- 1 year ago
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on Phil Foden return to form as they prepare to face Tottenham
22/08/2025
CFA, Manchester, UK
22/08/2025
CFA, Manchester, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00It's 5-2. You sort of said, oh, it's a long time since we played that way on and off the ball.
00:05They remembered what they need to do.
00:07And then you then obviously got knocked out 4-3 by Al-Hilal the next game.
00:11Was that just, you know, one of those games, the Al-Hilal?
00:14Or had they forgotten a little bit what they've done against Juventus?
00:16The reason why I'm asking is that it's only two competitive games ago,
00:19so I wonder what you're thinking about the progress.
00:22Listen, sometimes when you win a game, there is a particular reason for your behaviour
00:26and the behaviour of the opponent.
00:27And in Al-Hilal, we didn't control the transitions because it was three new players
00:31that we didn't steal, we didn't talk much,
00:34or we didn't anticipate that that could happen in that game.
00:37That's what you have to do.
00:38But it was a good lesson.
00:39Unfortunately, in the World Cup, when you have to do the lesson,
00:42you have the lesson at home.
00:44And in Premier League, you win the lesson.
00:46In three days, you have another game.
00:48That was a little bit of a pity because of that.
00:50But it was a really good thing against Al-Hilal as well.
00:53So I think we do it.
00:55But in Vols, I've seen many things that I like.
00:58And our journey, the most important is our journey is really, really good.
01:05So I feel a good vibe.
01:07I feel we have the amount, perfect portion of energy and wise to the way you have to play.
01:15And we are ready to, yeah, to game by game.
01:20That is our pre-season before Wolves, now this week, and after Spurs, before Brighton,
01:25and before international break is our pre-season.
01:28And we are completely, completely a machine to concepts of why we have to do this,
01:31why we have to do that.
01:33But after that, after the teams who play in Europe,
01:35as international break is three days for day, three days for day, during 11 months.
01:39So that is our time.
01:42And yeah, we see what happens, we have bad moments.
01:44But as much as we will fit and have this spirit,
01:46we will be an uncomfortable team for the opponents.
01:49It is what we were in the past, not just in terms of the place,
01:52in terms of energy and passion and desire and love and joy and sadness when you lose.
02:00If we can come back with that, we will be an uncomfortable team for the rest.
02:06Hi, Pep.
02:07For the French TV, after a promising start,
02:10how do you assess the adaptation of Ryan Sheki and the club,
02:15of your style of play, as he impresses you?
02:20It's top-class play in small spaces.
02:22The vision they have in the final third is unbelievable.
02:24He's right, his right left foot, both sides.
02:29And of course, so the good players are quicker.
02:34We'll see when he performs.
02:36But at the end, the people up front, it's a question of numbers.
02:39And in 20 minutes, players score a goal.
02:41So I love that.
02:42So we have a lot, a lot of games, but a lot.
02:45And everybody will be so important.
02:47And I'm happy to have him.
02:48He's just 21 years old.
02:49So he's a top sign for the, you know, the prize and the potential that he has.
02:56And we are here to help him.
02:57He's open-minded, understand the decisions.
03:00He will be a top-class player because I don't have doubt.
03:03His quality is exception.
03:07Pep, just going back to what Jamie was talking about with the Al-Hal game
03:09and the transitions and things like that.
03:11Jamie Carragher did quite a lot of analysis on your back line
03:15after the Wolves game earlier in the week.
03:17So obviously you've played a high line throughout your time here.
03:20But he seems to be suggesting that you were actively trying to catch Wolves offside
03:25quite high up the pitch.
03:27A, is that a fair reflection?
03:28We have done it in nine years.
03:30But I think what he was saying was it's probably even riskier
03:33the way you want to do it this year.
03:36Maybe.
03:37We'll see.
03:38Maybe.
03:39I don't know.
03:40We try to always, we do that, decide to reduce the risk
03:43and to be more effective in our passing and be effective is risk, yes.
03:48You have to read when you have to be hold.
03:49You have to be dropped and, yeah.
03:53We'll see.
03:55If you win 0-4, it's less risk.
03:56If you lose 4-0, it will be so risk.
03:58So, we'll see.
04:00But, yeah, to be the first game and a few, few games in the preseason,
04:05but with a half, I priorized the rest of the World Cup
04:08and especially training here, training, training, training,
04:11because during the season you play games and you don't train.
04:14And I prefer to train now to play games and travels and so on,
04:18that you spend time traveling and fatigue and after you cannot train.
04:23We priorized that.
