Pep Guardiola fumes at Manchester City midfielder in scathing rant

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has outlined his frustration at the actions of midfielder Rodri during Saturday’s win over Nottingham Forest.

The treble-winners stretched their winning start to the Premier League season to six successive matches with a 2-0 victory against Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium, but face the damning prospect of being without Rodri until the end of October.

The 27-year-old was sent off for violent conduct within seconds of the restart, following an altercation with Morgan Gibbs-White, as tempers boiled over during the second-half of a fiery Premier League affair.

Manchester City secured a hard-fought victory with a valiant second-half defensive showing, having raced into a 2-0 lead with early goals from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland.

Foden scored his first Manchester City goal of the season following a delightful lay-off from Kyle Walker, meanwhile Haaland doubled the Blues’ advantage to net his eighth goal of the Premier League campaign.

Pep Guardiola’s side are bidding to win a fourth consecutive Premier League title and moved five points clear of Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal with victory at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Sky Blues’ win came despite the absence of midfield trio Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, as Manchester City contend with a deepening injury crisis alongside Rodri’s three-match suspension.

The Spain midfielder, who has started all nine matches for Manchester City so far this season, is set to miss matches against Newcastle United, Wolves and Arsenal as a result of Saturday’s red card.

Rodri’s dismissal provides a huge selection headache for manager Guardiola, with the Catalan quick to reveal his anger at the 27-year-olds actions.

“Hopefully Rodri will learn,” said Guardiola.

“Rodri has to control himself and his emotions. This is what he has to do. I can get a yellow card, but Rodri cannot get a yellow card, I do not play. The guys inside have to be careful.”

The midfielder can still play against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League next month, but cannot feature domestically for Manchester City until a Premier League meeting with Brighton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday 21st October.

Rodri’s suspension could provide an opportunity for Kalvin Phillips, who has made just four Manchester City starts since his arrival in July 2022.