Manchester City star Rodri Hernandez has rejected claims from his former manager that the Premier League is short of defensive quality, following the Argentine’s comments on Monday evening.
The pair crossed paths at Atletico Madrid for a single season before the Spanish midfielder made a big-money move to City, where he continues to grow into one of the finest midfielders in the world.
On Monday, Simeone had claimed he could win the Premier League due to the lack of defending, and Rodri was asked about it on Cadena SER.
“Here I disagree with Diego. But I also tell you that he may be right because not all teams play in the same way. I play in a team that I guarantee you, they defend for 90 minutes. In all games. So it is not my case. ”
“But hey, maybe other teams do play more one-on-one and can leave more space, but it is a league that I think is quite hard, defensive and tough,” Rodri explained.
No doubt Rodri does have to face banked defences more often than not under Pep Guardiola, given the disparity in quality and resources between them and the majority of the opposition. Simeone was more likely speaking in general terms, and perhaps more about the quality of defending. It is certainly true that almost all teams in La Liga are well versed in closing off space and making life difficult for all opponents, no matter where they are in the table.
