- 6 hours ago
Manchester City Assistant manager Kolo Toure steps in for Pep Guardiola to preview trip to Palace and give the latest on injuries.
12/12/2025
CFGA, Manchester, Uk
12/12/2025
CFGA, Manchester, Uk
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00sessions with mics on either side of the room, and we'll set an embargo for 10.30pm on Saturday evening.
00:05We'll start with Ian, please.
00:06Hello, Kolo. First question, is Pep OK? He obviously would usually do the press conference,
00:12and will he be at the game against Crystal Palace?
00:16Yeah, Pep is fine. It's just a small matter that we didn't bring him here,
00:23but apart from that, everything is fine for him there. He'll be back, for sure.
00:27So he's OK for the Crystal Palace game?
00:29Absolutely.
00:30Excellent. OK. From your perspective, the moment that the team is in right now,
00:35is this as good as it's felt since you've been back at Manchester City?
00:39No, I always say, I think what we are doing at the moment is good,
00:45because we play well, as we say. We find a way to get some results.
00:52And of course, I know that the team can get better, like the managers say, all the time.
00:56And we are improving, we are growing, and that's the most important, really, for us at the moment.
01:03How are you feeling about Crystal Palace?
01:04They're a team that can cause the top side's trouble, like you've experienced before.
01:08Yeah, they are a top team. They are really good.
01:10They're fourth of the league.
01:12Difficult to score goals against them.
01:14They're second best at the moment, considering goals.
01:16But for us, we focus on what we can do.
01:20And we know that if we play our football, we are constantly, we work hard as a team.
01:26We can beat any team in this league, for sure.
01:28Sure.
01:30Working so closely with the squad, as you do, a lot of changes in the summer.
01:36Do you see a team that's ready, that's capable of winning the Premier League and the Champions League this season?
01:43I would say, when you play for Man City, and you work for Man City, you know that every competition is very important.
01:50And the target is to work hard and fight for those competitions and to win them.
01:55And we can't hide for that, definitely.
01:58And that's why every day, we're working hard to make sure that we can put the team who are in front of us under pressure
02:08and try to just keep fighting and try to win the trophy that we can, definitely.
02:13Yeah, the gap to Arsenal was seven points only a couple of weeks ago.
02:17It's now two points.
02:18You've been there.
02:19You've done it.
02:20How much pressure are those Arsenal players under now, knowing City are breathing right behind their necks?
02:26I think for us, we just focus on what we can do.
02:29You know, I think we know the quality of Arsenal.
02:33They have a really strong squad, a fantastic manager.
02:36But it's all down to us because we have the best manager in the world.
02:42He's doing an incredible job every day.
02:44He's passionate for the game.
02:48He loves the players.
02:49And he loves his staff.
02:51And we know that he will take us as far as we can to win that league.
03:00And for us, we just focus on what we can do, really.
03:04You know, we don't focus on what Arsenal is doing.
03:06We want to get...
03:07Every game is like a final for us.
03:10Yeah.
03:11Hi, Kolo.
03:12I just wondered how much you're enjoying being back at Manchester City.
03:16And what's it like working with the two peps?
03:19I think for me, I'm always...
03:22Every morning, I wake up and I think I'm very grateful.
03:26I'm very lucky, you know, to be able to work with these two fantastic person.
03:32Firstly, they're fantastic, you know, coaches and managers, but they're great people.
03:38Great, great people.
03:38And for me, work for Pep Guardiola was a dream because during my career, you know, I was always
03:45thinking, like, there's one manager I have in work under.
03:48It was Pep Guardiola.
03:49And I was thinking, how can I find a way to work with him?
03:54You know, and then that opportunity came when I was in the academy to come work for the first
03:59team.
03:59And I think I was like, it was a blessing for me.
04:02And it was...
04:03No, every day for me, it's fantastic.
04:07You know, he loves his players.
04:08He loves his staff.
04:10His passion for the game is high.
04:12He's intense.
04:13You know, we love him, you know.
04:15And yeah, for me, it's fantastic.
04:17Pep Linders, we all know about his energy, his knowledge of the game as well.
