Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on City's struggles for form and dangerous Brighton
14/03/2025
CGA, Manchester, UK
14/03/2025
CGA, Manchester, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Good evening, guys, hope you're well, same process as ever,
00:03we'll set an embargo partway through for 10.30 this evening.
00:06We'll start with Simon, please.
00:08Hello, Pep, nice to see you again.
00:09I see you've got the City in the Community jumper on,
00:13we're told that the stadium will be renamed tomorrow,
00:16the City in the Community Etihad Stadium.
00:18You've been here almost a decade now,
00:20so is it possible to explain your thoughts and your feelings
00:23about what this community means to you, this club and the people?
00:27Everybody knows it.
00:29This is not just a football club,
00:32so you're part of the area, the city,
00:35to help people with problems or no problems,
00:39to be involved in not just a football club,
00:41to score goals or concede goals.
00:44And for many, many years, they are involved in many, many things
00:47and be part of that is so nice.
00:49I said many times in the toughest moments,
00:51I would say in all around the world, it was a COVID time.
00:54This club shows an unbelievable thing for the workers in this club
00:58and the community like no other club has done, so it's really good.
01:02And what does that mean for you as well?
01:04I know you pretty much love this city and this club and the people now,
01:08so what does it mean when things like that do happen?
01:10No, I'll explain right now and be part of that.
01:14So when the club does something,
01:17I'm part of that club in good things and bad things and everything.
01:20So when they are involved in that, I feel part.
01:24And you know, the people love the clubs,
01:26not just for the...
01:27There is something that you support one club for many, many, many reasons.
01:32It's not a joke. It's better than the other ones.
01:36There are a lot of supporters of the club just because they love it.
01:39But there's something when you are a boy or older,
01:42something attached to you and you became part of this.
01:45And it doesn't matter the success or no success.
01:48It's Brighton and now Valbion here tomorrow as well.
01:52On a rich vein of form with 1-6,
01:55or of those being in the Premier League as well,
01:57is it possible to cast your mind back to the game back in November
02:01at their place and what that was like
02:03and how you feel about their current form now?
02:07I think Brighton is one of the best clubs working on and off the pitch.
02:13So I think you start with Raheem Pota.
02:17So they are making a step.
02:19And after with Roberto Acerbi and now with this exceptional young manager,
02:25he's doing incredible good things.
02:29So it's not a surprise, I would say,
02:32because they are doing really, really well in the market
02:36and in the way they play.
02:38And they are absolutely one of the toughest.
02:41Like I said, in the past, there are many, many teams that years ago,
02:47especially when I arrived, was in the middle position or bottom or whatever.
02:51And they make an incredible step up in terms of organisation,
02:56in terms of the consistency for many, many years.
02:59And that is a reality.
03:00So it's not a secret, like what they are doing for many years.
03:05So being in the position that they are right now
03:07is because they are doing really, really good things
03:10and the table, they deserve to be there.
03:12Hi Pep, in terms of your team,
03:16I think most people see an improvement,
03:19but obviously results like last week show that you've not got back yet
03:25to the standards that you've set for your team.
03:29Do you think that is possible this season
03:31or is that going to be a kind of transitional process
03:36over the next few months really?
03:37No, we have to reach the best, highest possible level
03:41to qualify for Europe next season, definitely.
03:46So we have to be consistent as much as possible.
03:49We know that we have 10 games left, six at home, four away.
03:53At home, we have tough, tough games like Brighton,
03:56like would be, of course, Aston Villa, Bournemouth.
04:01And most of the games are really, really, really tough.
04:06And we have to do it better,
04:10to do it better because there are many, many teams in this target.
04:15And we missed an important chance last week that we deserve,
04:23because we do things that we are not,
04:26like we define or we define in the past as a team.
04:29At the end, we concede few.
04:32The goal and now the action that is safe,
04:34no more than that, and the team had been really good.
04:38But still of that, we are not like we are.
04:40So that's why when I don't like the way we played
04:45and we don't win, it's fine.
04:47So I like to deserve the success.
04:49I like to deserve what we win.
04:51And so far that game, we didn't deserve it.
04:55Fabio Capello came out with a slightly extraordinary statement
05:00given his status in the game and your status in the game
05:03when he was kind of assessing your managerial style,
05:08calling you arrogant earlier this week.
05:11And then he said that you'd almost ruined Italian football
05:14because everybody wanted to play the way that you do.
05:18Do you listen to things like that from such a person
05:23who's achieved so much in his own managerial career?
05:25I listen to everything that people say about me, everything.
05:29So be careful.
05:32I am controlling you.
05:34It's not the first time that Mr. Fabio Capello said that.
05:36So I'm not good enough to ruin Italian football.
05:42Italian football is much, much important the way we do it.
05:47A big hug from Fabio, big hug.
05:53In terms of getting the players to the levels
05:56that you want them to achieve, having full week training,
06:00is that proving really useful at the minute?
06:02You've obviously had no week football.
06:04We had last season against Nottingham, and it didn't work.
06:11Are you getting the chance...
06:14You'd get more chance now than you would
06:16if you were in the Champions League, for example,
06:18to work with the new signings from January.
06:20Are you seeing that step up?
06:23I would say completely the opposite.
06:26Because in the past we have all the contention
06:28and all the competitions and look how it works.
06:32We have to prove that we can do it
06:33without playing every three or four days.
06:37Just one on Brighton, in this race for fourth
06:40with you for the Champions League?
06:42In Bournemouth, in Aston Villa, in Newcastle.
06:46Maybe Fulham will be there.
