Guardiola on City's improvements since visiting Villa last season

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Guardiola on City's improvements since visiting Villa last season  25/10/2025 embargoed from 24/10/2025  CFGA, Manchester, UK

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00:00Just to follow up on Nunez, the right back, is he happy?

00:05Does he have that determination to become one of the best right backs?

00:09Yeah, I'm pretty sure, because always you have to learn some movement and some,

00:17but I think he can do it perfectly, he can do it.

00:23And you mentioned the Villa game at Villa Park that season,

00:26they were much, much better than you.

00:28And two seasons ago too.

00:30Was that one of the moments last season where you realised

00:33that you needed to evolve and change this team?

00:36No, in that moment we were in the mess, in that moment.

00:40It was not the Villa Park, it was the moment,

00:42we were already before many, many games and it's one of the lowest points.

00:46For sure, last season in this, because I've said many times,

00:50the last five games in the Premier League, the last ten games in the Premier League,

00:53in the last 15 or 20 games in the Premier League last season,

00:55we were the best team in terms of points.

00:58It was really, really good, otherwise we would not finish third.

01:00But it wasn't in terms of October, October, November until January,

01:04we were not able to win one game.

01:07Not in the Champions League, not in the Premier League,

01:09and that not allowed us to go in that position.

01:13But when we were there, I remember that I saw the game yesterday

01:17and I thought, wow, no energy and I didn't have anything.

01:20So we didn't deserve it.

01:22I mean, it was 2-1, I feel a score at the end,

01:24but we didn't deserve at all.

01:26So always I want my team to deserve what we want to achieve.

01:29Sometimes it don't happen, right?

01:31Sometimes you play better, better, you don't win bad football.

01:34But I don't like when...

01:36So when you lose in that game, it's well-deserved.

01:38I like it.

01:39So put it on the face that it's a reality

01:42and what you have to do better.

01:44But I'm pretty sure we will do better on Sunday.

01:46So we are another team.

01:48We are a team like we were even the first nine years ago,

01:52eight years ago, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

01:56So it's the team right now who can win, who can lose,

02:00but still we are a team like we can do good things.

02:03Hi, Pat.

02:05We've seen a bit of rotation recently,

02:07but Erving's played the most minutes of anyone in this squad

02:10playing in the World Cup.

02:11It looks like he's going to play in the World Cup next summer.

02:14How do you go about getting some rest and rotation

02:17to someone who scores every week,

02:18or does he just have to play every game

02:21and stay as a fit for the 12-month season?

02:23I'm so sorry for my colleagues all back in,

02:25the national team from Norway,

02:26but I'm not thinking about that.

02:28So maybe at the end,

02:31when we win the Premier League for ten points in front,

02:34ten fixtures before and after we'll take a rest.

02:37But now he feels fit, he feels fine.

02:40And of course there are games like this already,

02:43you know, Sol when I look tired,

02:46of course he's going to play,

02:47but we are in the position right now

02:50in Champions League is massively important.

02:52The games we have played so far in the next two games,

02:54like the next two games at home,

02:56they will give us the real,

02:58really, really chance to finish in the first eight.

03:00And in the Premier League I had the feeling now

03:05that Arsenal is going to drop much points.

03:07So that is a reality, I had the feeling Arsenal

03:10that we had in Liverpool as well.

03:12Even now Liverpool lose the last games,

03:15not in the Champions League, but in Frankfurt.

03:17But I saw the game at United,

03:20they have incredible chances to win the game.

03:22So I think Liverpool remains the main favourites,

03:28you know, to do it there.

03:29In the distance, three, four points in that stage is nothing.

03:32I always had the feeling that both teams

03:34and maybe in other ones,

03:35they will lose a few, few points.

03:37That's why we have to be there.

03:40Hi Pep, can I ask you about Savio?

03:43Because obviously we had a difficult few weeks

03:45at the start of the season

03:46where it looked like he may leave the club

03:48and you left him out of the team.

03:50He seems to have kind of got his head straight again

03:53and starting to produce assists

03:55and looks like a player that maybe you thought would be good.

04:01Savio is a top player,

04:04he can play on both sides,

04:06he feels comfortable playing on both sides.

04:08And I said last season,

04:11being the first season in the primary,

04:13he not easily played a lot of minutes.

