Manchester City were held off with a 0-0 draw against Sunderland, but the good news is that Rodri returned to the squad after a hamstring injury. The Spanish midfielder played for the last time in November, and only completed two 90-minutes games in Premier League during 2025 due to a series of injuries.
However, Rodri ended up being one of the best players of the team, joining in half time to replace Nico González. Manager Pep Guardiola praised Rodri, saying he "changed the game". "He proved in 45 minutes that he is the best in his position".
Guardiola explained that they will struggle less with Rodri in the team. "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."
Before the match, Guardiola was proud that they have been the best performing Premier League team in the last ten of fifteen matches, even while missing many players, but will be stronger with Rodri. Despite the draw, they are only four points behind leaders Arsenal.