00:00Everyone back in the room. We'll take a show of hands for questions, please, with Mike to either side.
00:04And we'll start with the problems. Thank you.
00:06Hello, Pep. Happy new season to you. It's great to see you again.
00:10How has the build-up to the start of this new season gone? How ready are you and your squad?
00:15We are ready. We'll make a short pre-season, but really, really good one.
00:22And ready to enjoy the good moments and bounce back as soon as possible to the bad ones.
00:28Yes. A handful of injuries. Kovacic, Rodri, Guardiol, Foden, are they perhaps not Kovacic or Rodri?
00:36Are the two potentially back for this one?
00:39No, Kovacic is not ready. Just because not ready. The other ones are ready.
00:42We travel and tomorrow we make the selection. Rodri is traveling and Phil as well.
00:49Because it has been a one-week, ten-day stop and tomorrow we'll decide.
00:54Just a quick one, because it's the first time we've seen you since Jack Grealish has departed to Everton.
01:00I was wondering your feelings on seeing Jack leave the building.
01:03The same with all the players, especially Jack.
01:06Of course, I wish him all the best in this traditional club like his Everton.
01:12And hopefully he can play, play and play.
01:17This is the reason why we decided all together that alongside to him,
01:21that it's the best for him is take minutes and play, play and play.
01:26I bet back in the last season you said your team will be better this season.
01:31Have you seen signs of that so far this summer?
01:35I cannot assure you, but the signals is, yeah, it will be better.
01:38But maybe it can be worse.
01:42Who never knows?
01:43But I think it will be better.
01:47What are the biggest challenges to overcome from last season?
01:49Is it just trying to keep everyone fit or is it making a few tactical tweaks, do you think?
01:54No, tactical will be the quality of the players, not much.
01:57And I would say that, yeah, we fit, it's really important, was the main reason.
02:01There was a few reasons last season, but the main reason is we were not fit and I think we are.
02:08And you mentioned you wanted to work with a smaller squad.
02:11What are the numbers like now for you?
02:14Is there still work to be done to get people out?
02:16Yeah, we have a few, a little bit.
02:18But I think many, many clubs happen the same, right?
02:21So, but yeah, we should, it is difficult because I love all of them.
02:30I like all of them and they like to be here and the situation is not easy, but they know it.
02:35So we have a lot of players and tomorrow will be two players in the tribune.
02:39And if the players come back, there will be four or five at home.
02:42And of course, it's not the ideal situation, but at the same time, we have a lot, a lot, a lot of games.
02:49Every season is more and more and you have to have another squad to compete in every single game.
02:56Can you put a number on it?
02:57How many do you expect to stay or depart maybe?
03:01No, no, I don't know.
03:01I don't know.
03:02At the end, with three weeks, I know that the market in Saudi Arabia is a little bit longer,
03:11but this, I think, happened in many, many, many teams, you know, that they have a bigger squad,
03:17they have to move them because all the managers like to work in the right number of people
03:22because they deserve to play all the players.
03:24And when the players are at home, we sense, but they have to find the balance,
03:28the desire for the club and especially for the players, and that's all we decide.
03:33Hi, Pep.
03:34Another two weeks left of the transfer window.
03:37A lot of talk about Savino potentially departing the club.
03:40Can you bring us up to speed on where that situation is
03:43and what his chances are of remaining a City player at the end of this window?
03:47Listen, there's three or four of these press conferences we have to do.
03:52Before that, we're going to ask me that.
03:54I don't know.
03:55It's Tottenham, in that case, or any other club.
03:59Once a player, you should call the club, right?
04:02And it's the same like we do.
04:04So only I consider right now, today, that Savino will be with us until the rest of the season.
04:09And hopefully for many, many years, because he's 21 years old,
04:13with the potential that he has, play a lot of minutes, he has to improve.
04:17Improve into final decisions, but he's an extraordinary player.
04:21Otherwise, he's not playing more than 3,000 minutes in the other one.
04:25But if, at the end, as always, the desire of the players prevails above everything.
04:33But after that, you have to write to agreement with the club.
04:36And if the club don't take agreement, the player will be here.
04:41Because in one moment, the club will spend money on that player.
04:45I know that's always been your stance, that if players don't want to be here,
04:49then you're happy to let them go.