04:14Just the moment they make this step

04:16to be decisive player in terms of goals,

04:19assists but especially goals,

04:20will be a top-class player, top-class.

04:22He needs to make that step,

04:24for example against Everton

04:25having in the first minute two chances

04:26one against one in the keeper.

04:28The moment they make a step

04:29and make goals and make goals

04:30and he has to do it

04:31because he has the quality to do it

04:32within the training sessions,

04:33he will be chem.

04:35So we are really pleased,

04:36he's so young,

04:37we cannot forget that.

04:38You know,

04:39so young player, early ages.

04:41So yeah,

04:42I'm really pleased for him

04:43in the last two games

04:44to make an aggressive and courage

04:49to go one against one,

04:51to second,

04:52make an assist for second goal

04:55against Arling,

04:56second goal against Bernardo

04:57against Villarreal.

05:00So yeah,

05:01the assist to Rico

05:03to make the cross.

05:04So yeah,

05:05he's involved in many things,

05:07just to make the,

05:08encourage him to score.

05:09And the moment he made goals

05:10and goals,

05:11he had the chance to do it.

05:12Villarreal has another one too

05:14in the second half.

05:15So,

05:16he will become a,

05:17a really good player

05:19and Brazil Ancelotti

05:20will have an incredible player

05:21for him.

05:22But was it difficult

05:23to settle him back down again

05:24after what happened

05:25in the summer?

05:26No.

05:27You obviously signed a new contract now,

05:28so he's clearly...

05:29Yeah, absolutely.

05:30I think,

05:31I think the club showed him

05:32how much we want him,

05:33how much we can of him,

05:34and I think it was good.

05:35And the proof that

05:36we would send the contract

05:37because otherwise

05:38we would not trust,

05:39the club didn't trust,

05:40or don't trust

05:41with him.

05:42We would not do it.

05:44And of course,

05:45sometimes with the agents

05:46in the preseason,

05:47the transfer window market,

05:48you can do this,

05:49you can get more money here,

05:50you can get more money there,

05:51the other clubs,

05:52and the managers,

05:53always you are a little bit.

05:54That's why

05:55I had the feeling

05:56when the transfer window

05:57is closed,

05:58wow,

05:59now starts the season

06:00and everyone is,

06:01you know,

06:02is,

06:03is focused.

06:04And he's...

06:05But the man,

06:06the huge manager

06:07must have played a role

06:08in that.

06:09if you tell the player

06:10that you want to keep it.

06:11Yeah, absolutely.

06:12But at the end,

06:13if he insists,

06:14I want to leave,

06:15I want to leave.

06:16And the offer

06:17is good for the club,

06:18and after the club,

06:19I have my opinion,

06:21but always,

06:22always,

06:23since I arrived here,

06:24in Barcelona,

06:25the last word

06:26belongs to the club.

06:28For me, tomorrow,

06:29I'm not here.

06:30And the player

06:31will stay here,

06:32he will stay with

06:33another manager.

06:34And the club

06:35has to be

06:36sure

06:37that that player

06:38wants me.

06:39Of course,

06:40I give my opinion,

06:41they ask me,

06:42and I give with

06:43Chiqui,

06:44with Hugo,

06:45with Ferran,

06:46with Khaldun,

06:47always give my opinion

06:48about that play

06:49on the other one,

06:50what I think should

06:51happen,

06:52but the last word,

06:53the decisions always,

06:54with Chiqui,

06:55with Hugo,

06:56belongs to them.

06:57and you re-watched the

06:58Vila game yesterday.

06:59I was wondering,

07:00when you were re-watching

07:01games like that

07:02from almost one month

07:03ago,

07:04what sort of things

07:05are you looking out for?

07:07Well,

07:08well looked for.

07:09I see how they defend,

07:11how we have to attack,

07:12how they attack,

07:13how we have to defend,

07:14and especially,

07:15how is our energy,

07:18how is the duo,

07:19how is the body language,

07:20how we help each other,

07:21how we complain each other,

07:22how we didn't have any

07:23moments in behind,

07:24how many of this kind of stuff.

07:26So,

07:27that is what happened.

07:29Yeah.

07:30During that period,

07:31you were talking about

07:33the lack of energy,

07:34and things like that before.

