Guardiola on Gundogen's Man City return and Ipswich (Full Presser)

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on Ilkay Gundogen's Man City return and Ipswich  23/08/2024  CGA, Manchester City Academy, Manchester, UK

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon, guys, I hope you're well.

00:09We'll set an embargo partway through at 10.30 this evening.

00:14You want to start, please?

00:15Right.

00:16Afternoon, Pep, I think you know where we're going to start, the return of Ilkay Gundogan,

00:23how happy are you that he's back?

00:25Yeah, a lot.

00:29Most of the times, all the managers, we say that finish the transfer window, everything

00:33can happen.

00:34This is the real proof.

00:37He was completely surprised and expected.

00:41You know it happened.

00:43We know him quite well, me personally, but the staff and the players and everyone.

00:52The quality that he played last season in Barcelona, he played at a high, high level

00:57in consistency, playing a lot of minutes, games, and producing a lot.

01:03We didn't have any doubts, the possibility was open, and absolutely delighted that he's

01:09back.

01:10I was going to say, was it a no-brainer when Chiqui put the idea to you that Gundogan could

01:15return, was it an easy yes from you?

01:18Yeah.

01:19Is his role going to change this time?

01:21Now he's a year older, or you've found a solution in your squad without him?

01:26Of course he's not a teenager anymore, but the reason why we decided that the chance

01:33to do it is for the level he played last season.

01:38So in his season, last season, he was not playing the level that we expect he's going

01:44to deliver.

01:47Maybe you have to think about it, but even the Euros, playing with the national team,

01:54he played really, really good as well.

01:59He knows what we want to do, he doesn't need to adapt.

02:03He knows the city, he knows the club, the maids, and the way we want to play, so we'll

02:08be immediately settled, I guess, good, and that's why we could do it and we did it.

02:18Have the players voted for their leadership group yet, because Ilkay was captain, so would

02:23you expect him to be back in that five?

02:25No, no, I don't know, I don't know.

02:32Hi Pep, Ilkay said in his interview on his return just how important your role as his

02:39manager was, he was obviously so successful here, he said you're one of the best managers,

02:45if not the best manager in the world.

02:47How does that make you feel when a player returns to the club and speaks so highly of

02:51you?

02:52Yeah, I appreciate it, but the important thing is that he wants to come back, so Chiqui got

03:03the message from Chiqui, he said, Ilkay, I want to talk to you, I want to call you, OK?

03:08So he called me and asked me the situation I was in, so if there's a chance to come back,

03:15if you would like it, then we said yes, immediately.

03:19So this is the most important thing.

03:20Now we are here and he has to deliver a good season, a good two seasons here, this is now

03:25what you have to work with.

03:28He has the feeling he doesn't come to retire or doesn't come here to remember good memories

03:35that we had.

03:36We have time to have good memories in the future, but now it's time to, you know, shoes

03:40on and play your best.

03:43Forty-four games at home, unbeaten, such a good mood after, obviously, the first win

03:48and then also the re-signing of Gundogan, how excited are you for this first home game

03:52of the season?

03:53It's switched on, that's the only thing I'm concerned about.

03:58Two teams have been promoted to the Premier League, with the same manager, with clear

04:03patterns, it was the team in the first game of the season for all the Premier League,

04:11the most intense team, you know, that's the only thing I'm concerned about right now.

04:15I know and understand that Ilkay is a highlight today, but since I stand up for this room,

04:22it's switched on, that's the only thing I'm concerned about.

04:25Talking to some of the other players, Savino picked up a slight knock and knee injury during

04:30his debut, he was back training in midweek, where is he with his recovery and will we

04:34expect to see him on Saturday?

04:36Savino?

04:37Savino.

04:38Yeah, he feels better, I don't think he's completely, completely top, but yeah, I met

04:44part of the trainees and he's developing really well, we'll see today, tomorrow, what we're

04:52going to do with him.

