• Source:JND
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Premier League: Manchester City have had a disappointing start to their campaign in the new Premier League 2025-26 season, and even the return of star midfielder Rodri couldn't prevent their defeat against Brighton on Sunday.

After the 1-2 loss, City are now placed 13th in the standings with just one win out of their first three matches. Rodri, who has just recovered from an ACL injury, went on to say that his return to full fitness will magically improve Pep Guardiola's side's recent struggles.

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In the 2023-24 season, City didn’t lose any of the 34 Premier League games that Rodri played in as it won the title for a fourth straight year. Last season, the Spaniard had to remain on the sidelines for eight months due to injury. His recovery was further delayed this season by a groin issue sustained at the Club World Cup.

Reacting to all the talks regarding his impact on the side, Rodri said, "I'm not Messi."

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"I’m not going to come back and make the team win and win. This is a collective. When we won in the past, I needed all my teammates. For sure, I have to recover my best level … Hopefully, after the (international) break, we can come back much better."

The 29-year-old came off the bench in City's 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last weekend, having missed their opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers because of the groin injury.

On Sunday, he made his first Premier League start in 11 months, but the result didn't go in the favour of the Blues.

Having witnessed a mixed start to the season as City witnesses a challenging transition phase, Rodri brushed aside outside noise.

"To be honest, I don't care," he said. "People can think what they want. We will focus on us, work as hard as possible and let’s talk at the end of the season."

City now heads into the international break with plenty of time for Rodri to build match fitness and for Guardiola to fine-tune his side.