Pep Guardiola on Manchester City's transformation this season

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Guardiola on City transformation this season  31/12/2025 embargoed from 12.30  CFGA, manchester, UK

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00:00Are you happy with the size of your squad?

00:03And if anybody did come in, would that mean you'd want to keep the numbers the same?

00:08I remember you said last season that's the worst thing that you could have is players,

00:13I think you said, frozen or in the fridge or whatever.

00:16Always I've been so happy, always.

00:19Since the day one arrived here in Barcelona and Bayern Munich in here.

00:23All the players I managed, all of them.

00:24There is no one single one.

00:26They were not leveled standards to play with the teams I managed in Barcelona, Bayern Munich here.

00:31So, no one.

00:33Always the club taking decisions, I support 100% decision taking.

00:37It's going bad, I look at myself, I look at the team, what I can do better.

00:40Always is that.

00:42When I would expect in the previous season, last season, what would happen,

00:46we have changed before.

00:47That's for sure.

00:48But in that moment I said, okay, four premiers in a row, still we have energy,

00:53still we have players.

00:55You know, players have to happen, what will happen.

00:56But sometimes you cannot anticipate the situations.

00:59And now I'm happy with what we have and the players are coming back.

01:02Roy is coming back and Jeremy is coming back.

01:06We have good players in the back.

01:07We have a good academy and we go with Gigo.

01:11Would you expect, if one came in, would you expect one to go out?

01:15I would say, your colleague from Sky, transfer window is closed.

01:19When it's open, we'll see what happens.

01:22I said before, when it started last season, I never expect to go to the transfer window

01:26in wintertime.

01:27And at the end we worry about three or four players because we didn't have players.

01:31And without that players, we would not be today fourth in the Champions League.

01:35We are going, I think, not even play the conference.

01:37If that signs, because basically we didn't have players for a long, long time.

01:44We didn't have players.

01:45In the moment with the new players and at three quarters of the season,

01:49the players come back.

01:50We were the best team in the Premier League in the last 10, 50 games in the Premier League

01:54last season.

01:55So, sometimes you have to take a decision because you don't expect.

02:00And right now, with this crazy schedule that we have,

02:04so it's just Sunderland, Sunderland, Sunderland.

02:07Pep, we're at the end of another year and still there is no word about the Premier League

02:12charges against your club about a decision.

02:15I just wonder, you're in the middle of what looks like being potentially a very successful

02:18season.

02:19You're in four competitions.

02:20Is that frustration for you?

02:21How are you managing that?

02:22Is that something that kind of annoys you, that this is still in the background

02:26all this time later?

02:27It's the same question I asked you, so I don't know.

02:30I don't know.

02:31Maybe you have better info than me.

02:34You don't have?

02:34I would love to have it, but I don't know.

02:38I don't know.

02:39Would you like to see it resolved as quickly as possible?

02:41I know that's been your position from day one.

02:43You've wanted a quick resolution.

02:46Presumably, you want that even more.

02:47The same answer to your question is the same you answered me one, two, three years ago.

02:51So, they might be so busy.

02:59Hi, Pep.

02:59I just wondered, did you watch the Arsenal game last night?

03:02And if so, how impressed with them were you?

03:05How difficult is it going to be for you to finish a ball?

03:08I think most teams are exceptional, it's not a surprise, both the top managers, the top

03:16clubs, really a proper football game.

03:20So, really good and congratulations, Arsenal.

03:25You mentioned the crazy schedule.

03:27I think it's ten games from the 1st of January to the 1st of February.

03:31It's going to be such an important month, isn't it?

03:34It's important because we made November, December really, really good.

03:38But, yeah, this month will define the qualification for the Champions League, in which position.

03:44And in the Premier League, it's trying to be close to the top of the league.

03:48Hi, Pep.

03:49Obviously, you watched Arsenal last night and the set-piece changed the game in their favour.

03:55When you are looking to improve the squad, are you looking at things that you don't have,

03:59such as someone with a long throw-in?

04:00A long throw.

04:04We don't have players to do this.

04:06Would it be useful to have someone that has a long throw?

04:09I don't know.

04:10I have many things to think about it, you know, in the train and whatever.

