Guardiola on injured players returns, Phillips and Nunes form
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00:00 Hi Pep, just looking forward to the next three games,
00:02 you're going to have to play without Rodri now, presumably.
00:05 Oh, you know the sentence already?
00:07 Three games is?
00:08 I think violent conduct will be three games.
00:09 Oh yeah?
00:10 Is it done?
00:11 Well, presumably you don't appeal it will be three games.
00:13 They call us?
00:14 If we want to appeal, I think...
00:16 Automatic three games?
00:17 Yeah.
00:18 Could be ready after Arsenal, don't worry.
00:21 I'm sure that'll be fine.
00:23 How do you cope without him, because you know how important he is?
00:25 We play with 11 in Emirates Stadium, that's for sure.
00:29 Who do you use him?
00:30 I don't know now.
00:32 He played really good today, for the type of game we need,
00:35 defensively, keep the ball and run, it was amazing.
00:38 I'm so pleased with him because he's an incredible guy.
00:41 Never on bad phases, he didn't play the minutes,
00:43 I know he's a player for the national team from England,
00:45 and with me and with us he didn't play much,
00:48 but he played really good, he helped us a lot.
00:51 Jack, when it comes around.
00:53 How close is Matteo Kovacic to a return?
00:58 Soon.
01:00 Soon.
01:01 Tomorrow I think he's going to train with the team already.
01:03 Today he made a partial, but we didn't take a risk
01:06 with the injury he had in the heel in front of the leg.
01:09 It's risky than in other places, but tomorrow he'll start to train.
01:14 And given he's able to play in a number of different positions,
01:17 is he probably the most likely midfielder to be able to do the job?
01:22 No, I don't know.
01:23 Still I didn't think.
01:25 Still I didn't think about that.
01:27 No, no, now it's go home, tomorrow day off,
01:31 training day off afterwards, and prepare the game in Newcastle,
01:35 and we'll see how players we have available.
01:37 We'll be good for Jack, take minutes, we'll be good for Rodri,
01:41 and of course some players have a lot of minutes
01:43 they aren't going to play against Newcastle, that's for sure.
01:46 So Carabao Cup is perfect when you are in the beginning of the season,
01:49 because the game is a competition at the beginning of the season,
01:51 you have all the squad, the best squad,
01:53 for the guys that don't play regularly, they have to play the minutes, that's perfect.
01:56 But we have a lot of injuries, I'm not going to waste 1% of energy for Carabao Cup,
02:00 like Kyle Walker, for example, like Ruben,
02:03 playing 90 minutes, because they are exhausted already.
02:07 And we cannot lose it.
02:08 So that's why we're going to play with the guys who need it,
02:10 maybe for the academy, maybe for my back is getting better,
02:14 maybe a few minutes, so we'll see.
02:18 Paul over the far side, please.
02:20 Just on Rodri's red card, are you going to appeal it?
02:24 I had to talk to the club, for my personality I will not do it.
02:29 For me it's not three games, that is another point, but the rules are the rules.
02:34 I'm not going here to change it.
02:37 For me it's not three games before he has done it,
02:39 it's not done before, but apart from that, he has to learn.
02:45 He has to learn, and hopefully it doesn't happen again.
02:50 Just on Calvin, you talked about how he continues to train well,
02:54 even though he's not playing, how much do you admire that as part of his personality?
03:00 We knew it when he was in Leeds, we asked a lot for his mates,
03:03 he was an exceptional guy.
03:06 So I know sometimes he struggles for something that we need,
03:10 in the small spaces, to be quicker than the other one,
03:12 having another type of quality, but the game today we needed was to be there,
03:17 to be the second ball, to keep the ball, to make actions, to buy lines,
03:21 and the personality in long balls, even in the corners,
03:25 because we knew it, a lot of crosses, the way they play,
03:28 he was a lot, he was a lot at the end.
03:31 When you have this spirit with the team, everyone this season is amazing.
03:36 What we have in all guys, everyone makes his contribution,
03:42 and that's why we are still where we are.
03:45 I'll throw my mask in, please, guys.
03:47 How impressed have you been with the way Nunez has settled in?
03:50 Really good.
03:52 Sometimes I have to stay more calm in the position,
03:55 but I have that dynamic, and the game today,
03:57 give the ball dribble and drop the openings down,
04:00 it looks like Neve is tired, because his actions are 50-20 metres,
04:05 but we knew it for a sport that Lisboa has done it as well,
04:08 as well from balls, and we asked Lopetegui, who is a friend of ours,
04:13 and all the opinions were really, really good,
04:16 and having special runners, good finishing,
04:21 can play in two or three positions.
04:25 So, yeah, the last two games played against Red Bull,
04:28 and today was a key point, it was really, really important.
04:31 When you played against him for a sport in Lisbon,
04:33 he said he was one of the best players in the world afterwards.
04:35 Maybe I exaggerated a bit. He's not.
04:39 He's a really good player, but sometimes...
04:42 Maybe I said this comment after 1-5, I don't know how many it was.
04:45 - It was five. - Five, no?
04:48 It was a little bit, but he's an exceptional player.
04:51 - Exceptional player. - Thank you, guys.
04:54 Thank you.
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