Man City star Rodri slams Morocco tactics after Spain crash out of World Cup
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has criticised Morocco after the North African side knocked Spain out of the World Cup at the last-16 stage.
Rodri and City teammate Aymeric Laporte were on the wrong end of penalty shootout heartbreak on Tuesday, as Spain fell 3-0 on spot-kicks after they were held to a goalless draw at the Education City Stadium.
Spain – who under coach Luis Enrique play a similar style of football to Pep Guardiola’s City – dominated possession of the ball throughout the contest, but were only able to muster one shot on target across 120 minutes. In the first half they at times struggled to cope with their opponent’s intense pressing, while after half-time they simply could not find a way through a compact defensive unit.
Rodri, who played all 120 minutes of the match at centre-back but did not take a penalty in the shootout, was not impressed with how Morocco approached the game.
“Morocco offered absolutely nothing, without disrespecting them,” the 26-year-old said. “In the game, they did nothing. They just waited for the counters. They stayed behind and tried to counter us.”
Coming up against teams that sit deep and defend is something Rodri regularly experiences when playing for City, but unlike the Blues, Spain were unable to find a way through. The second half introductions of Alvaro Morata and Nico Williams did change the dynamic slightly, but ultimately Spain continued to keep and pass the ball without actually doing an awful lot with it.
The former European and world champions have now exited the last three major tournaments on penalties, and have not progressed beyond the last-16 of a World Cup since 2010 when they beat the Netherlands in the final.
Rodri and Laporte will now fly home for a period of rest and recovery, before returning to the City fold once Guardiola and his non-World Cup players return from a warm-weather training camp in Abu Dhabi.
