“It’s not my role” – Manchester City star confirms tactical shift following Aston Villa thumping

Rodri has revealed that a recent tactical tweak has allowed the Manchester City midfielder to take up more advanced positions.

The 27-year-old netted his eighth goal of the campaign during Wednesday night’s emphatic 4-1 win over Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium, as Manchester City bounced back from consecutive draws with a crucial victory.

Rodri opened to scoring for Pep Gurdiola’s side in the 11th minute with a smart finish, however the Spaniard’s opening goal was cancelled out by Jhon Duran just minutes later, following an Aston Villa counter-attack.

Phil Foden restored the Blues’ lead from a free-kick late in first-half added time, with the Englishman going on to score two incredible second-half goals to secure the three points, and a third career hat-trick.

The Englishman cleverly rolled the ball into the far corner with a superb strike in the 62nd minute, with the important goal brilliantly assisted by Rodri.

Foden sealed the victory in the 69th minute as a ferocious effort rocketed into the top corner and allowed Manchester City to move into an unassailable 4-1 lead, as well as taking the 23-year-olds direct goal involvements tally past 30 for the season.

Rodri’s attacking output has also remarkably increased this season, with the midfielder having scored eight goals and provided 12 assists across all competitions.

The 27-year-old has already surpassed his best goalscoring tally at the Etihad Stadium, with the previous record standing at seven goals during the 2021/22 campaign.

Speaking following the victory over Villa, the midfielder insisted that he is just trying to help the Sky Blues’ latest silverware pursuit, saying: “I want to help the team, it’s not my role to score goals but I want to score more and it’s something I’ve been working on.

“Looking at myself after the games and if you want to improve you can do it.”

Manchester City are back in action in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, where Guardiola’s side could have the opportunity to temporarily move to the top of the table with a win at Selhurst Park over Crystal Palace.