Pep Guardiola on facing Sporting and Ruben Amorim - MD-1
05/11/2024
Lisbon, Portugal
05/11/2024
Lisbon, Portugal
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Hi Pep, I think two years ago in the last 16 you played sporting here and beat them 5-0.
00:07I'm guessing you don't expect it to be as easy or as sort of, you know, easy as that was or, you know, what sort of challenge are you looking at?
00:15I don't think so.
00:19Why not?
00:25I don't know.
00:26I don't know.
00:30I never think before the game we're going to win four or five, never, never.
00:37So, it's a different game.
00:39There was a knockout stage, it's a different statement and our momentum for the lack of many players is completely different than it was in that time.
00:53May I just ask you, you've lost your last two games, is that just what can happen in an up and down season or have you got deeper concerns?
01:02It's different competition.
01:04We lost one game and, yeah, we have to come back to winning games, of course, but we are in early November so many things are going to happen.
01:15Pep, I mean, we've been talking about Ruben Amorim for a while.
01:23What do you see in this sporting team?
01:27Is it an opponent who has to deal with it tomorrow and come up with a way to win?
01:32What is the main strength of this team?
01:35Well, they play quite similar.
01:37Like we faced two seasons ago, the pattern is so clear.
01:41I think they use the ball possession from back a little bit more than before.
01:47Before, we had a striker two years ago, Pallinha, that was most linked to him.
01:51Now, Gorkaris is quite similar, linked, but his movements in behind are so, so dangerous.
01:56The pace and the control and a good link inside, a good switch of plays, good movements in behind for the people in front.
02:08It's quite a similar pattern to last season.
02:11You know the players, but with the same manager, have the same mentality.
02:17You know, winning the Portuguese league after 20 years, years ago, and last season do it again.
02:24That means how good his job has done here.
02:28Hi Pep, there was some footage earlier from the training session of Erling Haaland sort of lying on the floor.
02:33Is he OK?
02:35No problem.
02:36Is he sort of fit to play?
02:38We have to occupy the news, you know?
02:4024 hours of the news.
02:41You have to make all the news as possible.
02:43So, that's the reason why.
02:46Does he need a break anytime soon?
02:48Is he OK playing sort of every game?
02:53I don't think so.
02:55Maybe international games can rest.
02:59Jack?
03:01Hi Pep, you said about the momentum of the players at the moment.
03:06How many of the squad that you've got here do you think are fully fit?
03:13Most of them.
03:15Manuel and Nathan are still with problems.
03:19Kevin is getting better.
03:21He's adding sessions with less, less, less pain.
03:25So, we feel that he feels more comfortable.
03:29That is a good news, excellent news for him and for all of us.
03:32And Kyle as well.
03:34Problems with his knee.
03:37Since he was with the national team.
03:41Yeah, the rest.
03:43Doku.
03:45Always had a little bit problems in his muscular issues.
03:51Sabinho is getting better with his ankle.
03:55Yeah, the rest are fine.
03:59You said obviously we're in early November and bad results tend to happen in October, November with City.
04:06Is it important to sort of remember what you've done in the past?
04:10Jack, I know our standards, right?
04:14I know our standards.
04:16So, we lost one game in the Premier League.
04:21Maybe we're going to lose against Brighton and against Tottenham and Liverpool and all the games.
04:27But you lost one game.
04:28We are two points behind Liverpool as a top-class team.
04:33We have done quite decent in the Champions League.
04:37I would say really good because the game against Inter that we drew, we played really, really, really good.
04:43So, I understand.
04:44So, I know the people, you expect to win 38 games, 4-5-0 every game.
04:50And win the treble every season because this is our standards.
04:53But this has not happened.
04:54I didn't happen in the beginning of the season.
04:56They will not happen.
04:58And the reason why it's more difficult because we have a lot of absence.
05:01Because during the season, sometimes, their season, this sometimes happens.
05:06That to win the treble, you have to be, everything has to be in the same page.
