00:00Yeah, good. Back to full fitness, feel great. Been for a few months now, so I'm feeling good.
00:07I know you've been over in the Cup World Cup, I know you've been playing too much of a part there,
00:12but do you think that would impact on the rest of the players on the season ahead?
00:18Do you mean playing in it?
00:21Do you think fitness-wise has the season unfolded?
00:24It's hard to tell, but there's so many games now that we're playing, so many competitions,
00:31and we're lucky to be in them, in one aspect of it, and we should embrace it as we do.
00:40To be amongst the best teams and fighting for all the things that we do, it's not going to last forever,
00:47but on the other hand, it does take its toll on players' bodies and mentally as well,
00:52and I think we've got to find the right balance in all this and come to terms with what's put on us
01:00and the demands of the game now, and yeah, it's out of our control really,
01:04so we try and go into everything trying to win it and continue in that way,
01:09because we've set the bar so high over the seasons and we keep living up to that.
01:15You've got fresh places in, more competition for places, which is a good thing for the squad.
01:20Yeah, definitely, and you know, things evolve, football evolves, and the guys that have come in have been great,
01:26and it takes a bit of time to obviously get used to the style of play, what's expected and what's asked of them,
01:36but the guys, you know, they've come in for a reason, the quality that they've got, the aspects of the game
01:42are different from what we've had in the past, and you know, I'm excited to play with them and see what they do.
01:48You talk about style of play there as well, with changes off the pitch, a couple of backroom staff,
01:54Pep Linders come again, Kolo Toric, will we see a change in Manchester City in terms of style?
02:00I don't think so, no, I think it's too hard to drastically change your identity and what we've kind of cemented over the years.
02:10But yeah, obviously there's fine tweaks and fresh faces, Pep Linders who's come in, Kolo has been incredible,
02:19got a new energy to the game, to us, sorry, a new aspect and a new angle of looking at things,
02:26and I think it's all positive, you know, it's going to help us in the long run, they're enthusiastic for it,
02:32as we are as players, and yeah, it'll be soon here when the season's around the corner.
02:40How do you handle continued speculation over your future? You always seem to be up for discussion somewhere.
02:46Yeah, I mean, I get told this, I don't see a thing, so it's laughable to me, but I understand why people do it,
02:54and yeah, no, there's nothing to comment on it, I love it here, nothing's happening,
03:02and yeah, I'm here to fight and play and yeah, hopefully win some trophies.
03:08Strange season, last season, no trophies, big push for Champions League and to push Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League.
03:15Yeah, no, it was one that's humbling for us, you know, after all the success that we've had,
03:23makes us realise what we've done as well, what we've achieved over the years,
03:29and how proud we should be, and obviously frustrated at what we did last season.
03:34It's not what we want to replicate again.
03:38To finish third, what was it, three or four points behind Arsenal is, you know, to our standards not good,
03:48and how we played through the season, and yeah, we've got to put that right and get back to our identity,
03:56as I mentioned before, get back to winning matches, and having that presence about us,
04:03and believing in ourselves as a team, and yeah, no, I'm sure we'll find that and bring it back,
04:09because, you know, it was tough last season to see what, to go through what we did,
04:13and yeah, we've definitely come back with that fire in our bellies to go and achieve.
04:18I know you've got one more friendly to go, but Wolves away,
04:21we'll all be ready for that first game of the season.
04:24100%. Yeah, I think now you're back in it, you've had your time off,
04:29you just want to get going and get playing.
04:32I think we've got to use this time wisely as a team to, you know, fine-tune things,
04:38and we've been doing that, I think since we've been back it's been great,
04:43and our training, so yeah, you know, that fine-tuning and making sure we're ready for that first game.
04:50Thanks a lot, appreciate it.
04:52Thank you guys.
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