SUNDERLAND, England — Pep Guardiola said Rodri showed Manchester City what they have been missing for a year and a half after the Ballon d’Or winner’s substitute performance during a goalless draw at Sunderland.
City’s failure to claim all three points and become the first team to beat Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this season dented their title challenge and enabled Arsenal to start 2026 with a four-point lead over Guardiola’s side at the top of the Premier League.
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But despite the dropped points, Rodri’s second-half display after replacing the injured Nico González brought calm and composure to the City midfield.
And Guardiola said it is crucial for City that the Spain international, who has started just four league games since returning from a September 2024 cruciate ligament injury, is now able to stay fit and help the side in the second half of the season.
“He [Rodri] changed the game,” Guardiola told reporters. “He proved in 45 minutes that he is the best in his position.
“Football is about the players — in the buildup we struggled and with Rodri we struggled less.
“He broke the lines, we moved better and one year and a half without him we missed him a lot.
“Hopefully he can stay fit because he makes us a better team.”
While City failed to keep pace with Arsenal following their 4-1 win at home to Aston Villa on Tuesday, the Gunners also dropped points when drawing at Sunderland earlier this season.
And Guardiola admitted that City emerged with a point from one of the toughest away venues in the Premier League.
“Tough place to come,” he said. “The amount of chances we missed in the six-yard box, not difficult ones, we could not convert.
“We didn’t do what we talked about in the first half, but in general it was a really good game against a fantastic team.
“I’m so proud of my players against a difficult opponent. We did everything we could to win.
“The guys are a bit heads down, but we have to be heads up because in three days we have a difficult game against Chelsea.”
Savinho and Nico were both substituted because of injuries and are likely to miss Sunday’s game against Chelsea.
“Savinho doesn’t look good,” Guardiola said. “Nico, we will see.”
