Rodri and his teammates need to help each other out if Manchester City are to be successful, according to Pep Guardiola.
The 24-year-old has been given huge responsibility in the team since signing from Atletico in 2019, taking on the holding midfield role that Fernandinho performed so brilliantly in as the Blues won back-to-back Premier League titles.
It was a difficult first season for the Spaniard as he was left exposed not just by his lack of pace and familiarity with City's system but by his teammates not doing their defensive work further up the field. As recently as November, City were undone in a 2-0 defeat by Saturday's opponents Tottenham with the team played through too easily.
Guardiola was a pretty decent midfielder himself and has also coached some of the best players in the game in that position. The City boss stressed that the whole team has to work together to stop counter-attacks, but singled out the importance of Rodri having a good game to ensure all of his teammates do.
"The counter attack is controlled by the team when you don't lose the ball in certain positions and you play with incredible simplicity - it’s being controlled by 11 players, not just one or two," he said. "You have to be precise with the ball and see where the dangerous positions are.
"A good holding midfielder is good when he plays for the others and not himself. These are the best ones. They think what’s happening, what they have to do to correct the mistakes of the other ones, and not play for the highlights.
"The best holding midfielders never appear in the newspapers, in the front pages. They hide behind the team but when the team plays good it is because they are playing outstanding."