04:17So, it's for James, set-piece of the guy.

04:20Would he like the challenge of having someone?

04:22Sunderland is a really, really tough threat, but a long throw.

04:29We defend really well here, but it's really, really hard to try to avoid it.

04:33And, yeah, there are many, many teams, Brentford, them, Arsenal included,

04:38and there are many, many teams that are using that.

04:40They have two different worlds.

04:42Yeah.

04:43Hi, Pep.

04:44You've played almost all of 2025 without Rodri,

04:47who's obviously voted the best player in the world a couple of years ago.

04:51Have you been surprised at how well you've managed to cope,

04:54given the way you finished last season, the way you started this season?

04:56Because lots of other teams, if you took out arguably their best player for an entire year,

05:01they wouldn't be in the same position that you currently find yourself in.

05:04Yeah, we miss him a lot.

05:07The only I want is Rodri C happy.

05:11It's the only I want.

05:12The knee I know is fine and the muscles are fine.

05:15I want him.

05:16The Rodri we met, his joy in playing, his presence and body languages

05:22and this kind of stuff, and I want it for him, for the team, of course, selfishly.

05:28So I want, we want him.

05:29Yeah.

05:30But, yeah, hopefully step by step can, you know, can be involved with us.

05:42And, of course, the other players, we miss Kovacic as well a lot.

05:47So, but, yeah, Nico has been made top.

05:52I think he's young.

05:53He want to learn and improve and still have margin to improve as a player.

05:58But it's top.

05:59And I said many times we miss him a lot since last season, Rodri.

06:04A lot.

06:05But not just him.

06:06So, the season will have been better with just the only reason Rodri.

06:10Being that would not be possible.

06:11So, when you, you're right.

06:12When you miss the best player in the world in two seasons ago.

06:16Like, incredible figure to make a travel of four premiers in a row.

06:22But massively important figure.

06:24So, you miss him, of course, for one week, three weeks.

06:28You can handle it by being arguably more than one year and a half.

06:32And it's a lot, a lot of time.

06:34But, yeah.

06:36So, at the end of the last season, what we have done,

06:40overcome the problems that we had.

06:42One of the best seasons we have had as a team.

06:44The guys who were there.

06:46All the seasons were there.

06:48And the staff and backroom staff last season

06:50was arguably one of the best that we had.

06:52Because it's how you overcome the problems.

06:54You want to define the seasons.

06:56And it was in the perspective now.

06:59Every time when I reflect on the last season,

07:01I'm more proud than ever about what we have done as a club.

07:06How we handle the bad-bad situations.

07:08How the hierarchy of Haldunz or CEOs,

07:11how incredibly messages support.

07:13Let's go, let's go, let's go.

07:15And just in this incredible club can happen.

07:18So...

07:19And, of course, when we had all the seasons of the squad,

07:22we were competing like we are doing this season.

07:25And, obviously, come on, with rugby,

07:28we are a stronger team.

07:31There's no doubt about that.

07:33Last one, sorry.

07:34Just given what happened last season

07:36and then all the changes that happened in summer,

07:38have your players surprised you

07:40with how well they've done in the first half of this season

07:43to be where you are?

07:44Well, we are there.

07:48And, of course, in the Champions League we are much better.

07:51We need two toughest, toughest players like Real Madrid.

07:54Yeah, in the Champions League,

07:56I think it's obviously much, much better than the last season.

07:59Like, in the half-time in the last game against Bruges, we were out.

08:03So, we need, you know, three more four points to finish in the first eight.

08:08So, that is going to do.

08:10And...

08:11But, yeah, we start three games.

08:13One victory, two defeat.

08:15So, we are starting really well.

08:16And I still had the feeling we are in the process to do better,

08:18do better, do better.

08:19To not be perfect, perfect.

08:21But, yeah, we...

08:24There have been many changes.

08:26So, a lot of new players and a lot of many things.

08:29And that's why I still had the feeling that we are in the process

08:33that we need to make the right click, you know, to know.

08:37And I'm pretty sure when some players come back,

08:39like Jeremy and John come back and can help us.

08:43And many players have been injured for a long, long time.

08:46I'm pretty sure that we'll be better.

08:48Thanks, everyone.

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