MADRID, 8 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Manchester City midfielder Rodri Hernández has assured that Real Madrid, whom they will face this Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, “controls the games more” than in the past, in addition to always being ” the favorite in this competition, and even more so at home”, and believes that they must “have personality and dominate” if they want to get “something positive” from the Santiago Bernabéu.
“They play differently. They control the games more because they have more midfielders. We expect a difficult game and everything will never be decided in tomorrow’s game. We know the game they play and that they are very powerful from the second line. We cannot focus on a player,” he declared at a press conference.
In this sense, he believes that the essence of the white team “continues to be verticality and counterattacks.” “They have more control but it doesn’t take away their ability. Jude -Bellingham-, Rodrygo and Vini are players with a lot of experience. Our asset will be to have personality and dominate if we want to get something positive out of this stadium,” he said, before talking about Vinícius. “We are not very worried about him, he is an important player but we focus on what is ours and not on who he is alerted to,” he added.
Regarding the fact of facing the whites again, he insisted that they have “last year’s experience.” “We are going to face a different Madrid. We come here in one of the best moments of the season. We are always going to face the favorites and we know each other very well. It is going to be a complicated match,” he indicated.
“We always test ourselves when we play against them. It’s the fourth time and we have had good results in every game. We know what happened in the semifinals, but we don’t want to think about the past. Now we are a more mature team that knows what it is like. win this competition with more composure. I wish and hope that the experience gives us the confidence to do things well tomorrow,” he continued.
The Madrid midfielder also acknowledged that having won the Champions League last year gives them “a little more composure and serenity on the field.” “We have learned from the victories and defeats of the past and that makes us more mature. This gives us confidence but we have to give our best. They are always favorites in this competition and even more so at home,” he stressed.
“The last two Premier League games we have had a good improvement in performance, last month it was difficult for us to score, but now we are getting there and in good shape. We have injuries but I trust all my teammates tomorrow because they all have the highest level. We are the current champions and we want to win again. We are facing a team that has won more titles in this competition. We have to run more than them,” he insisted.
He also praised his coach, Pep Guardiola, and Real Madrid’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti. “In recent years we have been talking about the two most successful coaches in the Champions League, each with his own style, but two winners. He is our leader and we need the best from him for us. He is very important and his importance is never lost “he highlighted.
Regarding the Madridistas’ greater rest ahead of the match, Rodri recalled that they have been “fighting for the Premier.” “By playing every three days you don’t rest and they do. Maybe they have an advantage in this sense. It’s something that doesn’t worry us because this team has played playoffs like this in recent years, although of course we would have liked to rest more,” he said.
In another vein, Rodri praised the work of the German Toni Kroos. “I like football and seeing great players like Kroos, he doesn’t have my profile. He is a player to take into account because he is Madrid’s metronome. I look at his strengths, I know that he moves the team from side to side and I have to “Keep an eye on him. There aren’t many players like him,” he warned.
Finally, Rodri insisted on the differences between LaLiga and the Premier League. “I gave my reasons for the difference in the leagues. In the Champions League the different rhythms come together and greater complexity is generated. They are the most in-form team in LaLiga in Europe in recent years. We know each other quite a bit, so I think that That won’t be so different,” he concluded.