04:23And honestly, I'm very lucky to be able to work with those two fantastic people.
04:30I just wondered, how much did the experience you had at Wigan hurt you?
04:34And would you still like to be a manager again one day?
04:37And if so, is the dream to manage in the Premier League?
04:40I would say my experience at Wigan was the best thing that happened to me, I think.
04:46You know, because that...
04:48During my life, I had a lot of setbacks.
04:50You know, before I come to...
04:52As a player, before I come to Arsenal, I did four or five trials.
04:55And those strikes didn't work.
04:57And that never stopped me.
05:01And I think when I have setback, my feeling is to go again.
05:05You know, and that's natural for me.
05:06And for me, of course, the job that I'm doing right now is fantastic because I'm working
05:14with two fantastic people, working for one of the best clubs in the world as a coach.
05:20And I'm taking all this experience right now.
05:23I don't know what will happen in the future.
05:24But as you know, when you've been a manager once, you always want to go back for sure.
05:29So, and for me, the process is fantastic.
05:32You know, and I'm learning every day.
05:35I'm trying to share my knowledge and my experience with them as well, of course, to try to bring
05:39something to the team because I'm not here only just to learn.
05:43I'm here to bring something as well.
05:47Hello, Carlo.
05:48Just to check on a couple of the players this weekend, is John Stones available?
05:54The players are today, they are off, you know, and tomorrow when everybody come back, you know,
06:00we know more about the players.
06:03What is the problem with John?
06:05What injury has he got?
06:06He was, if I'm sure, he was his tie, I think, you know, that's a hard problem.
06:14And, but I'm sure he wasn't something too big.
06:17I think he'll be back soon.
06:18Do you have an idea on Rodri at all?
06:20Clear idea when he might do that?
06:21Rodri is training really well.
06:23He's doing his role-up really, really well.
06:25And he looks sharper and sharper every day we see him.
06:29But for sure, you know, we, I don't think that we're going to see him for the weekend.
06:34But he's on the process, definitely.
06:37Hi, Carlo.
06:38Do you know yet what date the players will be leaving for AFCON?
06:43The date, if I'm not mistaken, is after our game against Crystal Palace on the weekend,
06:52that the players will go.
06:53It will be Omar.
06:55It's going to be Nuri as well.
06:56So both will, this will be their final game this weekend, essentially.
07:00Yes.
07:00Before they go away.
07:03For you, that obviously leaves a little bit of a hole.
07:05I know neither has played the minutes they would have perhaps liked to.
07:09But obviously, it adds a little bit of extra pressure on the rest of the players, doesn't
07:12it, I guess, during this period.
07:14Sorry, can you repeat again?
07:15I know neither has played necessarily the amount of minutes they would have wanted to.
07:18But they are still key players for the first team.
07:20And I suppose it adds a little bit of extra pressure on the squad at this crucial time,
07:24does it?
07:25Sorry.
07:26The end of the question.
07:27Sorry.
07:27Sorry.
07:28It adds a bit of extra pressure on the rest of the players in their absence.
07:32Two less players.
07:33Oh, yeah.
07:33On the absence when we go.
07:35Sorry.
07:35It's my fault.
07:37Obviously, we have a strong squad.
07:38You know, and of course, they are really two really important players.
07:43You know, and if he's subbed to the manager, of course, he wants to play every player.
07:49You know, as we know, he loves the players.
07:54You know, every time he has to make decisions for player to left player as an out, it does hurt
07:58him a lot, you know, but for sure, we will miss Omar and Nuri for sure, but we are strong
08:06enough as a squad to cope with the absence.
08:09Can it help them, in a way, going away to play in a different surroundings, have some
08:15success, be key players for their national teams?
08:18I think we need them, of course, you know, to be here because there is a lot of games coming,
08:24you know, in this month and next month as well.
08:29But, you know, going back to your national team, you know, I've experienced that.
08:33When they go there, we're going to start almost every single game and for sure that we benefit
08:37to them and to us as well because when they come, they will fit up and help the best for
08:42each of them there.
