On a historic night for Scotland, Andy Robertson and Rodri set up nicely for Saturday with a cheeky exchange of words in their post-match interviews.
Robertson’s Scotland continued their perfect start to Euro 2024 qualifying with a memorable 2-0 victory over Spain at Hampden Park.
After the game, Man City and Spain midfielder Rodri had some choice words to say about Scotland’s playing style.
“It’s the way they play. You have to respect it but for me, it’s a bit rubbish,” complained Rodri when asked about the frustration shown between the two sides.
“Because it’s always wasting time. They provoke you, they always fall. For me, this is not football.
“For the spirit of the sport, you have to move on. The referee has to take control of this but he says nothing.
“It’s a bit frustrating because we want to win but they waste time, waste time. It is what it is. They have their weapons, we have to use our weapons and I think we will learn for the next time.”
That wouldn’t be a Man City player grumbling about the opposition after a defeat, would it?
Robertson was also posed a question about the perceived gamesmanship that took place during the victory, and Scotland’s captain was keen to defend his team’s tactics.
“Yeah look, I think they were going down a little bit easily, we were trying to say that,” the defender told Viaplay Sports.
“We were always going to try to be physical, we wanted to be in their faces, win our headers and challenges and I think we did that.
“I don’t think we crossed the line. They were, especially in the first half, rolling about a wee bit much but they use their experience and they got a couple of us booked which is fair enough to them.”
It provides an additional layer of intrigue heading into the weekend, with Liverpool due to travel to the Etihad to face Man City in Saturday’s early kickoff.
There has been no love lost between the two sides in recent years, with both Pep Guardiola and Bernardo Silva lamenting a refereeing decision after Liverpool’s 1-0 win at Anfield in October.
The animosity has also translated across to the stands, prompting the controversial decision to reduce Liverpool’s allocation for the trip to Manchester.
There is never a shortage of reasons to hope for a victory over Man City, but perhaps this little war of words has just provided these two players with an extra one.
Fan Comments