Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola emphasized the importance of his team finding a way to win without midfielder Rodri following their 1-0 loss to Aston Villa on Wednesday evening in the 15th round of the English Premier League.
Manchester City has lost four matches this season in various tournaments, and interestingly, all of them occurred in Rodri's absence.
Guardiola stated in post-match comments, as reported by the BBC website, “Aston Villa played better. In the first half, we did not move well, and things improved in the second half. We created opportunities, but we struggled to find the final pass and move at the right moments.”
He added, “We've scored four or five goals before from shots that changed direction, and therefore, we have to accept that Aston Villa was the better team and focus on Luton now (the next match).”
Continuing, Guardiola said, "Rodri is undoubtedly an important player, but in his absence, we have to find a way to win. We are six points away from the lead. We would have preferred to be there, but we drew in three matches and lost today."
He concluded, "In past years, we found a way to win. We are facing challenges now, and we have to find a solution. It's my job to find the solution. Things change when you win matches, and when the opposing team is better than you, you have to admit that."
Manchester City, the defending champion for the past three years, is currently ranked fourth in the Premier League table with 30 points, trailing leaders Arsenal by six points.