Pep Guardiola left speechless by Rodri after Man City win vs Crystal Palace

Pep Guardiola did not have words to describe how good Rodri was at Crystal Palace as he purred over his holding midfielder.

Rodri has played more minutes than any other player in the Manchester City squad this season and that showed no sign of changing after another barnstorming performance from him at Selhurst Park. He drove his teammates on for the whole game as a late Erling Haaland penalty gave them a 1-0 win.

Guardiola joked that the Spaniard is not quite as good as he was in the position, before - more helpfully for journalists - finding something to say about his display. "What a game, what a game," he said.

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"What a holding midfielder, no words to describe him. With and without the ball, the presence, clever with the ball, now attacking, driving, going with the ball when the space was there. A fantastic game."

Faced with fresh competition for his place this season from Kalvin Phillips, Rodri has kicked on again in a City shirt to limit the former Leeds star to minimal appearances for his new club. And Guardiola indicated this week that he may not rotate as much in the final months as he did earlier in the season, meaning that the best players will keep their places in his team.

With his performance against Crystal Palace, Rodri reinforced his position as one of the manager's first names on the teamsheet when he comes to picking his starting XI every match.

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