Losing Rodri was a huge blow for Man City, says Lambert

CHENNAI: Manchester City’s form has been poor to say the least. With the 4-2 defeat at Paris St Germain in the Champions League, City, also struggling in the Premier League, find themselves in a precarious situation. They have to win their final CL league match to advance to the next round.
In the absence of defensive midfielder Rodri, City have lacked control and stability in the middle of the park. Former defensive mid-fielder Paul Lambert, who was a key figure in Borussia Dortmund’s CL triumph in the 1996-97 season, spoke about what Rodri brings to the table.
“Losing Rodri was definitely a blow as he plays in a specialised position. Rodri played a massive role in City’s success last season and was rewarded with the Ballon d’Or,” Lambert said on the sideline of the Murugap-pa Youth Academy (MYFA) training on Thursday.
Lambert further mentioned that many have been very critical of Guardiola, and he feels that it should not be the case. “In the last seven years or so, City under Pep have been incredible. While City are having a tough time, I do not think anybody can be really too critical.”
Lambert had a huge role to play for Dortmund in his short one-year spell. The Scotsman was instrumental in keeping Zinedine Zidane quiet in the CL final against Juventus. After several years, when Zidane met Lambert, he said, “Paul Lambert. Ah, bloody hell”. Such was the influence that Lambert had in the title decider.