodri, Fan Reactions, Football