Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola saw his side lose 3-1 to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League on Tuesday(Image: )
As Manchester City were carved open twice in two minutes in the first half, Rodri stood midway inside his own half and threw his arms into the air. Half an hour later his arms were up again when he was shown his second yellow card inside a minute and sent off.
It just about summed up a miserable night for City in Norway as they were stunned by Bodo/Glimt to leave their top eight Champions League League phase in the balance.
Pep Guardiola’s side will likely need to beat Galatasaray at the Etihad to avoid a two-legged play-off next month. Rodri will sit that one out and maybe he should have sat out the nightmare in Norway.
There was always a risk attached to playing someone with his fragile injury record on an artificial pitch so soon after an intense derby.
He was lifeless when Jens Petter Hauge ghosted past him to slam in a brilliant Bodo third and the Spaniard then suffered 60 seconds of madness to get his marching orders.
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It encapsulated City’s night. They were a yard off their energetic opponents all evening and made costly errors that allowed the home side to seize control.
Max Alleyne, a young defender trying to find his way in a struggling side, made three mistakes for two goals in two minutes in the first half.
Alleyne was hooked at half time against Manchester United at the weekend and was perhaps fortunate to be given the second 45 in Norway but to single out the 20-year-old, who was excellent against Newcastle only seven days ago, would be missing the point.
Rodri couldn’t offer the leadership, Erling Haaland was again frustrated and isolated and Guardiola opted to make just one change to try and find a way back into it.
Bodo had two goals ruled out for offside and hit the bar, their attacking vibrancy at odds with City’s largely ponderous play in the final third. Guardiola has to find a solution and fast. Wolves at home has had the look of a home banker for months, now not so much.
There is mitigation, Guardiola alluded to it after the defeat, but to point to those not in Norway only serves to underline how poor those who did play were.
Jeremy Doku was deemed not fit enough to feature and Omar Marmoush, who did come on, was playing in the heat of Casablanca a matter of days ago on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Guardiola must pick the players up for another pivotal week. The Wolves game is followed by Galatasaray in Europe and Premier League trips to Spurs and Liverpool sandwiched either side of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Newcastle. The season could collapse over the next five games.
There was a winter of discontent 12 months ago and City and Guardiola need to show they have learned their lessons.
The Blues saw the Northern Lights illuminate the sky in Norway, they can’t afford the lights to go out on their campaign.
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