Rodri blasts Manchester City teammates after miserable start to the season | OneFootball

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has sent a brutally honest call for standards to improve after his side’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.

City took the lead in the first-half through Erling Haaland but a determined Seagulls side overturned that deficit to complete a stunning second-half comeback and secure all three points against the underwhelming visitors at the Amex Stadium.

Pep Guardiola’s men have lost two of their opening three Premier League games, recording their worst start to a league campaign for well over a decade and the worst start to a season made by a Guardiola side over the course of the Spaniard’s managerial career.

Having spent nearly the entirety of the previous campaign on the sidelines with an ACL injury, Ballon d’Or holder Rodri returned to the starting XI on the south coast at the weekend – just under a year on from the injury he suffered against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.

The 29-year-old was one of the best players on the pitch and doesn’t seem like he has lost the cutting edge that has turned him into arguably the greatest defensive midfielder in the world, as was on display in his effortless showing against Brighton.

However, Manchester City are undergoing a significant transition after a busy transfer window and new signings such as Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki – albeit having impressed since joining in – will need time to understand the expectations that come with the sky blue jersey.

City were far from their best in the south coast on Sunday, with Haaland profligate in front of goal, academy graduate Oscar Bobb failing to have a meaningful impact and Guardiola’s side very easy to cut through in the second-half.

Liverpool and Arsenal have addressed the few Achilles’ heels in their respective squads in the summer and Manchester City cannot afford wasting points early in the season if they are serious about mounting a genuine title challenge after last season’s disappointments.

Speaking to the club’s in-house media department to reflect on the defeat to Brighton, Rodri pulled no punches and sent a timely reminder to his teammates that the collective performance and desire to win need to improve for the ship to turn.

“I’m not (Lionel) Messi. I’m not going to come back and make the team win and win,” the Ballon d’Or holder said.

“This is a collective, when we won in the past, I needed all my team-mates. For sure, I have to recover and find my best level.

“It’s not because I’m back we’re going to win. It’s a collective sport. Hopefully after the break we can come back much better.”