Guardiola on City last gasp draw with 10-man Arsenal
22/09/2024
Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Uk
22/09/2024
Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Uk
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Good evening guys, take a show of hands so we know who to come to, we'll set an embargo
00:21towards the end as a Watford preview, so that'll be embargoed for 1.30 on Monday afternoon.
00:27We'll start with Simon, please.
00:32Pep, can you just sum up your emotions after that?
00:35You obviously scored early, considered a controversial goal,
00:40then it looks as though it's slipping away from you, and then you score in the 98th minute.
00:4798 or 97, because it's not just seven minutes, no more than that.
00:51It was, I would say, many, many things happened in the second three or four of the later games,
01:01and we started really well, we still have this passion inside of us, fighting inside ourselves,
01:06to fight with a team like the last two years, the contender to steal our Premier League,
01:14and still we are there, and we started really well with a fantastic goal,
01:19and we have incredible moments. After the goal we conceded,
01:24so the referee asked the captains to go there, and you have to organise better,
01:30because we know the arsenal, every time the freaky contact really quick with Martinelli and Saka.
01:35Apart from that, we were well set up, Kyle arrived in the position after Califiori to make an exceptional goal,
01:41but you have to organise better the second half, the second goal we didn't defend well,
01:45you have to be better with Gabriel, but give credit to them, because it happened with all the clubs,
01:53not just Man City, so incredible taker, and Gabriel is so strong,
01:56they block a lot of players in the first post when they decide to first post,
02:01and in the first post, when they're in the far post, always they block, and they block a lot to Eddie,
02:06and Gabriel is so strong in that position, so give credit to them,
02:10because it happened every game, and every game they were able to do it.
02:16But the game at 10 against 11 is different, because of course they defend so, so deep,
02:21and you can cross, but with White, Califiori, Saliba, Gabriel, Wright, Sparta, it's not easy,
02:28but give credit to Arsenal, they're really good, because they defend blocks,
02:32they defend crosses, they defend all together, and make the game slow,
02:37and we were so smart, we were so smart to not make quick actions,
02:42and we were so smart to not concede fouls, so the long balls were fouls,
02:46and the actions across, second balls, don't touch them, don't touch them,
02:49and that is really good, because the game continues, and at the end,
02:53we could have scored before, we scored at the end, and yeah, a good point for us.
02:59James?
03:00Hi, Pep. Can you just tell us what this challenge from Mikel and from Arsenal does for you personally,
03:07and for your team, in terms of keeping you honest, keeping you on your toes?
03:13And also, can you tell us what's wrong with Rodri?
03:16Keeping our toes?
03:18We are?
03:20Huh?
03:21We are.
03:23We are a perfect team, we are.
03:26So, of course, the reality is the last two years, we got contenders,
03:30that was before with Jurgen, so different ways, but of course,
03:35it's an exception, a tough team, we know it, but we faced them,
03:38and unfortunately, you know, it's 90 minutes, many things happen,
03:43they are able to do many, many, many good things, and we were there,
03:48and at the end, yeah, we take a point.
03:53Sam?
03:55I don't know yet. I didn't ask to the doctors.
04:00Hi, Pep. Can you explain how difficult it was to face that 10-men block in the second half?
04:06Because it seemed like the only outlet you had was the centre-backs taking shots,
04:10maybe putting it across into the box, and that was it.
04:12Obviously, it didn't look like it was leading anywhere.
04:14How difficult was it to change that?
04:16Space is not there in between, they defend really well,
04:19they equalise the last line with five or six players,
04:22Kovac and Ruben are destined for the shoot,
04:25but they are not the best.
04:27Maybe it would have been different, or maybe I thought to put Ruben in the right,
04:31and you know, I doubt, that's why I delayed the substitution for Kybe,
04:36Kybe is really, really good with shoot,
04:39and crosses, but as I said before, crosses except Erling Haaland,
04:42and now maybe John at the end, last 15-20 minutes,
04:45they are stronger than us, and the space is there, so it's difficult.
04:48But the most important thing in that position,
04:50when we lose the ball, and Raya has the ball,
04:52and long balls to Havertz, that is phenomenal in this situation,
04:55because again, the second ball in front,
04:57and the second falling behind, with runners from Timber,
05:00or I would say from Martinelli,
05:03we didn't make faults,
05:05with the faults, I stayed one minute late,
05:07and long balls, and we didn't concede much.
05:09They were so, so smart,
05:11they were so brilliant to interpret these kind of things,
05:13and that's a question of passion, a question of talent,
05:16a question of, look, one corner, Bernardo, direct,
05:19nothing, short, Jacques Relish created space in the edge,
05:22and after shoot, block,
05:24Raya made two or three or four saves,
05:26but the second ball was not with us there,
05:28and the last one was John there.
