Manchester City midfielder Rodri has named Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah as the toughest player he has come against ahead of the blockbuster 1-2 Premier League clash at Anfield this weekend.
Rodri is out injured due to an ACL injury, and City have sorely missed his presence in the middle of the park. Enduring one of their worst runs in decades, the four-time defending Premier League champions are in unchartered territory, navigating a six-game winless run across competitions, losing the first five.
The winless run very nearly got over in midweek as Pep Guardiola’s side found themselves three goals to the good at home to Feyenoord in the UEFA Champions League. However, the Dutch side scored thrice in the final 16 minutes to force a share of the spoils.
Ahead of the blockbuster clash with the Premier League leaders on Sunday (December 1), Rodri said on The Rest is Football podcast
“In the Premier League? My first year was the worst because we faced that Liverpool, that was unbelievable. Unbelievable. I think I would say, I think it would be the best team I will to face in my career, that Liverpool. But in that prime, Salah, I haven’t seen any player that way.
“With that, he was like a knife. Not that skilful, like many, like, let’s say Neymar or Vini (Vinicius Junior) or these kind of players, but like a knife, scoring, assisting.”
Salah, 32, is in top form this season, notching up 12 goals and 10 assists in 19 games across comeptitions
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan reckons it’s early days in the season but admits that the holders cannot afford to lose if they hope to remain in the title race.
After 12 games, Arne Slot’s Liverpool are eight points clear at the top as they seek to end the Cityzens’ four-year Premier League stranglehold. Gundogan said about the upcoming game
“To stay in the title race probably, yes (cannot afford to lose), because 11 points would be a huge gap. It’s still early in the season.”
“There are still a lot of games to play, and a lot of things can happen, not just on our side but at every other team. But obviously we have to look at ourselves and try to do the things we can do better, as quickly as possible.”
He concluded:
“We take it, stay humble, head down and try to put in the work in the next few days and prepare as well as possible for a tough game.”
During Manchester City’s ongoing barren run, Guardiola lost four straight games across comeptitions for the first time in his illustrious managerial career.
