Manchester City midfielder Rodri has questioned Arsenal’s approach when they visited the Etihad Stadium back in March and feels it played a key role in the title race.
Pep Guardiola’s side secured their fourth straight Premier League title on Sunday, with a first-half brace from Phil Foden setting them on their way towards a 3-1 win over West Ham on a largely drama-free afternoon.
The victory rendered Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Everton largely irrelevant, with City finishing the campaign two points better off than their rivals.
While many supporters and pundits would point to the Gunners’ loss at home to Aston Villa as the moment that cost them the title, Rodri actually believes it was their much-praised draw at the Etihad that they will live to regret.
Mikel Arteta’s side drew 0-0 at the backend of March and frustrated their opponents enormously, though they showed little attacking intent and had just 27 per cent of the ball – their lowest in any game this season.
It was a defensive masterclass, but Rodri feels that, if the roles were reversed, City would have gone for the win and it is that mentality which ultimately separated the two teams.
Asked how City keep on winning during an interview with Optus Sport, Rodri pointed at his head and said: ‘To be honest, I think it’s in here [the mind]. It’s the mentality.
‘Great players are all over the league, all over the clubs.
‘Arsenal also they deserve, they did an unbelievable season, but I think the difference was in here [points to head again].
‘When they came here, they faced us here at the Etihad, I saw them and said, “Ah, these guys, they don’t want to beat us, they just want a draw”.
‘And that mentality, I don’t think we would do it the same way.
‘And we caught it. At the end, if you give us one point, we will win the last seven, eight games even though it’s so tough. So it think [the win] comes down to mentality.’
Asked if he knew after Arsenal’s draw at the Etihad that City would win the title, Rodri replied: ‘We believed.
‘But you believe because you did it, and we know how tough it is to do it. We have to go out on all the pitches, the Tottenham game we had never won there so it’s not easy to implement this.
‘But every season the manager, the players, find a way to do it. And even myself, comparing my first season I came here to now, you grow a lot in this sense [mentality-wise].’
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