05:30So at the end, that position is just a little bit chaotic,
05:33a little bit lucky, a little bit of deflections,
05:35because it's difficult.
05:37I know it's 10-11,
05:39again, congratulations to Arsenal
05:41to be so strong mentally,
05:43to block in a long, long time, 45 minutes,
05:46that is not easy,
05:48but at the same time, we were patient to do it.
05:51Hi, Pep, at the back,
05:53what Arsenal do at the offensive corners,
05:56particularly around your goalkeeper,
05:59as you say they do it every week,
06:01is that legal, what they do?
06:03Question to the referees.
06:04What do you think?
06:05I don't think.
06:06You must think.
06:07No, no, I don't have relations with the referees,
06:09I don't think, I don't go to the meetings.
06:11If you were watching on the television, what would you think?
06:16I don't think.
06:18I'm sorry, Ian, I don't think.
06:20Let me know what you think.
06:21I don't want it, you know that?
06:23It's a question, it's a block,
06:25and sometimes there are blocks in positions
06:27like make a block and the other one,
06:29sometimes it's disallowed, sometimes it's goal,
06:31but honestly,
06:33I don't know, I don't know.
06:35My concern,
06:37so, I want to be honest,
06:39so when the referee asks to the car walker
06:42to go 20 miles away from his position,
06:44maybe we have to wait that,
06:46but we have to organise better.
06:48In the second ball, we can block,
06:50I don't know Edison,
06:52but we have to defend better, Gabriel,
06:54and Kyle didn't do that.
06:55So, that's why it's always with our successes,
06:58they bring us this type of game, Arsenal,
07:02we have to handle it.
07:03They bring in that type of game,
07:05we have to handle it, and we did it.
07:07So always there is an action,
07:08because Kyle can be there,
07:09but Ruben, with Kovac, with Roddy,
07:11have to organise the position.
07:12One player has to be in front
07:14to take quick, you know,
07:16at least to try to avoid the yellow car,
07:18but we're there.
07:19So always there is an action
07:20that we can do better,
07:21we can do better.
07:22But next time, I will say to my players,
07:24when the referee asks,
07:25come to talk to me,
07:26I will say, no, no, no,
07:27come here to me.
07:28So we will not go.
07:32So, Pep, just on that,
07:33do you feel Kyle should have been afforded
07:36a bit more time to get back into his position?
07:40No, maybe not,
07:41because with someone there,
07:42Kyle doesn't have time to go,
07:43but we have to switch across.
07:44Ruben and Central,
07:45holding midfield,
07:46they go there,
07:47the back four,
07:48and organise the line.
07:49But we knew it,
07:50we talked today.
07:51It's a team that falls completely quick,
07:52quick, quick, throw,
07:53it's quick,
07:54and play there in that position.
07:55You have to know,
07:56in that level,
07:57this is one of the best teams
07:58of the world, Arsenal.
08:00By far.
08:01All actions,
08:02how they defend,
08:03how they attack,
08:04in short, in long,
08:05in many things,
08:06they're really, really,
08:07really, really good.
08:08And this time of mistakes,
08:10at the end,
08:11we punish them.
08:12I thought it was a mistake
08:13that I had,
08:14but as a captain,
08:15when I shoot,
08:16I go there.
08:17But someone has to avoid the cross
08:18and we have to organise
08:19all the time.
08:20We improve.
08:21And just on Rodri,
08:22I know you're saying
08:23you don't know,
08:24you've not spoke to the doctor yet,
08:25players often have good instincts
08:28on these things,
08:29and Rodri looked really,
08:31really concerned
08:32as did his teammates
08:33on the pitch,
08:34and when he was walking off
08:35he looked very worried.
08:36Do you think the player
08:37is concerned
08:38that he might have done something
08:40potentially quite serious
08:41to his knee?
08:42I don't know,
08:43I didn't speak with the doctor.
08:44But I mean,
08:45did you get any sense
08:46from Rodri himself?
08:47Rodri is a strong man.
08:48If he leaves the pitch
08:52and this action,
08:54he felt something.
08:55Otherwise,
08:56Rodri would stay there.
08:58Rodri is a vocal guy,
09:00he's present,
09:01he's the best holding midfielder
09:02in the world.
09:03Potential,
09:04I would say,
09:05potential Ballon d'Or winner,
09:07I would love it.
09:08So it's important
09:10that it happens.
09:11So in the end
09:12it will happen in the first minutes
09:13and the other one.
09:15This is the type of game
09:16with Arsenal
09:17it's like that.
09:20We have to handle it.
09:21We have to handle it
09:22for many, many aspects
09:23like we're not used
09:24and we have to handle it.
09:25And we did it.
09:26In many things
09:27we did really,
09:28really,
09:29really good things.