06:50A fantastic team, so it's not a surprise.
06:54I had the feeling that when Newcastle are there,
06:56or Brighton, Bournemouth, they deserve it.
06:59They are really good, consistent,
07:00they have incredible weapons in the way they play.
07:04It's a big fight, and I give it an incredible...
07:08It's not like a disappointment to be here.
07:10It's like a challenge to say,
07:12oh God, if we are able to achieve that,
07:16to qualify for the Champions League,
07:18it would be a huge success from my point of view.
07:21Many things happen, it would be a huge success.
07:24I don't have it like playing for that.
07:26No, completely the opposite.
07:28There are seasons in life, in sport,
07:30that you have to live that, and OK.
07:33Even in that, it's in our hands, it depends on us.
07:35We don't have to look at anything as our performance.
07:38We don't have to recover, I don't know,
07:39eight, ten points to go there,
07:41and wait that the opponents,
07:42two, three or four opponents,
07:44they have to lose many, many games.
07:46So, it's not, it's just about us.
07:48So, it depends on our behaviours and our football.
07:52We'll be there or not.
07:55Hi Pep, Jack Grealish was on the bench
07:58against Nottingham Forest.
07:59He's lost his place in the England squad as well.
08:02What more do you want to see from him,
08:04especially to get more minutes for City
08:05and maybe even kick on back for England?
08:08I don't know.
08:09I've spoken with Jack many times.
08:10I want the best for him.
08:11I want, you know, his best.
08:16So, I cannot judge the reason why.
08:19And of course, as a manager, in that case,
08:22it's like you asked me, for the England national manager.
08:27And I wish him all the best.
08:29So, the best for him and the best on the pitch
08:31and off the pitch, this is what I want.
08:34Is he showing you those levels in training
08:35at the moment where you want to see it?
08:36Yeah.
08:38And just very quickly as well,
08:39there was some criticism of Ederson in the last game.
08:42There was deflection on the shot from Forest,
08:44but is he still performing at the levels
08:47you want to see at the moment, Ederson?
08:48Ederson is an incredible keeper.
08:51An incredible one.
08:53So, these are my thoughts.
08:56Nine years together and nine years together
08:58and I've been outstanding.
09:02Pep, we had a big Champions League week
09:05and it was a bit weird, different,
09:07not to see your Manchester City involved.
09:10I don't know if that hurts
09:11and if that missing out feeling could be used?
09:14No, it doesn't hurt.
09:15People say, oh, I don't have any disappointment and regret.
09:19We don't deserve to be there.
09:20Just enjoy football for the fantastic games,
09:22like it was in Anfield or one week ago in Paris
09:24or the competitiveness in Madrid, Atletico Madrid
09:28and how good Barcelona is playing all season.
09:33Since many, many months
09:35and the way they play 65, 70 minutes against Benfica.
09:38So, I'm just excited to learn, to see it, to enjoy it.
09:44And absolutely, I don't have, oh, it's a pity I was not there.
09:49There are teams, last 16 is out,
09:51there are teams, you know,
09:53the first round that we lost against Madrid,
09:56but two weeks later, teams like,
09:59incredible teams like Atletico Madrid now or Benfica
10:02or imagine Liverpool, you know?
10:05It's competition, it's that.
10:07So, this competition, learn what happened with Julian
10:09and Atletico Madrid is the margins.
10:12Can you imagine, you know?
10:13Maybe you are out for the Champions League for that reason.
10:16Atletico Madrid was brilliant in Bernabeu,
10:18was brilliant in the way they play.
10:20It's a style against Madrid.
10:22Madrid is always an incredible team in this competition,
10:25but look at the decision.
10:27You'll be judged seasons or good or bad for that.
10:30Look, Liverpool, they will make all the points
10:33and the CEO is happy because we win a lot of money
10:36with a group of stage
10:37and the draw play against PSG,
10:40like we suffer it in Paris, how good they are.
10:43And the best player in Paris was Alisson
10:47and the best player in Anfield was Donnarumma.
10:51And how you judge that in details and penalties,
10:53can win, can not, and now all disappoint to Liverpool.
10:56Liverpool make a fantastic game in Anfield,
10:58as they always do, a little bit less,
10:59and Paris make an incredible game in Paris.
11:02They suffer the first 15 minutes in each half
11:05and after, you know, for a little,
11:08you are up, this competition.
11:10We suffer it for the past many, many, many times.
11:13Nobody have to explain me how special is this competition,
11:17but in this season, we deserve to be on the sofa
11:21with a glass of wine.
11:23So hopefully we can do better,
11:25qualify for next season and do it better
11:26to not be on the sofa
11:28and be there on the pitch.
11:30And in terms of Brighton and also Bournemouth there,
11:33you're facing the FA Cup.
11:34Are they the perfect examples of the middle class
11:37improvement of the Premier League?
11:40Absolutely.
11:41But it's what I said.
11:43I think Bournemouth, for example,
11:45another team that is unbelievable.
11:47So I would say last season,
11:49to start to, you know, to visualise
11:51what we can do in this season is
11:54the way they tempo and the way they play,
11:56the clear concepts.
11:59I remember it was, I would say, the last season,
12:01the season half at Brighton,
12:03since Raheem Potter making a step
12:06and a step forward.
12:07You know, Raheem make an incredible job there.
12:09That's why he was selected from a big club like Chelsea.
12:13But after Roberto,
12:16the job has done Roberto there is
12:19incredible as time for that club,
12:20but continue now
12:22with the present manager.
12:23So that's really good.