Guardiola on Manchester City's controlled 2-0 at Villareal

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Guardiola on Manchester City's controlled 2-0 at Villareal  21/10/2025  Uefa25 champions league

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00:00We're going to rest. We're going to watch the match.

00:30We're going to have a really good top so he can play his position so smart and help us.

00:47Really, really good. I'm really, really pleased for the game from John.

00:52Really good. He knows the net in the year right, so the year when we made the exceptional season

00:58was an important player there.

01:03With Rico Lewis, is that his best position in your opinion?

01:09He seems to be getting quite a lot of room. Do you think of that rather than a right-back?

01:16I adore that player. He's so intelligent, so clever in smaller spaces against teams.

01:24Maybe I'm a marking or duels. Maybe he struggles a little bit more.

01:29But the teams like Villarreal move and zone a marking exceptionally.

01:33You have to have players that move really, really well in that position.

01:37Enrico is top-class players when you have to play in that way.

01:42I'm pretty sure that people always leave a scare because I line up to him.

01:46But also I need fresh legs, so we cannot forget we're playing Saturday, Tuesday with travel.

01:52It's different we play in Manchester than travel to here.

01:55And I think Bernardo was fresh and the other ones in the second half we drop a little bit

02:00because we didn't read well what we have to do in situations like the second half.

02:04But in general, I know exactly which team is Villarreal and Marcelino.

02:10And I'm really, really pleased for the performance and the victory.

02:13Good evening, coach. Nasr Di Nasri from Canal+.

02:16I would like to speak about Nicolas Pepe.

02:19He was elected the best player in La Liga in August.

02:22And you knew him when he played in Arsenal.

02:25What can you say about this player?

02:27It was really good. It was a long time ago when playing at Arsenal.

02:30I'm happy that he's playing here.

02:32So, yeah, but I'm pretty sure when Arsenal pay the money, the amount of money they pay

02:37is because he's a really good player.

02:39Otherwise, it would not happen that.

02:40So, he's a dangerous player.

02:44So, in the final third, one against one.

02:46But I think just coach Jeremy Bernardo, they defend him really well.

02:57Rico has said the players are getting some confidence back and everyone trusts each other as well.

03:09Does that make your job easier when they have that togetherness?

03:13Absolutely, but always have been like that, except last season,

03:17because we are not together because everyone, they were in hospital.

03:21So, when the table massage during the 11th, 10th, 11th months,

03:25so that's why it was so difficult.

03:27And last season, today, look what happened in the last 20 minutes.

03:30I can bring, you know, Tijani, I can bring Oscar, I can bring Ryan Cherky, Omar,

03:36and look how Phil fallen in the bench and have Nathan and Ryan Nuri.

03:40So, when you want to compete all competitions, you need the squad.

03:43The last season, we had 30, 40, 50 players.

03:46Like, after that, 60, 70 minutes, they were tired.

03:49And after they cannot rest because three days later, they have another one, another one.

03:52And when that's happened, of course, the players feel we are stronger than last season.

03:57We rely and they rely on themselves a lot.

04:00And we had the feeling that, again, we control the games most of the time.

04:07Of course, you can finish it maybe more, but in Champions League,

04:11when you play against a third of the league and this team,

04:13you cannot expect and sometimes have bad moments.

04:16Hi, Pep. What are your thoughts on just generally how the game played out

04:20and how important was it to get the early goals?

04:23Yeah, I had early goals, but we could have a score earlier, right?

04:29So, after three minutes, we could go 2-0, 0-2.

04:32So, in the end, the chances were there.

04:34But the vibe is good.

04:35Our commitment is top.

04:36And they did really well in the game.

04:38In our positional game, the first half was really good.

04:40It depends on the movement of the opponent.

04:42We know exactly when she passed the ball and did it well.

04:45We make a lot of switch of plays because they defend really good inside.

04:48And, yeah, in the right moment, we make a good threat, score goals,

04:52with good actions on the right side.

04:55Hi, Pep Sidlow from The Guardian.

04:57You've just said there, in the right moment, we'll try to score some goals.

05:01How important is the patience to the way that you're playing?

05:04And that first goal, if I'm not mistaken, Savino and John Stones play,

05:08I think, 6-1-2s.

05:10And they're not actually going anywhere, but waiting for the moment.

05:12How important is that, that they know how to time the moments when people move

05:16and when they make the pass?

05:18Always we talk about where do you have passed the ball?

05:23And always I tell them, let me see the movement of the opponent.

05:27And it depends on who we make an opponent.

