Pep Guardiola tribute to Kevin De Bruyne and trophies he won at City ahead of Palace FA Cup final
16/05/2025
CGA, Manchester, UK
16/05/2025
CGA, Manchester, UK
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00:00Pep, this would be a perfect way for Kevin to sort of bow out, wouldn't it,
00:03by lifting a trophy, he's the captain at the moment.
00:05So, what a nice way to round things off it would be for him.
00:09Yeah, of course, Kevin would want to do it for us, for the team,
00:13of course we want to do it for him, of course.
00:14But to win, you have to perform, you have to behave, you have to do something.
00:19But of course, it would be nice.
00:20But Ivan was not the captain, he was one of the captains for many, many years,
00:24and he already lifted a lot of trophies, a lot.
00:27Do you sense that he's sort of desperate to do it?
00:30Have you sort of sensed his mood around the training ground?
00:32He lifted maybe 80, 90 trophies in nine, ten years, so it's not bad, I would say.
00:38So, if he can add one more, that would be good, but he lifted.
00:42Maybe he was not the first, right? But he lifted him a lot.
00:46Just one more, Pep, if you win tomorrow, you'll be in the Community Shield in August.
00:51Does that present you with another problem, given the summer?
00:54Ask me after that. Are you coming to London? Good.
00:59After the game, if you win, ask me the question.
01:02I will remember you, remind you.
01:05Hi, Pep. Just with Kevin, obviously, it's a major final, it's his last season at the club.
01:12When you're picking your team, do you ever get sentimental for these occasions?
01:16Or will it simply be, if Kevin is not the right player to play tomorrow, he won't start?
01:20No.
01:21I play with him because I believe he can produce what he has produced so far.
01:26So, against Crystal Palace, 0-2 down, he changed the game with his free kick and absolutely.
01:35So, the situation that we are, we cannot do it just to be gentle.
01:39It's because I truly believe that we need him and he's going to help us.
01:44So, he will start?
01:45Sorry?
01:46So, he will start?
01:47Tomorrow?
01:48Yeah.
01:49I don't know yet.
01:50I have an idea, but we'll see.
01:53And I know it's not been your perfect season, obviously, but if you were to win tomorrow
01:56and then do well at the Club World Cup, do you think that would affect the mood in which
01:59the players returned for pre-season ahead of next season?
02:02Because some of them are already starting to talk about wanting to win the trophy back.
02:05The players, the club, they have an incredible rest and mindset to see when it's over, it's
02:09over.
02:10In a good moment, in a good season, previous season, in this one.
02:13In one week, ten days, we'll be over the season.
02:16We'll start a new season in the World Cup and the rest will be there with a fresh mind
02:20and start again.
02:23So, it's simple.
02:25You talk about Kevin in terms of his leadership.
02:30You always say that he leads by example, that he's not necessarily the most kind of vocal
02:35leader.
02:36How important has that leadership been, particularly for the younger players that are coming through,
02:40that they can see that and use him as a kind of reference?
02:44The example defines the leadership, the example defines our behaviors as a human being.
02:51The other is just words and it can be true or it can be not true, but examples.
02:56How many years have been here?
02:58A lot, right?
02:59Played important games and many, many seasons, except the last year or one season, I don't
03:03remember, we won the Premier League in Brighton.
03:06I would say it was injured all year, but in the previous season and the first part of
03:15the season, the rest have been a key player for us.
03:21You were just joking about the perception that this wouldn't be the first choice of trophy.
03:27Is this, in a way, the burden of being so successful that such a big competition like the FA Cup
03:33could not be perceived as a great achievement for Manchester City?
03:37I agree with him.
03:38Of course, the people talk Premier League, Champions League, maybe go in front.
03:42But people say, no, it's not enough.
03:48I said before, it's not just three in a row, seven semifinals in the Royal FA Cup.
03:52That is a huge achievement.
03:54Sometimes it may be better than the Leven Trophy.
03:56It means like we have not been this season, you know, in the Premier League, especially
04:00in the Champions League as well.
04:02But when before, it always happened.
04:03But it's happened.
04:04Sometimes it happened.
04:05But now we have the privilege again.
04:06Always I think, I'll go to Wembley.
04:08How many times have we been in Wembley in the last nine, ten years?
04:11More than 20 times, maybe?
04:13Semi-final Scalabar Cups.
04:14And that is a success.
04:16So no team have been more, travel, take a train, go to London, go to the hotel, close to
04:21Wembley.
04:22See the same faces for many, many years, to be in Wembley to play semi-finals and finals
04:27and competitions.
