Chris Sutton was full of praise for one Manchester City player at Euro 2024.
On Sunday, England’s Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, John Stones and Spain’s Rodri all saw their national teams book their places in the quarter-finals of the European Championship.
Monday night gives the likes of Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo to do the same as Portugal face Slovenia in the Round of 16.
Manuel Akanji’s Switzerland caused the biggest upset of the knockout rounds by beating Italy 2-0 on Saturday.
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Chris Sutton makes big claim about Rodri
The standout contest of the tournament will be between Spain and Germany in the quarter-finals — a game that is truly impossible to predict.
Both sides have perhaps been the best teams in the competition and with Rodri’s belter of an equaliser leading Luis de la Fuente’s men to a statement 4-1 victory against Georgia in the last-16, they could be the team to beat now.
However, Julien Nagelsmann’s side saw off a tricky Denmark side to win 2-0 in their Round of 16 encounter.
After Spain defeated Georgia, Chris Sutton claimed not many in world football can dictate the tempo of a game like Rodri does.
The pundit wrote on X: “Spain, the team to beat. They have an identity and Rodri and [Fabian] Ruiz dictate the game better than anyone else around.”
Rodri is the best in the world in this respect
Willy Sagnol’s claim about Rodri being “one of the best players in the world” came true during his Georgia’s loss to Spain in the last-16 of the competition, with him winning the official Player of the Match award.
The £62.5 million man seems to have learned how to control games singlehandedly over time.
During the 28-year-old’s initial start to life at Manchester City, he could be guilty of taking or or two extra touches and not getting the ball out of his feet quick enough.
But for the past few years, Rodri, as Chris Sutton claimed has dictated games better than most — understanding exactly what pace every particular contest needs to be played at.
The mastery of this very feature defines the very best holding midfielders.
Rodri is certainly among them and his calming presence in the middle of the park always gives Manchester City and Spain the chance to dominate any game of football.