Pep Guardiola on youthful Manchester City's 3-2 UEFA Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade
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00:00 Good evening guys, hope you're well. Same process again with mics on either side.
00:08 If you can raise your hands so we know to come to you.
00:11 We'll take questions from English speaking media first and follow up with Serbian.
00:14 Mic please, just here at the front. Thank you.
00:17 There's a famous picture of you and Micah Hamilton when he was the ball boy.
00:27 He was a ball boy and you had your arm around him.
00:34 You obviously don't remember.
00:37 Six years ago.
00:40 Look at him. Wow, he grew up.
00:46 Look at that. What a goal.
00:49 And what a game. So happy for him.
00:52 He's training quite often with us and we saw his skills at front, one against one.
00:58 And he made a fantastic goal and a penalty.
01:01 When he could not make one against one, he gave extra passes.
01:05 Defensively he was aggressive. Congratulations for the whole academy over the last years.
01:09 How many players came up, how many players we sell.
01:13 Playing already in the Premier League, in the Championship and even more.
01:19 We came in and after we conceded a goal and how stable we were after that.
01:23 He played really well as well.
01:26 So very pleased for Micah and for his debut.
01:30 Young players have to work so hard to get into this team.
01:38 How pleasing is it for you and Micah and Oscar and others to take the opportunities that they're given?
01:45 It's not easy to give opportunities in that level because in the big clubs people don't wait.
01:50 But the situation that we had was really, really good.
01:53 I was a little bit up at the end. I was tied to put Max to play because as a central defender
01:58 I always have a special quality with the ball but the game was a little bit not under control.
02:04 But it's a big compliment for the academy for many, many years.
02:09 You know Cole Palmer was here, now you know Cole and Brahim Diaz.
02:15 Many, many players came from here for many years.
02:17 Romelu Lavia, Joe Trafford and Gabi Vazuno.
02:21 So many, many players now playing in the Premier League, in the Championship
02:25 because the academy are working really well.
02:27 At the end as a manager for this team I just get the work is behind the scenes
02:30 for many, many years for the scouting, for everything.
02:33 But it's really good to see them and maybe can help us.
02:36 I think Oscar is a reality. The goal he has done is unbelievable.
02:39 So it's really, really top class goal like Oscar has done.
02:43 And yeah, very pleased for the result, for the performance in general.
02:50 The effort for everyone, how the seniors helped the young lads.
02:56 And of course, win helps to win.
02:59 It happened against Luton that helped us a lot to win today
03:03 and hopefully this victory can help us for the next games.
03:06 Everyone was delighted to see Calvin score.
03:09 Was it the players who decided that he would take the penalty?
03:12 He's an incredible good taker of penalties.
03:14 I know Phil has the ambition to do it.
03:17 But Calvin is an incredible penalty taker, really, really good.
03:21 And the game was not over and for his confidence.
03:24 And for his game it was a difficult game because they decided to make man to man
03:28 on the pitch, so aggressive, a lot of interruption, a lot of fouls.
03:31 It was not easy to play comfortably.
03:35 But in the right moment we found our quality, we could do it.
03:39 Just on Calvin, what do you expect to happen with him in January?
03:44 Do you expect him to...
03:46 I don't know what's going to happen.
03:48 And of course, I don't know.
03:51 So now he's here, a lot of games still since the end of January.
03:55 And hopefully he can help us.
03:59 And also, perhaps six out of six now in the Champions League.
04:02 He must be delighted with that.
04:04 Especially for Ranzoriano.
04:06 He's incredibly happy because for his budget it's really, really good.
04:13 Rico Luis is also a young player, but he has already played many games for City.
04:22 We see how he can keep the ball in difficult situations and many other things.
04:27 What should he improve to be a world-class player in the future?
04:32 He's just 18, 19 years old.
04:35 19 years old last month.
04:38 It's always an incredible average.
04:40 Rico is always 7, 7, 7.
04:42 7 to 8, not 7 to 6.
04:45 Always his ability is unbelievable.
04:49 He can play in different positions, in the middle, in the right, left, in the pockets.
04:55 He's so good defensively.
04:58 Apparently he doesn't look like it, but he's really, really good.
05:01 He's so intuitive in action, defensively, offensively.
05:04 And he plays an exceptional game.
05:07 We're not scared a lot when we allow him to play.
05:11 But not just to Mateu, with his speed, his pace.
05:15 He's a typical player that we don't have.
05:18 We have a lot of players with the pockets, but with this pace,
05:21 Mateu and Mateu have a special thing.
05:23 Mateu plays really, really good.
05:25 It's important for us, for them, because we will need him.
05:28 They were injured and come back for the routine.
05:30 It's important for our future.
05:32 Do you have any questions in Serbian?
05:35 Are we good?
05:37 Okay.
05:38 Okay. Good night. Thank you.
05:40 Maybe just the last one here, please.
05:49 Hello, Mr. Guardiola. Congratulations on your win.
05:53 I would like to ask you one question.
05:56 Wait, wait. Sorry.
05:58 Sorry, sorry, because I don't understand.
06:00 You're going to try.
06:02 Congratulations on your win.
06:04 I would like to ask you one question.
06:06 At the end of your career, when you played in Qatar,
06:09 there was some information that you had a red star offer.
06:14 Do you remember that?
06:16 Do you remember that and can you say something about that?
06:19 I don't remember.
06:23 Thank you.
06:26 I don't have the feeling I had an offer when I was
06:30 an absolutely old player to come here, so I don't remember.
06:34 Okay. Thank you.
06:35 You're welcome.
06:36 Thank you.
06:37 Thank you.