04:54Hi, Pep, one of Ilkay's quotes, he said that the package that Man City offers nowadays,

05:00you can't find anywhere else, does it surprise you to hear that?

05:04It's a privilege for all of us, yeah, it's an honour, you know this word, because the

05:11package means the city, means the club, the club means everyone, staff, these buildings

05:18and commercials and everything, so I've said many times, so the club has been run from

05:26Ferran and for all the people, amazingly, and you know, so me as a manager, I think

05:32the players, so they have everything what they need to perform as much, as high as level

05:40as possible, this is what the biggest clubs define, the titles of course, but how we behave

05:45daily, day by day, in all the structure, and there are a lot of people working behind us,

05:52the manager and especially the players, and that's why it's a comfortable place to be.

05:57Something that you have said many times, how comfortable the place is to work, but it's

06:01different when someone goes to a club like Barcelona, comes back feeling the same thing,

06:05so you can see that out there, it is different.

06:07I spoke a little bit with Ilkay, and he had incredible words about Barcelona, about his

06:14experience there, for the city, for the people who were there, and for the players, speak

06:21so highly about his experience there, and about the situation, everybody knows in Barcelona

06:28and it happened, it wasn't expected, so I didn't call, we didn't call, I said, oh, I

06:33could not expect, because he played really well last season, still, I know how competitive

06:38he is, how he drives his mates to his best, and what happened, I said, yeah, you know,

06:46I love midfield players, I love his qualities, he gives us incredible alternatives in the

06:52way we want to play, he adapts in two, three roles perfectly, he knows everything, he doesn't

06:57need time to, how he settles, you know, if tomorrow he has to play, okay, he knows everything,

07:06so that's why it's comfortable for us, and I know his mentality is always in the right

07:11position, he doesn't come, as I said before, to, okay, let's go into the last two years

07:17here, completely different, I know he will be upset when it's not going well, he will

07:23be happy and thinking until next, until next, you know, when it's going well, so, and that's

07:28why we, he's back one person that is beloved for his mates, also so important, everyone

07:35is so thrilled and happy that he's back for our fans, I'm pretty sure of that, and, yeah,

07:42he's going to try to fight again with us.

07:44Hi Pep, it feels quite sentimental with Ilkay coming back, another one of your former players

07:51is also available, how likely or possible maybe Raheem Sterling, any chance you might

07:55want to bring him back to Manchester City as well?

07:59He's a chassis player, absolutely, a chassis player, I know, I have, I feel so attached

08:07with the time we lived together, with Raheem, and of course I feel attached with Enzo, so

08:13I just wish him all the best, but he's of course a chassis player, if you ask me this

08:17question when Gundo is in Barcelona, I will answer the same.

08:21There is one week left of the window, with Gundogan coming in it's a big reinforcement,

08:27but are there chances, or how likely is it that you'll get anyone else in do you think

08:30in the next week?

08:31I don't know, I don't think so, by the way I said before, so I don't know, it's going

08:34to happen at the end of the market, maybe happen something in terms of injuries, hopefully

08:39not, in terms of, I don't know, the market provided something unexpected that financially

08:44is good for us, or for the tactics wise as well, so right now I don't think so, but I

08:50don't know.

08:51Can I finish just by asking about Rodri, because he, I didn't see him at training in midweek,

08:56how is he, is he back with the group yet?

08:57He's getting better.

08:58Is he with the group yet?

08:59No, no, he's not with the group, maybe today with me a partial, maybe, partial training,

09:04but still he's not, he's not good.

09:07So not for the weekend?

09:09I don't think so, I don't think so, but we'll see today, now training at three, we'll see.

09:15Last one before the embargo please, Simon.

09:19Just a quick one, with Elkay, will he be involved in the squad tomorrow?

09:23Yeah, maybe, we need the paper, Alex told me, you can say it to the guy.

09:32International play?

09:33International, some paper, but if arrived in the last set, yeah, maybe will be available.

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