Rodri says Manchester City are ready to face Inter Milan in Champions League final

1 year ago 40

Manchester City are "ready" to walk their past "exam" successful the Champions League last against Inter Milan, says midfielder Rodri.

Following Saturday's FA Cup last victory against rivals Manchester United, Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions are present conscionable 1 triumph distant from completing the Treble.

After weeks of evading questions astir that possibility, insisting it was each astir the adjacent game, emulating the Red Devils successful 1999 by becoming the 2nd English broadside to triumph each 3 large trophies successful a azygous play is each that is left.

Before the players' backstage solemnisation enactment and formation backmost to Manchester, wherever they were greeted connected the tarmac by Elton John, they passed done the interrogation country astatine Wembley. Speaking to them, it was similar a dam had burst.

"Pep said you volition not beryllium 'big, big' if you don't triumph successful Europe," said Rodri. "It's the exam we person to walk again.

"It's different last and we are ready. I'm going to propulsion the guys to beryllium ourselves, beryllium confident, effort our champion and combat for the final."

Living up to their tag arsenic dense favourites by beating Inter successful Istanbul would implicit the European odyssey that has been the imagination of the Abu Dhabi-based owners since they bought City successful 2008.

Rodri says the game-by-game mentality is existent - but, with conscionable 1 lucifer near of what promises to beryllium an bonzer campaign, the sole absorption is Inter.

"We person not been focusing connected it excessively overmuch but of people it is there, thing we imagination about," helium added. "Inter are a pugnacious team, with 5 astatine the back.

"They are successful the last too."

City, clearly, volition respect their opponents. However, beyond the stereotypical Italian antiaircraft solidity, the evident menace posed by Romelu Lukaku if helium is connected signifier and the inconsistent scheming of Lautaro Martinez, it is hard to marque a lawsuit for Inter claiming a 4th European title.

Too galore of Guardiola's players are connected signifier for anyone to genuinely judge they volition fail.

Captain Ilkay Gundogan is successful the signifier of his life, portion Rodri has been truthful bully Kalvin Phillips has hardly had a accidental to enforce himself astatine City adjacent though the nine spent £45m connected the England antheral successful the summer.

'We person tried to larn a batch from the past'

When asked whether helium has ever played better, Spain planetary Rodri, 26, said: "In my opinion, no.

"I consciousness successful the champion infinitesimal - physically, mentally, the mode I recognize the game.

"I person tried to turn and learn. This is my 4th twelvemonth and determination person been tons of lessons. I consciousness much mature.

"But you person to win. It's not lone astir playing well, it is astir being portion of a winning team."

One of the lessons Guardiola volition surely person learned is to not permission Rodri retired of his staring line-up adjacent play - arsenic helium did successful 2021, erstwhile helium inexplicably did not commencement him oregon Fernandinho successful the last against Chelsea, erstwhile City were dominated by Thomas Tuchel's side.

Rodri feels the omens are bully fixed the mode City dominated Real Madrid successful the 2nd limb of this season's semi-final aft failing against the aforesaid absorption astatine the aforesaid signifier of past season's competition.

"We person tried to larn a batch from the past," helium said. "We effort to lick the situations, arsenic we did with the mode we played against Real Madrid.

"The condemnation is determination always. Now it's 1 game."

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