05:10No injures, good momentum, drop points in the right moments.
05:15And this is not possible this season.
05:17Because Oscar was the most important player in pre-season, was injured and we miss him a lot.
05:23Jack is not, again, still fit, some problems.
05:29And you know the situation for Rodri, the best player in the world.
05:34Nominated the best player is not here for the rest of the season.
05:37When that happens, we know, we know that we are going to struggle.
05:41And that is the point.
05:42Is be able, accept that we are going to struggle.
05:44And it's fine.
05:46So, it's really fine.
05:47So, it will be every game more and more difficult than we had in the previous seasons.
05:51That everything was smooth.
05:53There wasn't problems.
05:55So, the teams is not a situation that always is the same.
06:00So, there is up and downs for depends of personal reasons, for the injures.
06:04Because we won a lot.
06:05Because we won six Premier Leagues in seven years.
06:07And the situations change.
06:10And this is reality.
06:11As much we accept that, and the middle class for the Premier League rise unbelievably.
06:17So, the top class teams always was there.
06:19United, Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal.
06:23Last years at Newcastle, Tottenham.
06:26You know these teams.
06:27But after you see Fulham, you see Brentford, you see Bournemouth, you see...
06:32Sorry, I would say most of the teams.
06:35Lujan suffered against Wolves and Southampton.
06:38So, now the middle, the teams like was in the 8, 10, 11 until...
06:43They are really, really, really, really good.
06:46Strong teams.
06:47So, that's why every team is more difficult.
06:49And you have to accept that they were difficult.
06:51But this is the challenge.
06:52This is.
06:53Maintain there, be in there like we are.
06:55And at the end, we'll see if we are able to arrive in the last month.
06:58Like every season, stages with the chances to fight for the title.
07:02This is the reason.
07:04And the players know it because the players felt it in the last month, two months.
07:09The quality of the teams.
07:11That's why I'm really impressed and really happy.
07:14That we are still there and how we compete.
07:17Bournemouth deserves to win by far.
07:19We're better.
07:20Yes.
07:21In that day, the 3-5 Bournemouth was a better team.
07:25Deserves to win.
07:26That doesn't mean we are bad.
07:27We are a bad team.
07:28We are poor.
07:29We are not going to win the titles or fight for the titles.
07:31That doesn't mean.
07:33So, the teams, when you lose sometimes, it's because the opponents can be better.
07:37Why don't accept it?
07:39Not tomorrow.
07:40We have to improve for the last game.
07:41Getting better.
07:42Getting better.
07:43And hopefully it's going to happen.
07:46Hi Pep.
07:47Ederson has been very good this season.
07:49But you've used Stefan Ortega a few times in the Champions League.
07:53Is he going to play tomorrow?
07:54Yes.
07:55And how difficult is it having two goalkeepers that want to play every week and are this good?
08:01That's really good.
08:03So, we need, in a lot of positions, double, triple players because this season is so long.
08:09Many games and we need it.
08:10But listen, Stefan against Spurs, he's making incredible saves.
08:16When they play the Champions League, they play really good.
08:19But we have to admit, so in games like we were 1-0 down, they make two or three saves
08:24to avoid the 2-0 and help us to come back and win those games.
08:37Hello Pep.
08:38Sorry to go off topic a little bit.
08:39There's some big news from the Premier League today.
08:42Edu is stepping down.
08:45Obviously he's played an important role in turning Arsenal into a title contender.
08:49Is that a setback for Arsenal and a boost for their rivals?
08:52I don't know.
08:57I don't know.
08:59I don't know how they work.
09:00I know everything he does is an incredible job.
09:03But it's a question for Mikel when he's in the press conference.
09:05I don't know.
09:06I can ask you about Chiqui.
09:08I can ask you about Guro Vianna because he's my club.
09:10But Arsenal, I don't know.
09:13I'm not there.
09:15And today Amirim said that since that 5-0, you've improved as a coach.
