'F*****g Rodri' represents the entitlement at football's top table

Paul Macdonald

• Updated: 19 Feb 2024 11:04 GMT
• 5 min read

Football fans are sick of hearing the same old s**t from footballers, and Rodri’s comments after the draw with Chelsea on Saturday in the Premier League are indicative of how privileged players at the top clubs can truly be.

In what was a close game, Chelsea were able to claim a point mainly thanks to the profligacy of Erling Haaland in front of goal.

But that wasn’t enough for Rodri, who told Sky Sports afterward it was, in fact, the referee’s fault that they hadn’t won.

He said: “Sometimes it’s a bit frustrating, the ball doesn’t go in, and I don’t want to talk about the referee.”

He did anyway, obviously, stoking conspiracies even in a game completely lacking in them.

He continued: “I can’t remember a game with so many VAR challenges, [but] not when it’s for us. Always you see the face of the referee ‘move on, move on’, so it’s frustrating.”

Rodri is likely referring to two incidents: the first of which was Kyle Walker trying as hard as possible to initiate contact with Raheem Sterling and steal a penalty. Fortunately, the officials saw that incident for what it was and waved play on.

The second occurred in injury time, as Levi Colwill’s arm briefly brushed the ball in the midst of an in-box scramble. VAR took a little longer, but it was the type of handball that, had it been given, would have moved football ever closer to the realms of the unwatchable.

Rodri was incensed and that’s something he’s extremely good at. In a similar way Roy Keane and Manchester United players were regularly placing serious pressure on the officials throughout their dominant period in the late 90s.

If I speak… pic.twitter.com/P3aPrP6pUw

— ZAGKAG (@ZAGKAG1811) February 17, 2024

It’s a tactic that works and City are the masters of it, led from the front by Rodri, his dominant presence leaning over and into the face of referees who, for whatever reason, won’t book him for it.

The inconsistent nature of how players are reprimanded for dissent is one of many ongoing issues in the game, but the fact that Rodri was so incensed about the refereeing performance in a game where literally nothing of note happened tells you everything about the pedestal on which he, and many others, now exist.

He has previously, of course, lambasted Scotland’s performance and style of play when losing 2-0 to them at Hampden in 2023. The bitterness flowed from his voice - why won’t these players, teams, and referees get out of my way and let me win?

It comes with the territory of being at a top club, but it is one of City’s most unlikeable traits. In a season where Liverpool have literally lost a match because VAR totally miscalled an offside, complaining about them in a game where they had little impact is bordering on pathetic.

It’s noticeable that Pep Guardiola refused to get involved whatsoever, claiming not to have seen the incidents that Rodri was complaining about. That he couldn’t even identify what his midfielder was referring to says everything.

Rodri and Man City need humility

Make no mistake. Rodri is a fantastic player. City are very different, and inferior, without him, and his mix of physique and elegance makes him the identical modern defensive midfielder. But with 115 charges hanging over your club and dubious sponsorships flitting around every single advertising board, show some humility and get on with the game.

It’s not just Rodri. Referees take a beating - and sometimes justifiably so - but they are increasingly used as an easy get-out for teams who failed to get the job done. And this moment with Rodri is the most egregious of them all. It’s not funny, it’s not accurate, it’s spiteful, and has damaging consequences.

We have an internet age where fans will count the number of fouls to yellow cards their team is given versus the opposition, such is their level of inspection. We have referees under personal rather than professional scrutiny. And there are loads of times when their decisions require further introspection.

But this isn’t it. Rodri has a position of privilege and he regularly utilises it to make cheap shots. He should think more deeply in the future.