“You watched it the last few years” — Manchester City talisman hails Pep Guardiola leadership ahead of Real Madrid clash

Manchester City talisman Rodri has hailed the impressive leadership of Pep Guardiola ahead of City’s clash with Real Madrid.

The Premier League outfit head to the capital city of Spain for another highly anticipated Champions League knockout showdown with Carlo Ancelotti’s men, this time in the quarter-finals.

Speaking ahead of the match, midfield general Rodri was quick to shower praise on his manager, Pep Guardiola, for his continued success in the years since taking over for Manuel Pellegrini at the Etihad in 2016.

Since joining the Premier League club, Guardiola has racked up a staggering 10 major trophies, including completing a historic Treble in the 2022/23 campaign; a feat only ever accomplished by Manchester United in 1999.

“What can I say about Pep!?” Rodri said before the Blues made their way to Spain. “You watched it in the last few years.

“You are talking about maybe the two most successful managers in this tournament – [Carlo] Ancelotti and Pep.

“They have their own styles but two winners in their own way and what can I say about Pep, he is our manager, he is our leader.

“Tomorrow, as always, we need the best of him – in terms of the speech, the tactics and the positive energy.”

In the recently release Netflix documentary about Manchester City’s 2022/23 campaign, Guardiola’s leadership was on full display, as was Rodri’s.

With both teams in fine form heading into the clash at the Santiago Bernabéu Tuesday evening, both will play major roles if City are to come away from Madrid with another famous result in the bag.

The Premier League champions are unbeaten in 25 straight games in all competitions, while Carlo Ancelotti’s men sit comfortably at the top of LaLiga with eight games remaining.

The two teams have gone head-to-head in the competition in three straight seasons now, with the spoils being shared in the two previous occasions.