Rodri issues warning to Manchester City teammates ahead of Arsenal clash

Rodri has warned Manchester City that a defeat to Arsenal on Sunday could almost knock the champions out of the title race.

Mikel Arteta’s team would go four points ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side with nine games to go if they win at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.

And while Rodri feels victory would give City a psychological boost, he believes a loss would leave them with no margin for error.

The midfielder believes at least 90 points will be required to win the title while City, who have 63, could get a maximum of 90 if they lose one more game, which makes Sunday’s clash still more vital.

“It’s a very, very important match,” he said. “I’m not saying it’s going to be decisive, but it will be very important for the mental fight.

“If we are able to beat them it will be very important for our confidence, and we will show them that we are here again. It’s not just this game that’s like a final, it’s all of them from now until the end of the season.

“We’re still in every competition, but any game that you lose can practically leave you out of the running. Really that’s the level that this league demands from you, to reach between 90 and 100 points to be able to win the league. So we have to win practically every game and that starts against Arsenal, who are currently the league leaders.”

Rodri has set a Premier League record by going 60 games without defeat. “I am so proud of it,” he said, but he believes the key point is the number of victories and not merely being unbeaten.

“My objective is always to win because we’re fighting for titles and in this league a draw is almost like a loss due to how high the bar is,” he explained.