04:24But, of course, it was not a perfect game, of course,
04:29but for the first game, it was, listen, I was good.
04:33I would sign every first game in the season away, win 0-4.
04:37You know, they have a chance, but we had as well more
04:40and many, many things that we talk, we talk, we talk.
04:43They try to play and try to convince them,
04:46not because we say you have to do that, you know.
04:48Why do you feel, you know, when you do that, you feel comfortable.
04:51We are a better team, we are a more uncomfortable team,
04:54we are a more precise team.
04:55It is the reason why.
04:57You were talking about Rodri before, how you sort of want consistency.
05:01Does it help having someone like Nico Gonzalez,
05:05because he looked like he had quite a good game at Wolves at the weekend.
05:08Does it help having him where you just know you can drop him in
05:11into that position and it gives Rodri a little bit more time
05:14to get himself up to speed?
05:15No, Rodri is desperate to play like all of them.
05:17If you see how hungry they are all of them to play
05:20in the beginning of the season, so everyone want to be involved.
05:23There's no doubt, and Rodri is desperate.
05:25After one year, the year before the injury against Arsenal,
05:28so play 70, I don't know how many games he brought,
05:31he said to me, I have mental fatigue, I'm so tired, it's normal.
05:34But now it's fresh, I want to play, that's what I want to.
05:38But we bring Nico with Koba to make a little bit of that role,
05:42and Rodri was absent.
05:44And when they're consistent, it's like we want,
05:46maybe it's going to happen because nobody knows, you know,
05:49the amount of minutes, the amount of time,
05:50but we want to be consistent in training games, training games, you know.
05:54And because I had the feeling, he played 90 minutes,
05:56in three days 90 minutes, three minutes,
05:58we'll not be consistent, we'll be back again.
05:59And we want to be sure that he can help us in a moment,
06:03in the meantime.
06:03So, of course, TG can play there,
06:07but TG is having special quality to smell the goal in the box,
06:12in the runners, and we don't want to lose that potential.
06:17And Nico is a young player with it.
06:20The guys are so nice, like Nico, for example,
06:23like Reino Kusa, must be helped.
06:26It must be helped 100%.
06:28We're so generous with the team and always,
06:31you know, always been positive.
06:33And I'm really, really pleased, again,
06:35he played Nico against both, because it's not easy.
06:38And he has a special quality that you need
06:40for the incredible amount of talent out front,
06:42like Phil, like Ryan, like Bernie, like Jeremy, like Omar.
06:47Have a player that can sustain that position is so important for us.
06:52And as young, when I learn, and for a long time,
06:56it can help us, you know, because no player,
06:58I had the feeling right now,
06:59no player can play every three days during 11 months.
07:03So I think it's impossible for my point of view.
07:06Maybe I'm wrong.
07:07Some players can play more,
07:08but the other players cannot play every three days.
07:10It's impossible.
07:11So, Reinders and Nico ran more in the first Premier League.
07:19Which, Nico?
07:19Gonzalez ran more than any other Premier League players.
07:24They were the top two for the first weekend.
07:25Sorry, sorry.
07:26They ran more than with more distance.
07:28Is it a compliment or a criticism?
07:32Up to you.
07:32I know your team's kind of, you know, run a lot all the time.
07:40Oh, yeah.
07:40Yeah, right.
07:41But is that something from last season
07:44that you consciously want more running in the team?
07:47Absolutely.
07:48All we are, the team, like, run a lot without the ball.
07:51We were painting the eyes for the opponents
07:53and high pressing and run and everything.
07:55Always we were that type of team.
07:58And last season for the Ingers, right,
08:00we lose the energy and the other one
08:02is what the most important thing is to come back
08:04and after we see our game.
08:06But what I'm concerned after one second later
08:08is how we play.
08:10So, run, run.
08:11It's actually when we have to run.
08:13Run for run.
08:16I can go to, you know, track field,
08:19take a marathon, guys, and play with us.
08:21It's not about that.
08:22So, we have to run when we have to do it.
08:24But the energy, of course, is...
08:27Today, in the mode of football, it has to be like that.
08:28They know it.
08:29They know it, you know?
08:30But, of course, Ryan especially is learning
08:33and Nico is trying to...
08:35But I like...
08:36I think all of them, you know?
08:38Bernardo, every game is 12, 13 kilometres play, run.
08:41But last season, we ran sometimes some plays.
08:44It was useless.
08:45So, we didn't play good.
08:46The most important is the combination of that, both six.
08:50Last season, Paul and Russell.
