The Spanish player was brought on in halftime and made 52 passes as Man City pressed to find the decisive goal.
This is Rodri's first appearance since only entering the field in a short minute against Bournemouth in early November 2025, after more than a year of struggling with injury.
Although Man City did not score a goal at the Stadium of Light, Guardiola emphasized the influence of the 2024 Golden Ball winner on the home team's performance.
“Rodri changed the game. In just 45 minutes, he proved himself to be the best in his position.
Football is about players, in preparation we have difficulties and with Rodri everything is much less difficult.
He has broken the defense, helping us move better. After a year and a half without him in the squad, clearly we miss him very much. Hopefully after Rodri returns, he can help us become a stronger team," Guardiola said.
Man City had a few impressive scoring opportunities, with Erling Haaland and Josko Gvardiol both forcing Robin Roefs to make excellent saves, while Savinho shot the ball over the crossbar from close range.
The first goalless draw of the season left Man City four points behind league leaders Arsenal, but Guardiola said he was satisfied with the team's performance against an unbeaten opponent at home this season.
This is a good match, really good, especially in the second half. The first half was quite balanced, we almost scored a goal in the penalty area.
We had many good plays against a great team, but I am very proud and happy about how we played at a difficult stadium against a tough opponent. We did everything to win but couldn't," Guardiola added.
Man City's next match is against Chelsea at home.
