The Spanish midfielder’s stunning strike against Inter back in June both earned City our maiden Champions League title and, in the process, set up tomorrow’s Super Cup clash against Europa League winners Sevilla in Athens.
Now firmly established as one of the finest holding midfielders in the world, Rodri has started the new season in imperious fashion – and found the target in last Friday’s impressive 3-0 win at Burnley in our opening Premier League clash of the 2023/24 campaign.
And, addressing the media at Tuesday’s pre-match press conference at Olympiakos’ Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Rodri revealed that having registered arguably the most important strike in the Club’s history, adding more goals to his armoury was one of his key targets for the new campaign.
“Yeah, I hope. It’s something I try to improve as a player,” Rodri asserted.
City’s travelling squad for UEFA Super Cup
“Of course, no-one demands me to score goals.
“It’s something I can do and help the team in this area. We have a strong team from set pieces and players like me who can score goals.
“It’s something I want to improve. In the beginning you don’t have the responsibility when you score, it makes you feel you can do it and it’s a good area to grow.
“I will try to do it.”
Victory against the Spaniards would add to what has been the most successful period in the Club’s history, with City having won a remarkable 14 trophies to date under the stewardship of manager Pep Guardiola.
Coming into the new campaign on the back of achieving the historic Treble last season, the Spanish international insisted City’s collective desire to accumulate more silverware burned as brightly as ever.
CITY V SEVILLA | UEFA SUPER CUP HUB
And he said success in the Super Cup would only further establish the Club’s standing and stature across the continent and beyond.
“We are always hungry and want to win every trophy we play,” Rodrigo added.
“We were disappointed when we lost to Arsenal in the Community Shield because I think we deserved to win but football is like this.
“They way we came back against Burnley shows the hunger in the team.
“We now have the Super Cup and tomorrow I will ask my team to be the same as the last finals we played - the same level. To show the same desire and same hunger.
“Tomorrow is a final and finals are an opportunity. I will tell the team that finals are so tough to arrive in so tomorrow we have to go with it with the same desire we did in the last finals.
“Winning four Premier Leagues in a row or winning five or six titles in a season it would be massive.
“Every final is important; every title is important. This Super Cup is more special for me because it was my first trophy as a football player.
“I know how tough it is to win it. We go step by step.
“Tomorrow, we have any chance to put City on the map in Europe again. That’s what we want”.
CITY V SEVILLA APP COVERAGE
You can follow all of the action on our official app with our Matchday Centre beginning at 18:00 (UK).
Our Matchday Live programme will begin around 18:40 (UK).
Host Natalie Pike will be joined by Matchday Live favourites Steph Houghton, Michael Brown and Shaun Goater to provide City-centric insight in the build-up to the game.
Meanwhile, Nedum Onuoha and Shaun Wright-Phillips will be in Athens to give us a sample of the atmosphere.
The guests will also answer viewer questions throughout the broadcast, with audience participation actively encouraged on Matchday Live.
To get in touch, send a Whatsapp to: +447537186538.
During the game you can listen to live audio commentary while our text commentary continues.
A detailed match report will be posted upon the game’s completion before we provide you with post-match reaction from Guardiola and the players.
Short highlights and a full-match replay (for CITY+ and Recast subscribers) from the match will be available from 23:00 (UK) Wednesday with extended highlights available from 23:00 (UK) Thursday 17 August.
