- Pep Guardiola admitted he has had to rethink his midfield without talisman Rodri
- The Spain international is out for the season after suffering an injury in the draw against Arsenal
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Pep Guardiola lamented the loss of Rodri in the first Premier League game since the midfielder’s injury as Manchester City dropped points against Newcastle.
The City boss confirmed on Friday that an ACL injury suffered in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with title rivals Arsenal would rob them of their star midfielder for the rest of the season.
And the champions were under-par without Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne as they failed to build a first-half lead at St James’ Park, with Anthony Gordon’s second-half penalty a deserved point for the hosts.
“Guys, I’m going to tell you – I know you keep asking me all the time – of course you’re going to miss Rodri – his physicality, his presence, I know,” Guardiola said.
‘But he’s not there, so I judge (Mateo) Kovacic and Rico (Lewis) and Bernardo (Silva). The way we played was exceptional. So it’s simple, I had to find a solution. I would love Rodri to be here and Oscar Bobb here and Kevin here and (Nathan) Ake here, I would love it. But it is what it is.’
Pep Guardiola lamented the loss of Rodri after Manchester City were held to a draw by Newcastle
The Spaniard will miss the rest of the season after suffering a ligament injury against Arsenal
The champions have now dropped points in consecutive Premier League games for the first time since March
Speaking about the match, Guardiola added: “They had moments in the first ten minutes and after their goal, but overall we played very well. We made bad decisions at the last minute to make it 2-0. It’s always difficult here with their physicality and they defend so deep. We had chances but (Nick) Pope was brilliant so we’ll take the point.’
Guardiola was also full of praise for opposite number Eddie Howe, whom he embraced full-time.
“I said to him how much I admire him and the way he approaches the game with a lot of pressure,” the City boss said. “His team is so direct and has a lot of legs with Murphy, Gordon, Barnes. They’re such a tough team.’