09:22And he's improved as a coach, but you're still ahead of him.
09:26Do you think that's right?
09:28I don't know.
09:33I don't know.
09:34I don't know.
09:36I'm pretty sure I agree with him that he's an excellent manager and improved a lot.
09:39But this happens when you are a lot of times with the same club, same team.
09:42When the direction, the sport directors go in the same page.
09:46And I had the feeling from outside that Guro Vianna and Ruben were really, really close.
09:51And they make a really good decision.
09:54And I'm pretty sure I'm a better manager now than when I started 40 years ago.
09:58Just for the fact, for the experience.
10:00You live a lot of experience, good and bad, and you learn from that.
10:03You learn from the players.
10:04You learn from many things.
10:05So it's not an issue.
10:09Here at the end, I never pretend to be better than the other one.
10:11Never pretend to be more successful than the other one.
10:15What I pretend is to my team and the game we're going to play, play better than the opening
10:20and deserve to play.
10:22Deserve, sorry, to win the game.
10:24You know?
10:25This is only my target.
10:26And at the end, it's a consequence for these kind of things.
10:33What do you think of Hugo Vianna?
10:35Obviously he's done a very good job here, but he's got big shoes to step into at City.
10:40What do you think about the job he's done here?
10:43I'm looking forward to speak with him for this season.
10:47But I think he's in touch with Ferran Soriano, with Chiqui a lot.
10:55And hopefully, maybe in the next month or weeks, we'll be in touch.
11:02Pepe Mportes, Bruno Fernandes for Record.
11:32What did Manchester City say to Hugo Vianna to replace someone who you have a lot of confidence in?
11:45I don't speak Portuguese.
11:49I can say a few words.
11:51I don't speak Portuguese.
11:53Shall I reply in Spanish or in English?
11:57As regards the second question, I think that Ferran asked Chiqui about possible replacements.
12:08And I think that Hugo was the first choice, the first option.
12:13And as alternatives, but it was a decision by the club.
12:19I didn't intervene in this matter because I don't know the directors.
12:25What I would like to say is that that is very important.
12:33Ruben Amorim has been known for many years.
12:36They know about the way he plays, the way he looks at.
12:41There's nothing better for a trainer than working for a team that is convinced that the coach is the right coach.
12:50For many years, Porto and Benfica were the key teams in Portugal.
12:57And Ruben was able to put Sporting at the top.
13:00If he did so, then it's because he did things right.
13:05I think he's done very well in Portugal as well as in Europe.
13:14I can ask you in Spanish.
13:16I would like to ask the following.
13:18When you play against, when someone plays against City,
13:22you fear City because it's one of the best teams in the world.
13:25But when you look at this team, when you think that the team wants to play against you
13:36and look you in the eyes, although they lost the last match 5-0,
13:40and considering that the coach is playing his last.
13:44Well, I recall that the last match was a draw, 0-0, not 5-0.
13:50So lessons are and were learned.
13:57I don't expect something else.
13:58When a team wins the championship, they win the championship by being,
14:04by adapting to the opponents they face.
14:09Tomorrow they will play the way they feel they should play.
14:13We will see how we play as well.
14:16Maybe we will have to defend more, where they will attack more.
14:19Maybe one team will defend more than the other, but I hope that it is a good match.
14:28Whether we are able to have a good, positive result, well, we'll see tomorrow.
14:33Our main goal is to play well and during this stage of the Champions League.
14:44I would like to ask you, what can Ruben AmarÃn do?
14:51Whether you would like to have in your team someone like Victor Jokic?
14:57We have Erling Haaland.
15:00And as regards your question, I...
15:05Well, what I tell my colleagues is that I wish them all well.
15:09But I don't know, I can't ask you a question.
15:15Ask me if we will be the champions this year, I can't know.
15:18Ask me tomorrow if we are going to win.
15:21I don't know.
15:24That's how it is.
15:27I don't know what the future will be.