Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on the need to rotate players after their 2-0 Premier League win over Everton
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00:00 How conscious are you of rotating the squad at the moment and making sure everyone is as fresh as possible?
00:07 It's important. A few players don't play, maybe we'll rotate them against Tuesday.
00:13 You know, minutes for Manu, Manu suffered a lack of rhythm and generally Elvira is struggling as well.
00:19 The second half they felt better. So the best moments for Manu and Kaji, I thought they didn't have time but they could continue, they were much better.
00:27 When they moved inside in the last season, the ball was incredible. This season it's not so fluid.
00:34 Last season they were injured and when you're injured you don't have the rhythm that you need.
00:39 There are many, many things and aspects but the fact of how they run, how they train every day, how they compete, still is there.
00:47 Otherwise it could not be there, that's for sure. We won all the games in the Champions League.
00:52 Now we are one game ahead, we are there. So the team had the feeling they still want it.
00:59 And as much as they want it, it will be a problem for the opponents. As much as they want it, it will be a problem for the opponents. That's for sure.
01:06 Back to the Champions League on Tuesday. You said when the draw was made you'll see how the team are in February when the tie comes around.
01:15 You couldn't be in a much better place, could you really?
01:18 No, against Copenhagen. I have a group against Bayern Munich, against United, Galatasaray, one of the toughest groups they go through.
01:28 We played two years ago against them, we could not win that. I still didn't see them.
01:34 Today I relaxed but tomorrow I'm going to start to watch it carefully. I want to listen to my staff, what they saw.
01:41 From my experience, first leg, last 16, always tricky. My experience, always difficult.
01:50 Except this war we won 0-5-0-6 but the five shoots on target, five goals.
01:55 And this is not an analysis. But always have been difficult. And will be. Will be.
02:02 You won all six games in the group stage. Do you feel like being the champions now, do you feel that's made your team more confident in this competition?
02:09 I'm sorry, I know for the money I'm so happy. That's for sure.
02:16 Hi Pep, you spoke before about how important it is having Kevin and Erling back now.
02:22 How big a part of this season has that spell where they weren't together been? You missed Kevin for four months, Erling for two months.
02:28 Listen, I said they are fresh of course. I said before, Erling when he came back in the pre-season said 'I'm still tired'.
02:36 No refresh for this schedule, it's normal. Now he's fresh because he was injured two months.
02:41 I said before, for the way we play, don't change much. But these guys help us to win games.
02:46 And give us today was a proof. A ball there, Erling, ciao ciao, go home.
02:51 Without him maybe we could not do it. Maybe we cannot. So they have special qualities these guys.
02:56 So the 1-1-1-1, that's from Kevin to Phil to score the second.
03:02 So in Brentford. So you have the ability in the final third to create something that is not in the statistics,
03:07 is not in the books, is not in the genius managers and so on.
03:11 They are from them. So and that have them, 90 minutes or 30 minutes or 45 minutes, it's better.
03:20 Does it feel big for the squad what they've achieved without them to put you in this position?
03:24 I hope.
03:27 Now we are going to say everything is going to solve for Kevin and Erling. So we are here without them.
03:32 And still we are there. But with them we are stronger.
03:35 We have to be a clever men to realise that. Of course it is stronger, but I'm not going to undermine
03:44 all that the mates have done with Julian, with Phil, with Bernardo. Absolutely. And they know it.
03:50 Most important thing is Kevin and Erling, they know it. That's why we are strong too.
03:55 They are incredible characters of the team. We have a team like huge personalities in the difficult moments.
04:01 Otherwise we would not be here again and again.
04:04 Thank you guys. Thank you.
04:06 Peace.
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