00:00Hi, Josko. You arrived the summer after City had won the Champions League.
00:08So how much of an ambition is it of yours to win this competition with this club?
00:15Well, we all know that, me personally, like every season, every year I'm full of ambitions.
00:25And of course, I'm still young, I'd like to win the Champions League.
00:29But yeah, we need to be aware that it's quite difficult to win it,
00:37especially because this is the competition where all the best teams are included.
00:43And yeah, for the last, I don't know, three seasons, four seasons in my career, I've seen that.
00:50I've realised how difficult it is and yeah, hopefully one day it will be nice to get that trophy.
00:57Hi, Josko. You've had some really good results so far this season in the Champions League
01:01and maybe been a little bit inconsistent in the Premier League with the odd defeat.
01:05At this stage of this team with the new players and it feels like maybe a team in transition a little bit.
01:10Is it easier maybe to play in cup competitions when you can take that inconsistency out of it
01:15than maybe win a 38-game league campaign?
01:21I think, yeah, I don't think, you know, I think we've been doing really good so far this season.
01:36To be honest, we don't play alone. There are many teams and we know it's difficult to play away games
01:43and of course we prefer to play at home.
01:49So I would say if we talk about Champions League, Cup games, Premier League, you know, mentally we are prepared for all the games
01:57and we want to perform, we want to be as best as we can.
02:03So, yeah, I think the season is still long so hopefully, I think we're going to recover, we're going to be there
02:11and, you know, from now on I think things are going to be much easier.
02:18Hi, Josko. We saw the frustration from many players, the management staff, after the game against Newcastle.
02:28We saw what happened on the pitch. What was said amongst the group in the dressing room?
02:32How did you as a group deal with the disappointment of the result
02:36and obviously the decisions that went against you at the weekend?
02:39To be honest, I got the same question like five minutes ago. I didn't see what happened.
02:44I can guess, you know. It's normal that we are all frustrated after the game, especially when, you know,
02:55some things are not clear during the game and the decisions of, you know, the referees which, you know,
03:02at the end of the game we cannot change. The game is finished, so what can we do?
03:08All we can do is just complain and try to, I don't know. So I believe it's normal, especially for our captains, for our manager.
03:20You know, they fight for, I mean, we all fight for that badge and for this club.
03:26So, to be honest, if we miss that, then what's the point of competing, what's the point of, you know,
03:35fighting, playing in this competition, Premier League, yeah.
03:41Since that result, Arsenal obviously won very convincingly yesterday, where does that leave the title race, in your view,
03:48at this stage of the season?
03:52I don't know. Honestly, two months, three months ago, we've been in, like, much worse situation than now, than we are now.
04:04So, it's difficult to tell, you know, there are, like, many games to play, still many games to play,
04:10and I think we just need to go game by game, being here, like, be mentally here, recovering well,
04:19preparing for next game and, yeah, then we will see at the end, yeah.
04:26Hi, Josko. Bless you.
04:31Last season, with the injuries, it felt at times like City were just trying to survive in the Champions League, sorry,
04:38but because things are a little bit more settled now, there aren't as many injuries,
04:41do you feel more like a contender to win it this season?
04:46First of all, I'm happy that, yeah, we are all healthy, we are all available to play.
04:53Yeah, I think we need players. I think the manager needs everyone, especially when you play every three days.
05:02The rhythm and everything is quite, like, it's difficult to deal with it.
05:07So, yeah, I think it's much easier, of course, than last season.
05:14But still, I think we got a lot of, like, work to do.
05:20After the disappointment of last season, have the players discussed or have you any thoughts on
05:31whether winning the Champions League or the Premier League is a priority this season?
05:39First of all, we discussed this last season already, what happened last season, you know, it's behind us.
05:48And we just, like, at the beginning of this season, of course, we talked about it and we don't want to repeat something that happened last season.
06:03But priorities, like every game is priority, you know, we want to win every game.
06:08That's why we play football. No one likes to lose the games.
06:11So, no matter if it's the FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Premier League, Champions League, we want to win all the games.
06:21Anyone else, guys? No? Richard?
06:30Joske, just going back to last season, sort of how painful was it in the Champions League, you know,
06:35to come sort of 22nd in the group and to be out much earlier than probably you expected?
06:40Yeah. Yeah, I think it's, for me, the worst season so far that I've done, you know.
06:51I've ever had in my career and it was painful and I remember last season I couldn't sleep in the nights
07:01because I was trying to find a solution, I was trying to help the team, everyone in the club, you know,
07:06to get out of this position but sometimes it's difficult, sometimes, you know,
07:11things are not going the way we wanted and, yeah, I'm glad that he's behind us,
07:18that we recover well, that, you know, in football I say it's good that, like,
07:24in three days there is a new game, you know, which forces you to forget what happened two days ago,
07:34three days ago, so, yeah, it's behind us, a new season and hopefully we, I think,
07:43we all see already that the situation in the club, the situation in the dressing room is much different,
07:51it's in a better way than last season.
07:55And even though personally you had a good season, you won Player of the Year,
07:59but it was still getting you down how the results in general.
08:04Yeah, I mean, like, it's nice to get an award that I got last season, but still it didn't make me,
08:14it didn't make me happy because, you know, we struggled a lot and you remember my first season we won the Premier League
08:21and we were that close to win FA Cup and even last season, that close, you know, to win FA Cup as well.
08:30But then at the end we haven't won anything and, yeah, I mean, as a footballer you want to win the games,
08:38you want to win the titles.
08:40Just, sorry, one more, Jasko, you're obviously quite close to Kovacic, how's he doing?
08:46It's obviously a difficult time for him and when do you think he might be back playing again?
08:52Honestly, I don't know, all I know is that he's OK.
08:56I think he's coming back to the training ground today, I can't wait to see him.
09:02But, yeah, to be honest, mentally he's strong, he accepted really good as well.
09:13Of course, we're going to miss him, I guess maybe three, four months.
09:17I don't know, it's difficult to tell, but I think the most important thing is that he recovers well, you know,
09:25and then prepares for the end of the season and next season as well.
09:30I don't think there's any German media in the room, so we'll leave it there, guys.
Be the first to comment