04:51Have you spoken to Savino or even Edison about staying here for next season?
04:55Have you had that conversation?
04:57I play.
04:58If they want to leave, they will come to me.
05:01So I'm working with them because I'm here.
05:03If they want to leave, they will knock my door.
05:05Hi, Pep.
05:08Good to see you.
05:09On Savino and Edison, are they travelling tomorrow?
05:16No.
05:16Savino is injured.
05:18Sorry.
05:19I didn't remember.
05:19He's injured from Palermo.
05:21Is there a small problem?
05:23Yeah, I have a few weeks.
05:24He will be out.
05:25And Edison is?
05:26Apparently, yeah.
05:28Do you expect them to stay then?
05:29Is that your desire?
05:31I play.
05:32Edison didn't come to me.
05:33I said, I want to leave.
05:34I have an offer.
05:35So all the players are here, our players, and I work with them.
05:40What's going to happen, nobody knows.
05:43You know?
05:43In three weeks.
05:46Hi, Pep.
05:47Can I ask you about James McAtee?
05:50Obviously, he's closing in on this move to Nottingham Forest.
05:52I'm not sure whether it's quite done yet or it's going to happen soon.
05:55But he's a player with a lot of talent.
05:57We've seen that when he's played for City.
05:58We saw it in the summer with England.
06:00Why is it the right time for him to go and play somewhere else?
06:04I would love to have Maka with me.
06:06But it's the same.
06:07We have too many players.
06:10Sorry.
06:11And he wanted more minutes.
06:12And he believes going to another place will have it.
06:15And I understand completely.
06:16So we have loved to take a lot of players at the academy being here.
06:22For, you know, to be patient, to have more time, like Phil had, you know, to play for that.
06:27But in that moment, we were playing to win Premier Leagues and Tribals and Quadruples.
06:31And sometimes the space is more difficult.
06:33But it's not saying they were not able to do it.
06:35It's the same with Maka.
06:36Maka have a potential to be with us.
06:38Yes or yes.
06:39But sometimes they want more minutes.
06:41And it's fairly enough.
06:42And we don't give it anyone in another space.
06:45So that is the only reason why.
06:47Is it one of your most difficult decisions when you see players like McAtee, Cole Palmer?
06:53Obviously, you know they have a certain quality.
06:56But as you say, they want minutes right now.
06:58And you have to kind of convince them to be patient.
07:00You're right.
07:00And the moment you have Leroy Insane moment or Raheem or have Riyad Mahrez,
07:07that his numbers have been unbelievable, Bernardo and Phil.
07:12It's the question.
07:13But if you want to compete, you win the titles.
07:15And, you know, being there, you need that.
07:18Otherwise, it will happen last season.
07:21They are not fit.
07:22They are injures.
07:22We have them three or four months.
07:24We have just one central defender.
07:26And now we have six.
07:28So that's why you have to move on the best way as possible.
07:33Can I just finish by asking about Rodri?
07:35Obviously, he was such a big loss last season.
07:38I know it's taken.
07:39You have to be very careful trying to make sure he's fit and ready to play consistently.
07:42I mean, where is he now?
07:43Is he fit to play this weekend?
07:46You don't know there was a problem in the last game.
07:47Rodri is so soon to come back.
07:50But, you know, come back.
07:53Importantly, his knee is perfect.
07:56But come back against Juventus and have to have an injury for six weeks in his leg and have to try to avoid that.
08:02You know, and now he needs to bring minutes in the training session, especially a few minutes when it's possible in the games.
08:09Because what we want, and we spoke a lot with him, is not come back, step back, come back, step back.
08:16That would be not good because after you're having this dynamic that you cannot get your rhythm when you're in the competition, it's so demanding.
08:25And that's why he made already good training sessions and tomorrow's traveling and we'll decide if we play a few minutes or not or maybe next game.
08:35But the important is the next weeks, hopefully we can play some minutes in these three games.
08:41And hopefully after international break and against when it's coming, in that moment every three days, three days, he can help us.
08:51So, but this part of the team is training the last days, that two, three days really well.
08:56But of course, I've been one year stopped, just play 10-15 minutes against Bournemouth, maybe it was, or I don't remember the game.
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