08:52Pep, just on a question about Phil.
08:54When we spoke to him after the FA Cup final in the summer,
08:58he was really kind of down about the injuries
09:00and some off-field issues as well.
09:02Then, when we got to America, he seemed a lot more upbeat,
09:05a lot more confident.
09:07Have you noticed that sense in mood,
09:10changing mood from him over the last few months?
09:13Yeah, yeah.
09:14It's the other thing.
09:15The same with Phil apply, like I said, with Rodri,
09:18the consistency that we want to be.
09:20He was really good enough to have this problem
09:22in his ankle, but he's fine.
09:26So, it's obviously much, much better.
09:28So, what can I say, Phil?
09:30Phil, the last Premier League we won,
09:33it was massively important.
09:35It was the best player in the Premier League.
09:38I remember the last game against West Ham,
09:39the two goals in the early.
09:41Phil is the top-class, extraordinary players.
09:44Always, I try to convince him he can be better,
09:46he can read the situations better,
09:48but as much as he's happy and he's a joy to play,
09:52Phil is giving something unique.
09:53So, I regret maybe in the game,
09:55in Lillaldo, bring him earlier.
09:58You know, a team so deep,
09:59him and Ryan created that,
10:01but after that, the balance in that moment,
10:03the game was so up and down,
10:04up and down transitions.
10:06And when it happened,
10:07we want to be more solid.
10:08You know, we think with Phil and Ryan,
10:10maybe we can see more transitions,
10:11and that's why we spent a little bit more time
10:13to bring him then.
10:14But, listen, I never would doubt
10:17about the quality of Phil,
10:19what they give us,
10:20and only I want his joy to play again,
10:21be happy and be again game, game, game,
10:24training, training, training,
10:25and be 90 minutes,
10:27always give you something special, unique.
10:31Do you get the sense that he's put last year
10:32behind him then,
10:33in terms of how he's approaching,
10:35you know, training and games?
10:37Maybe it was the first season,
10:38that was after 6-7,
10:40when everything a little bit dropped,
10:41a drop.
10:42It's a question, yeah,
10:43if you learn the lesson,
10:44you can experience it,
10:45that will be great.
10:46So, always there are seasons
10:48that you cannot be like you were,
10:51because Phil have been incredible,
10:52consistent, incredible,
10:53in this many years,
10:55a lot,
10:55and this is what we are looking for.
10:58Last one with Russell, please.
10:59Hi, Pep.
11:01You've got a fantastic record
11:03against most teams in the Premier League,
11:04but Tottenham,
11:05it doesn't matter who the manager is,
11:07you seem to struggle against them.
11:10Can you put your finger on it?
11:11Are they a bogey side?
11:13Sorry?
11:13Are they a bogey side?
11:14A bogey?
11:17A difficult side.
11:19Bad luck.
11:20No,
11:20bad luck.
11:24I don't know,
11:25it's a good team,
11:26it's true,
11:26they struggle,
11:27and they tell me there is no why,
11:28so I don't know,
11:29I said because we were not better,
11:31or many things,
11:33many times,
11:34we performed good,
11:35but they have incredible weapons at front,
11:39especially in the past,
11:41top,
11:42and,
11:42yeah,
11:44hopefully we can tomorrow change that dynamic.
11:46If you tell me this is why,
11:47I don't know.
11:50And just finally,
11:52you were full of praise last week for Ederson,
11:54you said he was still your first choice goalkeeper,
11:58why can't you say now that he's your first choice tomorrow?
12:02No,
12:02we see tomorrow,
12:03we see the side,
12:04the training this day is good,
12:05and we see,
12:06we talk with Xavi,
12:07and we will see,
12:10because in that moment,
12:11everything is until,
12:12all the clubs,
12:13I think,
12:14it's happened until,
12:16after Brighton game,
12:17after next weekend,
12:18like,
12:18transfer window is over,
12:19and after,
12:21okay,
12:21that will start,
12:22now everything is,
12:24what's going to happen?
12:25And to be honest,
12:26I don't know what happened with the players,
12:28I don't know,
12:28it's coming,
12:29it's staying,
12:30it's leaving,
12:31so I don't know,
12:32I don't know,
12:32with all the clubs,
12:33I had the feeling it happened the same,
12:35so,
12:36so we are not exception,
12:37because,
12:38of course,
12:38the agents make his roles,
12:40and the clubs have his own opinions,
12:41the players have their opinions,
12:42and after that,
12:43we'll see what happens.
12:43Thanks everyone.
12:44Okay,
12:45thank you.
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