08:44And just finally, on AFCON, while we've got you, how do you see the tournament?
08:49Who do you think will be the favourites?
08:51Where do you see it playing out?
08:53Yeah, difficult, you know, but there's a lot of good teams.
08:58I think when we play in the north of Africa, you know, the north country of Africa are always
09:03really strong.
09:05Like, of course, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, they're always really strong.
09:11But I would say my country, of course, Ivory Coast, you know, because we were the last winner
09:19of the tournament.
09:20We still have a really strong squad.
09:23And, of course, I would go for my country, definitely.
09:26Kolo, just to go back to the manager, you've worked with him now for six months.
09:31Does he still strike you as somebody who's got a huge hunger and desire to keep winning trophies
09:36for many, many years to come here?
09:39Absolutely.
09:40Absolutely.
09:41And the manager in Neji every day is incredible, you know.
09:47And for me, I'm so surprised with all the years that he's done in the league.
09:55And now the energy that he still has is incredible every day.
09:59The passion he brings in every meeting, in the training session, he's enjoying himself
10:04every single day.
10:05And we are enjoying as well, you know.
10:08And we could see, you can see in the games, you know, when we play, it doesn't matter what
10:12happens.
10:13We have a lot of, we have a big spirit in the team.
10:17We have a lot of energy.
10:18We're fighting for every single ball.
10:20And then we try to play our football because we are a position team base, of course.
10:28But when he goes to fighting, we can do that too as well.
10:33And that shows the spirit of the team.
10:36Hi, Akolo.
10:37Obviously, the manager expects the highest standards of the players.
10:41Everyone knows that.
10:43But it seems like he expects the same standards from his coaching staff as well.
10:47Yeah.
10:47What does he want from you on a day-to-day basis?
10:50And what are you offering from a coach's perspective?
10:54The first thing he told me is to work individually with the players a lot by doing a video session
11:02with them, show clips where they can improve their skill.
11:05And I'm mentoring them a lot as well, you know, try to advise them on certain things on the
11:12pitch as well.
11:13And do some individual stuff on the pitch as well on the technique to finish or to defend.
11:18As I was a defender as well, help hurling Allen by telling staff about defenders that they don't like as well
11:25because I was a defender.
11:26And also, I work really closely with Pep Linders on leading the training sessions and, of course,
11:36bring my energy, you know, that I always had.
11:40And, yeah, for me, working with Pep Guardiola is incredible.
11:44He allowed me to be who I am, you know, and that's fantastic, you know.
11:49I was not expecting that, you know.
11:51But the first thing he told me when I came, he said, just be you, you know.
11:56And this is incredible.
11:58This is incredible.
12:01You said you weren't expecting it.
12:02What were you expecting when you took the job?
12:06No, I mean, you know, when you work for a certain manager,
12:10they will tell you what they want you to do.
12:13But with Pep, he wants you to express yourself, you know,
12:17because he knows that every individual will have a special skill.
12:23And he doesn't keep you in one frame.
12:28You know, he allows you to express yourself, to be the best as you can for the team.
12:34And that's top.
12:35Can I just ask a quick one on the form and the way the team's playing?
12:42Going back to sort of August and September,
12:46there seems to be quite a sharp increase in the way that the team's playing.
12:49Do you think that's just because of the amount of time
12:52that you guys have had on the training pitch,
12:55sort of the team is learning to play a different way
12:57and it was always going to take a few months for them to hit a decent level of form?
13:02I think for me, the team still play the same football that they used to play.
13:08You know, for me, this is my opinion.
13:10But one thing we had more in the team is the aggressivity,
13:15the fighting for the second ball, for example.
13:19You know, and we know that in the Premier League,
13:23Premier League is a very physical league, you know,
13:26and having the ball is top, but when you don't have the ball, you have to fight.
13:30You know, I think that's the difference from last season
13:32and from maybe previous season.
13:34And of course, the team is growing, the team is getting better
13:37every single game, every single day, and that's what we want.
13:42And like the manager always say, we are growing, and that's the most important.
13:45Let's see where we're going to be at the end of the season.
13:48Let's see where we're going to be.
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