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Manchester City midfielder Rodri questioned the approach of the Arsenal team when the North London club visited the Etihad Stadium in March. The two played out a draw and the 27-year-old feels that played a key role in the title-winning race. On Sunday, the Manchester-based club thrashed West Ham by 3-1 to clinch their fourth consecutive Premier League title.
Although Arsenal also secured a 2-1 win over Everton, that was largely rendered due to City’s victory in the other part of the country. However, there were various claims by the experts and pundits over what led to The Gunner’s heartbreaking end to the season. Some argued about their home loss to Aston Villa as the particular reason for their title loss, but Rodri felt the other result summed up the mindset of Mikel Arteta’s side.
Speaking on Optus sports after their title win, Rodri said, “I think, to be honest, it’s in here. It’s the mentality. Great players are all over the leagues, and all over the clubs. Arsenal also. They deserve all of us. They went- they did an unbelievable season. But I think the difference was in here. Whey they came here, when they, they face us here in the Etihad, I saw them and said, “Ah, these guys, they don’t want to beat us, they just want a draw.”
He further added, “And that mentality, I don’t think we would do it the same way. And we caught it. In the end, if you give us one point, we will win the last seven, or eight games even though it’s so tough. So it thinks comes down to mentality.”
After the conclusion of the Premier League season, Man City and Arsenal stand at the top two with the same wins on the card. But, the difference in draw games has resulted in a lost title for the Gunners this season.
