Rodri Dreaming of Making History with Manchester City

After spending his first year at the Etihad Stadium trying unsuccessfully to fit into the Fernandinho mould, Rodri has finally come good. The Spaniard has carved his own image at the base of City’s midfield acting as the fulcrum upon which the team’s success revolves. Brilliant on the ball as with a pen, the 26-year-old has excelled in both the pitch and the classroom.

His influence in the team has been increasing with time such that he has become one of the most important voices in the dressing room. And when the occasion calls for it is also willing to step up and provide inspiration four other players. When the team is struggling and badly needs a goal he has also shown they can be the go-to man.

His last-gasp goal against Arsenal last season gave Manchester City a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium. In a season that City ended up winning the league title on the last day, the Spaniard played an important role in helping City retain the title.

Is also proving to be key for City this season as one of Pep Guardiola's most trusted men. A superb goal against Bayern Munich in the Champions League that paved the way to a 3-0 win at the Etihad Stadium has been the highlight of his campaign so far. But that's just the tip of the iceberg as he has been very important as the glue holding together City's defence and attack.

With the team now looking at the prospect of winning the treble this season, he has voiced his expectations. Quite ambitious and not afraid to dream big, the 26-year-old is looking forward to the possibility of a huge achievement this season.

"I would love this. I would love [it]," he said in an interview while responding to a question on the possibility of City winning the Treble this season.

"Maybe you can spend three years to achieve the FA Cup, the Premier League and the Champions League. But if you do it in one season and you were able to win three with the same team and all those games!? It talks more.

"All 23 players in the squad will all be important if we are to do this. We’re alive in all the competitions, we know we can do this so we’re there. It would be the first time and massive for the club.

Having suffered many heartbreaks in his time at the Etihad Stadium particularly in the Champions League, Rodri is under any illusion that the achievement is going to come easy.

Despite dominating England and winning trophies on a yearly basis after Guardiola's first season in charge, the team has continuously fallen short on the continent. Sometimes the collapse has been inexplicable, getting knocked out by teams like Monaco, Lyon and Tottenham.

And when the team did manage to get to the final, a combination of mistakes from the manager and the players led to a shock defeat against Chelsea. The team deserved to win the trophy in each of the last five seasons based on its performance alone. But little mistakes here and there have proved costly.

However, the lessons have been learnt on each occasion and it seems the team is now well-placed to put things right this time around.

"Football doesn’t understand about deserving [something]. You have to grab it. 100 per cent we have learned what happened in the last minutes," Rodri acknowledged.

"It’s something you have to have in mind. It’s not like, ‘Oh it happened’. No, it can happen but you can try to learn from it.

"So we focus on the next one because [looking back] is not going to help. We’ve been great the last months and we just want to keep the same level. In my opinion, if we keep with this same level we’ve been doing I think we’re unstoppable but we have to show it on the pitch."

The focus is not only on the Champions League but on wrapping things up in the Premier League and getting one past Manchester United in the FA Cup final. Fortunately for Rodri, he has the opportunity to be in the thick of action and help make his and the club's dreams come true.