'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former Premier League striker Darren Bent believes Manchester City midfielder Rodri is a tier above Arsenal's Thomas Partey. The Englishman lavished praise on the Spanish midfielder and lauded him as the best No. 6 in world football at the moment.
Speaking about Rodri, Bent said on talkSPORT (as quoted by HITC):
“For me, he is the best holding midfielder in the world. Right now, he is the best holding midfielder in the world. At the start of the season, for my sins, I was saying that Thomas Partey [was the best No.6 in the world], who start of the season, unbelievable. He can’t lace Rodri’s boots!”
Rodri has put on some impressive performances this season in a treble-hunting Manchester City team. The Spain international has registered 34 Premier League appearances for the Cityzens, recording two goals and six assists.
Rodri has also featured in 11 UEFA Champions League fixtures for Pep Guardiola's side this campaign. He was again brilliant in their 4-0 hammering of Real Madrid in the second leg of the semi-finals on Wednesday (May 17).
Partey has been in stellar form for Arsenal as well. The Ghanaian midfielder has made 31 Premier League appearances for the Gunners this term, scoring three goals.
Rodri and Partey were teammates at Atletico Madrid prior to their respective moves to the Premier League. Both midfielders spent their formative years in the club's academy before earning a spot in the senior team.
Rodri joined Manchester City in the summer of 2019 for around £62 million while Partey moved to Arsenal the following year in a deal worth £45 million.
"There wasn’t enough effort there" - Roy Keane explains why Arsenal have lost the title race against Manchester City
Arsenal are currently second in the league standings, four points behind league leaders Manchester City, having played one more game. A win in their upcoming fixture against Chelsea on Sunday (21 May) would spell victory for the Cityzens.
Manchester United icon Roy Keane has explained why Arsenal have come up short this season. He insists that Mikel Arteta's side have been physically and mentally exhausted in the final stretch of the campaign.
Keane said (via Manchester Evening News):
"When you look at some of the games over the last five or six weeks - particularly West Ham and Southampton stand out for me - I know they dropped points losing at City, they had Liverpool - which can happen, you can’t win every game."
He added:
"They’ve won 25 league games which is fantastic, but the points they lost against West Ham and Southampton definitely knocked them back a little bit. We saw a team today that I think was physically and mentally shot, it really was."
Keane pointed out the Gunners' lack of squad depth as compared to Manchester City's:
"We’d been saying it for a few months, if they had injuries, they’d struggle, and I think the bottom line is they certainly didn’t have the strength in depth of Man City or the experience and better quality in terms of their squad."
Arsenal were in pole position to win the title a few weeks ago but a string of poor results have led Manchester City closer to their third consecutive league title.