04:28Come on, it's so impressive, I would say.
04:31But at the same time we are here, it's not enough.
04:33And we are there to, you know, to climb the stairs and to lift the trophy.
04:39And that's why we go there.
04:44Hi Pep.
04:45Just on Kevin, as his time is about to come to an end here, everyone will be thinking
04:49about his best moments.
04:50Are there any best moments of his that stand out for you in his time here?
04:53Any particular goals or matches?
04:55I don't know.
04:56There's a lot, right?
04:58We should find incredible moments for them expecting his talent and produce something.
05:03But there are a lot.
05:05I think what I would like is the most, like always I decide with all the players, is the
05:11period was here, it was fun.
05:12You know, enjoy the training sessions, enjoy playing games, competitions and feel the pressure
05:18and compete well.
05:20That is the best compliment that me as a manager or, of course, my staff for many, many years
05:27said, OK, well, period.
05:29That was in Man City, not just with me, with Manuel Pellegrini before.
05:32So that was so fun, was so good.
05:36That will be nice.
05:37The title is important.
05:39You go home, OK, I won how many Premier Leagues or Champions League or whatever.
05:42But at the end it's trophies numbers.
05:45So it's not emotional at all.
05:47The moment you did is, OK, when you make a perspective, I said what I live for many years
05:52here in this city, in this country, in this club, was good.
05:55Hopefully he can feel it.
05:56Is there not one goal that stands out above any of us that he scored?
06:01There are many.
06:02I don't know.
06:03There are many who scored a lot of goals and assists.
06:05I don't...
06:08There are incredible goals he can score, of course, but I would not say it's a good question
06:12for him, right?
06:13To score which one is his favourite.
06:16You've obviously got a massive eight or nine days coming up.
06:22If everything goes well for you over the next week and you are successful and achieve what
06:27you want to achieve, how does that alter your thinking about the season as a whole?
06:31And how it's gone?
06:33Well, let me feel it, right?
06:40Just in case we have success in the FA Cup and we can qualify for the Champions League
06:45and after I will feel...
06:47Sometimes you ask me what you think or what you feel, so I don't know.
06:50Let me leave it and after I will tell you.
06:52Of course, it will be that many times.
06:54It has not been a good season, but OK, the damage would have been acceptable, I would say.
07:00If we are able to win tomorrow, two titles this season, and we can play the Champions League,
07:08but we have a tough, tough three games, really tough, and we know we missed an opportunity
07:14in Southampton and we have to recover it in the next two games.
07:18It was interesting, Erling Haaland did an interview a couple of days ago where he was asked about
07:25would the FA Cup sort of save your season and he said for him, yes, it probably would,
07:30but for some of the other players that have sort of been here longer, that have won more than him,
07:35then maybe it wouldn't, which seemed like quite an interesting sort of comparison
07:39between the newer players here and the ones that have been here for a long time.
07:44Yeah, I know more than the new players don't have maybe the standards what they have done
07:47and the old players or managers or me, myself, they have standards that we cannot accomplish this season.
07:52But at the same time, we are in the FA Cup semi-final, we were in the community shield in the beginning,
07:57and it's happened.
08:00It's normal, what I said, before the FA Cup now is not enough,
08:03but maybe 20 years ago or 15 or 20 or 25 years ago, winning the FA Cup one season was extraordinary.
08:09So we know that.
08:10So we know it's not necessary to admit just for one title how was our season.
08:13So I think the analysis would be, would be, would be poor, you know, would be not good in terms of,
08:19I said many times the Premier League is what dictate how is your, your momentum, your season, I would say.
08:25You know, always, I said all the time, it's the most difficult one.
08:28The more consistent, the more, you know, going there.
08:32Because if I captain five, six games, seven games, okay, you can do it.
08:35It's not easy, but you can do it.
08:37But 38 games and all the competitions that define in this season have not been that we were, you know.
08:46Maybe 20 years ago, finish, try to finish to four to five for my city would be good.
08:52But now it's not good enough.
08:55Pep, your squad is big enough now that some players won't make their squad for the match tomorrow.
09:04Will they all travel down with you and be part of the group?
09:06We'll travel down.
09:07And it's been a difficult season for results and kind of your captain left in January as well.
09:13How tough has it been to kind of keep the whole squad and dressing room together throughout the campaign?
09:19I was always, they have been to a, the group of players, his humanity and accepting the decisions
09:26or how they behave is extraordinary.
09:28One of the best I ever, I ever been with and so good.