07:35What do you say to the players

07:37at that point?

07:38Because the run have been...

07:40No,

07:41one of the problems last season

07:42is that when you have that

07:43position,

07:44the competition between each

07:45other,

07:46so the players,

07:47they are not energy,

07:48okay,

07:49you have energy,

07:50we'll be back,

07:51play another three or four

07:52or five players,

07:53they have energy because

07:54they want to play.

07:55The season couldn't happen.

07:56Some of them,

07:57after winning four

07:58Premier League in a row,

07:59was okay,

08:00what's next,

08:01didn't have it.

08:02And when that happened there,

08:03the players that were tired

08:04and energy,

08:05not because they didn't want it,

08:06but they wanted it,

08:07but didn't have.

08:08Sometimes you are drained,

08:09you know,

08:10you are empty.

08:11It happened.

08:12And,

08:13how many games we played

08:14really good in the beginning,

08:15have a chance,

08:1665 minutes.

08:17And the players were tired,

08:19and after that,

08:20sad and disappointed

08:21for the result again

08:23and again and again,

08:24but three days later,

08:25had to use the same players.

08:27Because they didn't have

08:28an option,

08:29because all of them

08:30was in the table massage,

08:31or in the hospitals.

08:32So,

08:33that's why,

08:34and when the moment come back,

08:35and Koba come back,

08:36and everybody would say,

08:37guys,

08:38we have to make a step back,

08:39we talk a lot.

08:40and in the wintertime,

08:42the club make the signs

08:43for the next four,

08:44five,

08:45six,

08:46seven years,

08:47because all of them,

08:48they were,

08:49or they are still in the business,

08:51because they are young,

08:52and after that,

08:53the team,

08:54they come back,

08:55not to compete.

08:56Well,

08:57we were at the FA Cup Final,

08:58and we played really good

08:59at the Crystal Palace,

09:00I'd say.

09:01And,

09:02and we,

09:03we finished third.

09:04So,

09:05always I said the same,

09:06when you played that season,

09:08in that season,

09:09when the,

09:10me personally,

09:11or my staff,

09:12and the players give up,

09:13give up,

09:14we finished tenth.

09:15In this league,

09:16we finished tenth.

09:17And we finished third.

09:18And not much,

09:19much away from Arsenal,

09:20that was really,

09:21really good.

09:22So,

09:23that's why I said,

09:24if we are continuing,

09:25didn't,

09:26don't give up,

09:27like,

09:28and everything,

09:29whatever happened,

09:30stay there,

09:31stay there.

09:32At the end,

09:33we'll be proud,

09:34and everything can happen.

09:35Do you think,

09:36do you think,

09:37the way that you sort of,

09:38fought through that,

09:39that run,

09:40that came on the other side,

09:41and then finished third,

09:42do you think that's,

09:43almost set yourself up,

09:44for the way you play at the moment,

09:45as a good sort of foundation?

09:46Well,

09:47absolutely,

09:48we realised that,

09:49if we,

09:50the players are the first,

09:51they come to me,

09:52a month ago,

09:53said to me,

09:54Pep,

09:55we don't want to leave the season,

09:56that we leave that season.

09:57They are the first.

09:58So,

09:59I never expect one player,

10:00even a season,

10:01that play,

10:02in front of 65,

10:0370,000 people,

10:04and they want to perform,

10:06properly,

10:07and well.

10:08They have pride,

10:09I know that guys,

10:10and they want to do it,

10:11but we were empty,

10:12drained,

10:13for the success,

10:14they had the pass,

10:15for the injuries,

10:16for many,

10:17many things.

10:18And,

10:19yeah,

10:20you realise,

10:21OK,

10:22it's not a problem,

10:23life always cannot be perfect,

10:24always you cannot be,

10:25win all the time.

10:26As much as you realise,

10:27what do you have to do,

10:28to get better,

10:29we will be a good team,

10:33we will be a good team,

10:34and we can be,

10:35as I said before,

10:36we are not consistent,

10:37for 95 minutes,

10:38yet,

10:39but,

10:40even in the bad moments,

10:41we are quite stable,

10:42and,

10:43and,

10:44yeah,

10:45create,

10:46some moments,

10:47some moments,

10:48Thank you, everyone.

10:49OK, thank you.

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