Guardiola on City's struggles for form and dangerous Brighton (Full Presser)

NicheSportMedia

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on City's struggles for form and dangerous Brighton  14/03/2025  CGA, Manchester, UK

Transcript

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.

Category

Transcript

Recommended