Man City star Rodri hits back at Diego Simeone over questionable Premier League claim
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has hit back at Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, who said that ‘nobody defends’ in the Premier League.
Simeone’s claim came after Man City drew 4-4 with Chelsea in a thrilling encounter last Sunday.
The Cityzens thought they had grabbed all three points thanks to a deflected shot from Rodri in the 86th minute, before their former player Cole Palmer scored a 95th-minute equaliser.
The eight-goal thriller meant that a total of 37 goals were scored in the Premier League last weekend, which made for a very entertaining watch.
Simeone claimed that ‘all games’ in England are enjoyable, but said that ‘nobody is defending, suggesting teams focus too much on attacking.
“You see English football now and the matches finish 4-4, 5-3, 6-2, or 5-1, which is fantastic for the fans. Like Chelsea against Manchester City,” Simeone said.
“These are all games that are fun to watch, but nobody is defending!”
Rodri disagreed with Simeone, however, stating that the Premier League has plenty of teams with ‘strong defences.’
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The Man City midfielder played under Simeone during his time at Atletico Madrid, who he left in 2019.
“I disagree a little bit,” said Rodri, speaking to Spanish radio network Cadena Ser.
“Not all teams play in the same way, but against Man City, there are a lot of teams who look to defend for 90 minutes.
“Of course, this is not always the case and for other matches, there will be more open spaces, but it is a tough league with strong defences.”
Man City themselves are one example of a team with a solid defence. They have conceded just 12 goals in 12 games so far.
Liverpool and Arsenal have faired even better, conceding only 10 goals so far.
In comparison with LaLiga, only Real Madrid have conceded less than Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal in 13 matches – every other LaLiga team has conceded more.
With that in mind, perhaps Simeone’s assessment of defence in the Premier League isn’t so accurate after all.
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