05:29You have to decide.

05:31And the first half was really good.

05:33The problem in the second half, what we had done in the first half,

05:36we brought the opponent in there.

05:38In the second half, no.

05:39In the second half, we played John Stones, Mateus, Mateus, Kipa,

05:42Kipa, Josko, Guardiola, Kovacic, Kovacic, Kipa.

05:45This is not a positional game.

05:47The football has to be in the half way, in the open half way.

05:50That is why they have to play the positional game.

05:52And when we dropped them after that, it was really good.

05:56Maybe we need more fresh movement for an early, but understand,

06:02play a lot of minutes.

06:03Sometimes we make a movement in behind if they happen.

06:05But there is action in the second half.

06:08We make a good, incredible double.

06:10We break the lines, and instead to go, we come back when the ball comes.

06:14So, no.

06:15So, with the opponent comes, you have to make close, break the lines,

06:19right, left, in the middle.

06:20Now go.

06:21You have to attack.

06:22You have to wait.

06:23And sometimes we come back again.

06:25And that is what we miss, and that's why we suffer a little bit more

06:28in the second half.

06:29Look right, and Cherky arrive, and two actions.

06:31And Mateus, one action.

06:33And this is what the second half, we didn't do it.

06:36And once you are there, let's be the patient to know exactly,

06:39you know, at the right moment.

06:41And that's good, you know.

06:43I love when sometimes come here, the people come back again,

06:46and come back again, and come back again, and the right moment,

06:48we break the line.

06:49It was so clever, because at the end, Sabio, especially Rico and John,

06:54they are so clever players.

06:55And when that's happened, they read perfectly the moment they have to attack.

06:58Hi, Pep.

06:59You said on Saturday you needed other players to chip in with goals,

07:03as well as Erling.

07:04So, you obviously got one off the captain.

07:06So, pleased with that, obviously.

07:07Yeah, I'm pleased that Erling scored again,

07:09and pleased that Bernardo make a new cover header again.

07:12Bernardo's, I remember La Riyad Mares.

07:15A little bit like Messi, it's a hammer.

07:18They have a hammer in the neck.

07:20They are so good.

07:21They are small, but it's so good in the head contact.

07:26So, yeah, really good for the goal.

07:28But, yeah, we had, if you analyse the first half and some moments in the second,

07:33we have a real, real clear chance.

07:35They have two chances, two, three chances at the end, I have to admit it.

07:40But, in general, we make a good performance.

07:42Basically, because I know perfectly for the Spanish people know it,

07:46maybe English people don't know it.

07:48Villarreal is a top, top team.

07:50So, I know how difficult it's here to come.

07:52Indeed, in the way we played.

07:54I have the feeling that in many things we are coming back what we were in the past.

07:59Bernardo said to us before the Monaco game, Pep,

08:01that he knows what he'll do next season when his contract's up.

08:04He knows exactly what he'll do.

08:06Has he told you?

08:07He didn't tell me, no.

08:08He's my captain.

08:09We love each other so much, but he didn't tell me.

08:12Time for two questions in Spanish, please, guys.

08:15Any questions?

08:16Just go, please.

08:21Have you had control of the team, 70% of possession,

08:30but, even with the 0-2, I don't know if there have been moments

08:32in which you've seen that the team still not at all,

08:34and that Villarreal could be able to put it,

08:36and that there was nervousness in the team.

08:38Nervousness?

08:39No.

08:40No, nervousness is not the word.

08:42They make a goal, they make a goal.

08:44But it's true that the 0-0 never is closed,

08:46and we've talked about the rest of it.

08:48They have assumed, the second part, they have had.

08:50They have had the 10 or 12 minutes now,

08:51and they have had the last 10 minutes,

08:52and they have been closed.

08:53But yes, no.

08:54Yeah, they were closed.

08:55They have gone through this.

08:56They have been forced to wonder.

08:57They have been forced to wander in the end.

08:59They have been forced to lock them in the end.

09:00And that's the problem.

09:02But, we'll be able to improve.

09:04Last question here, please.

09:07After a quarter of the Premier League game, how do you see your team in comparison with Arsenal and Liverpool?

09:15A quarter of the Premier League has played eight games, 38 games, or a quarter of the Premier League.

09:24They are very strong, Arsenal have shown us this night, but they have made four goals in Madrid.

09:30They are very strong, Arsenal.

09:33They have already been close to 2-3 years ago.

09:37We will try to solve problems.

09:40We will try.

09:41Thank you very much.

09:43Thank you very much.

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