Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, expressed his annoyance with Rodri for receiving a red card during his team’s victory over Nottingham Forest, but he also criticized referee Anthony Taylor for his performance.
Guardiola believed Taylor had lost control of the game before to Rodri’s red card, but City held on with 10 men in the second half to win 2-0 and keep their perfect Premier League record.
The Spanish midfielder, who grabbed Morgan Gibbs-White by the throat at the start of the second half and was later sent out for violent conduct, will miss City’s critical matchup at championship rivals Arsenal on October 8 due to a three-match suspension.
In addition to sending Rodri off, Taylor also issued yellow cards to Guardiola and 10 other players, including seven Forest players.
For 35 minutes, the game was absolutely beautiful for both teams, but after that, when it descended into pandemonium, Guardiola insisted that it was not his team’s fault.
Rodri was sent out, but ten-man Man City nevertheless defeated Forest.
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“With all the yellow cards, it’s clear that neither Nottingham Forest nor City are to blame. Without a doubt, the referee has altered the game.
Rodri received a red card against RB Leipzig in the Champions League in the 2021–22 season, and Guardiola said Rodri had apologized to his teammates for the incident. Rodri will also miss league matches against Wolves on September 30 and Brighton at home on October 21.
“Hopefully Rodri will learn,” Guardiola concluded. “He had to keep his emotions in check. Rodri cannot receive a yellow card, but I can. Since I don’t play, the guys who do must exercise caution.
“Kyle has done this in the past; they are aware that they shouldn’t, but it is an emotional reaction. Whatever occurs, you must maintain self-control. Because I don’t enjoy playing with ten men, I’m irate.
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At halftime, I warned the players to exercise caution in light of what transpired in the final 10 minutes of the first half, but we fell for the trap.