09:34But of course, we had all the problems that we have and we try to manage every week, every month as best as possible.
09:41Have you seen anything new from them this year?
09:43For the next year?
09:44Anything new from them this year because they've been through the struggles that they have?
09:49The results have not been good for many reasons.
09:52So, have been many, many, many things.
09:55But listen, we cannot, it's impossible to win all the time.
10:00So, it's impossible.
10:02There's no team.
10:03No team in Everett, you can win all the time.
10:06So, it could be worse, right?
10:09Even in that season, it could be worse.
10:11So, we have to try to, to be there until the end, the next three games of the season.
10:16And every minute and every action, we have to defend and attack as best as possible.
10:21Good mindset, good mentality.
10:22Go to the final to win it, to win it.
10:25Because the players win the finals, not the systems, not the ideas, it's the mentality.
10:31And they prove it a lot and we want to prove it tomorrow again.
10:34Last two with Dave and Mike, please.
10:36Hi, Pep.
10:37Crystal Palace have never won a major trophy in contrast to you guys who have won so much in the last ten years.
10:43Can you understand the perception that to win tomorrow may mean more to them than it will do to you?
10:50And how much of a factor could that be tomorrow?
10:53I have an incredible enthusiasm to win tomorrow.
10:55I don't know if Oliver or Crystal Palace play as the fans, of course, when you have never won, that is special.
11:01But, of course, I prefer it.
11:05Honestly, I prefer to travel to London to play the FA Cup final than don't play it.
11:09That's for sure.
11:10But at the end, it's a football game, 11 against 11.
11:13The quality of them and this is what we see will happen.
11:17How much of a factor can that be in a game where, you know,
11:21another team hasn't won anything before and that desire and that hunger compared to the technical ability between the two sides?
11:27Yeah, it can be hit or the other side can feel more the pressure.
11:30So, I don't know.
11:31I'm not in the locker room dressing room from Crystal Palace.
11:34I don't know how you handle it.
11:35Of course, there is the illusion to win it.
11:38It could not be differently.
11:39Come on.
11:40So, it's happened.
11:41But at the same time, maybe, oh, maybe it's the last time we played here
11:44and maybe, you know, we're difficult.
11:46Maybe they don't play like fluid like could happen.
11:48I don't know.
11:49At the end, my players and the players from Crystal Palace will see tomorrow
11:54when the referee decide to start the game.
11:57It's a huge game on Tuesday as well.
12:01You've got the big pitch tomorrow, maybe extra time.
12:05I mean, would you have preferred that game to be Wednesday or Thursday?
12:09Definitely.
12:10And did you ask?
12:11Ask?
12:12Yeah, yeah.
12:13But is it just not possible?
12:18I mean, why would they not play that Thursday?
12:22I know, obviously, there's a Europa on Wednesday.
12:24But why would they not play it Thursday?
12:26Tottenham Hotspur played against Aston Villa, right?
12:30Friday, to the Champions League final, Europa League final, no?
12:36Yeah.
12:37Good decision.
12:38No, honestly.
12:39I'm not ironic and sarcastic on that.
12:42Premier League made a good decision.
12:44Really good.
12:45We played all the time, quarter-finals, semifinals, quarter-finals,
12:48semifinals, and Wednesday away.
12:52And we played semifinals Saturday.
12:55This season, we didn't play.
12:57We played Sunday.
12:58We didn't need that day extra, you know,
13:01when we played in that position.
13:03And the people say, no, for more fans or whatever,
13:06more followers than the other ones.
13:08The previous season, they had more followers than the other game.
13:11Not our game.
13:12They are tired to see us.
13:13So, I would prefer to play Wednesday, definitely.
13:17I mean, could it harm your chances in the Champions League playing that?
13:22Listen, we have been nine years fighting against these situations
13:25every single season.
13:27And nothing, go, that is the deal, go.
13:31Of course, we are going to play Tuesday night
13:33and against more of the intense and physical and direct
13:37and powerful team in the Premier League,
13:40like is Bournemouth, like is playing for the Europa League
13:44or conference to qualify.
13:46So, and we have to deal with that.
13:49But what I'm saying, so, I don't know United in the games,
13:53but I hear that they played the game on Friday
13:56against Aston Villa Tottenham.
13:57So, this is what we should do.
14:00When it's possible, this is what we should do.
14:02Another thing, I don't change much to play Tuesday or Wednesday
14:04for us, to be honest.
14:05But, okay, they decided.
14:07We play here and Tuesday with our people.
14:09Thank you, guys.
14:10Okay, thank you.