Rodri‘s Return Not Enough as Manchester City Fall to Brighton
Brighton, England – Manchester City suffered their second defeat of the young Premier League season, fallingโ 2-1 to โa resilient brighton & Hove Albion side on Sunday. The match marked Rodri’s first start of the season following a frustrating injury spell, but the Spanish midfielder โขwas quick to dismiss any notion that his return aloneโข could instantly solve City’s early-season woes.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring forโค the reigning champions,but a โขspirited comebackโฃ fueled byโ goals from James Milner and Brajan Gruda secured a deserved victory for Brighton. Despite dominating possession,pep Guardiola’s side struggled to contain Brighton’sโ risky transitions,with the โhosts creating a significantly higher number of scoring opportunities (seven to City’s three).
The loss follows a disappointing defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last week, raising questions about City’sโข form in the absence of a fully fit Rodri. The midfielder missed a important portion of last season due to an โขACL injury โคand suffered a further setback during the โClub World Cup, delayingโค his return to the starting lineup.
“I’m not Messi,” Rodri toldโ Sky Sports after โthe match.โฃ “I can’t come back โคand suddenly make theโ team win every game. It requires a collectiveโข effort. When we where winning before, it was โbecuase of everyone. I need my teammates, and we all need to look at ourselves. This is a team sport.”
Rodri โคemphasized the need for collective advancement following the international break. While acknowledging โฃthe concerns, he remained unfazed by external criticism.
“To be honest,I don’t care what people say. They can think what they want.โค We just need to work hard and focus on ourselves,and then we can talk again at the end of the season.”
Last season, Rodri’s absence was widely considered a key factor in Manchester City’s inability to โchallenge for the title, ultimately finishing third in the Premier League. His return isโ undoubtedly a boost, but the