September 24, (THEWILL) – Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has urged midfielder, Rodri, to control his emotions better after the Spaniard was sent off during Saturday’s Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest.
Despite seeing his side claim a 2-0 victory at the City Ground, Guardiola was left frustrated by the performance of referee, Anthony Taylor, and the inconsistency of his decisions throughout the match. The manager felt Taylor was too quick to show Rodri a second yellow card early in the second half following a coming together with Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, having chosen not to book Erling Haaland for a similar first half incident.
Guardiola had warned Rodri to keep his cool at half-time, advice which ultimately went unheeded. While critical of Taylor’s officiating, Guardiola conceded Rodri should have maintained better discipline. The dismissal rules the midfielder out of upcoming league and cup games against Newcastle and Wolves, as well as the trip to Arsenal in October.
As THEWILL reported, even with 10 men, City held firm to claim the three points, thanks to first half goals from Phil Foden and Haaland. The result leaves the reigning champions five points clear of the chasing pack of Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Arsenal at the top of the table ahead of Sunday’s fixtures.
Guardiola will now hope for calmer heads to prevail as City continue their bid to defend the English Premier League title. Maintaining intensity while staying disciplined will be key with fixtures coming thick and fast over the coming weeks.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
