- 10 hours ago
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and winger Jeremy Doku preview their final group stage game of the UEFA Champions League against Galatasaray
Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
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SportsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon everyone, hope you're well. We'll start with questions from English Media
00:08first followed by any questions from Turkish Media. We'll take a show of hands for questions
00:13please. Someone start. Someone start guys. Richard, thank you.
00:23Hi Pep, just wondering how you assess the overall situation. I mean so many
00:29teams so close together on 13 points, you obviously need to win but there's other
00:34results. How do you feel about it all? Good. I'd prefer to have more but here's what we deserve,
00:4230 points. We need to focus on trying to win our game and seeing which position we finish.
00:49And in terms of that, do you have to be aware of the other results? You know,
00:54do you have to be thinking about goal difference? We see the result in the last 5-10 minutes,
00:59how is our result and after that we see. So we have to focus on win our game, that is the key.
01:05Hi Pep, you've talked a lot about Bernardo Silva or been asked a lot about Bernardo Silva recently and
01:15how you sleep better at night when you know he's going to play. How does a player get to that level
01:21of being that good and that intelligent? He's a street player. All the players for our fault is
01:30educated what they have to do and just he does what the game dictates what he has to do in every action.
01:36Street player, he's intuitive, he knows exactly what you have to do.
01:40Did you know you were going to get that kind of player 10 years ago or did you buy him for something else?
01:44I was impressed, we were impressed, we played against Monaco but not at that level.
01:48What kind of player did you think it was? Just playing in the pockets, dribbles, he's obviously become so much more.
01:56Yeah, dribbles, yeah.
01:57Yeah, I like what he has at the ball but of course the players, you know him when you are with them, day by day.
02:09Especially in the difficulty situations and Bernardo has been defined especially in the bad moments, how he reacts, how he behaves.
02:19In the good moments everyone is fine, it's in bad moments and Bernardo, of course I always expect it was a really good
02:27player, one with Monaco, the French League, it's not easy to be in PSG there, but when you are many, many years,
02:34nine years together and so you know him perfectly, there's never injury, never, every three days play, no massage,
02:42nothing, have an incredible genetic nature to recover and play and we have seen it for many years.
02:51It's part of the success of this club alongside from many, many other ones. It's one of the greatest.
02:58Hi Pep, I know you said a couple of weeks ago that Erling was exhausted and obviously he didn't start at the weekend.
03:03How is he, is he fully ready to go and come back into the team this week?
03:07I didn't have dinner with him last night, so I don't know. We'll see.
03:13You're very much in the hunt for four trophies still this season. How much would it help your chances when it comes
03:22to the business end of the campaign if you were to avoid a playoff and to manage to finish in the top eight?
03:27I'll try to win tomorrow. Galatasaray is a league in the Turkish League, you see the players, all of them are exceptional.
03:36We have to make an incredible effort with our fans, give more that we can give for the situation,
03:44for a lot of absence that we have and after we'll see what happens.
03:48Pep, you've got Gundogan and Leroy Sané coming back tomorrow,
03:53can you sum up how much of a contribution those two made to your time here?
03:57Not bad at all. Huge contribution, my grateful is eternal for both of them.
04:03Incredible, lovely persons, incredible mates, happy to see them back tomorrow.
04:11With Ilkay in particular, he was such a key figure for you, how difficult was it for you to let him go?
04:17Yeah, it was a little bit longer than Leroy, but Leroy was really important.
04:20He gave us something unique, he was a special player, the connection when Kevin was there.
04:28Another midfield player, Leroy was exceptional and Ngundogan is not an issue to tell you.
04:34I've been a captain for the travel season, massive big character.
04:38Another player quite similar like Bernardo, top player in the top games.
04:45Big player in the big games, so yeah, top.
04:50Just going back to Erling Pep, your job obviously is to analyse the team, you do that very well, etc.
04:57Why do you think he's not scored from open play in the last six or seven games?
05:00Is it him, is it the team? The team.
05:03And what's happening in the team then?
05:05I have to play better.
05:07With regard to? Sorry?
05:09With regard to what, taking up better positions, being more aggressive?
05:12Create more chances.
05:14He will score.
05:15Never underestimate the strikers, the goal scorers, because always they will make you silent,
05:24so he will score for the rest of his life, that's for sure.
05:27And I appreciate you didn't have dinner with him yesterday evening, but would you speak to him
05:30or have you spoken to him just to sort of, I don't know, man-manage him a little bit,
05:33let him know you still believe him? Is that your style sometimes?
05:36I'm not good in that. I'm overthinking manager, not man-management.
05:41So that's interesting because there is a sort of considered wisdom that at the very elite level
05:46it's actually all about man-management, how you sort of get different personalities to gel and keep them going.
05:54Yeah, the new generation manages just the videos, we are not man-management.
05:58I don't talk with the players since the last three years, so I don't talk with them.
06:02Very wise.
06:04Less problems.
06:06Pep, you've obviously had a few days to reflect now on the Wolves game.
06:11You've obviously said that on occasion in the past your emotions can get the better of you at times.
06:16I just wondered on reflection what you thought about your comments about Faria Halam,
06:21the Premier League referee making his debut,
06:23and whether you thought you went a bit too far with some of the comments you made on Saturday.
06:27They defend the statements always, they defend each other, completely understandable,
06:34so they have to do that, but at the same time they have to defend my club.
06:37How many times I criticised the referees last season was the worst season in ten years?
06:41How many times?
06:42I'd have to go back and check, I don't know how many times.
06:46That's true, because it never happened.
06:50OK, but I'm saying he was...
06:52Against United, what happened?
06:55You were there after the United game?
06:57What was my comments against the referees? Tell me.
06:59No, they weren't. About Dalot? No.
07:02What I'm saying is obviously he was...
07:04I was incredibly respectful in ten years with the referees, never, ever.
07:07When the defeats and everything, never comment absolutely anything.
07:11I don't have arguments to do it, that's the only reason why,
07:13but I know they defend each other, the pundits, and everyone defend us.
07:18You know, I understand completely, but I defend my players, I defend my club,
07:22that's why I owe them my club and my people and not what happened and that.
07:27I know you made some obviously general comments about, you know,
07:31you felt that you obviously wanted all those titles despite the referees.
07:34I was referencing particularly the comments about a referee making his Premier League debut
07:42and you implying that he was making...
07:44I'm so sorry, I'm sorry. If he fell off, I'm so sorry.
07:46I know it's not easy for a game debut, and it's happened.
07:49So, I know there's a sensitive everyone, I know that.
07:53Well, I mean, it's not sensitive, it was quite a big comment to make
07:59about a guy making his Premier League debut, probably...
08:01That's why you can write an article and you can write the statements,
08:06you can write it and you do what happened.
08:08So, just take a look in ten years when we defeat, when we defeat the FA Cup Finals,
08:13you know, for the position of the referees, the keeper, you know, for Crystal Palace,
08:18it's a natural position, it was a red card, it was not a red card,
08:22look at my comments after the game.
08:24Never, ever, in ten years, in our defeats and our problems, I never criticised the referees.
08:29I know it's a difficult position.
08:31What I'm saying this is because there are arguments and reasons why we have done it,
08:34and I defend my club and my players.
08:36And they defend, or we defend the referees.
08:39He has to do that.
08:41He can't even have to do it.
08:43It's difficult today.
08:45Look what happened today in the boxes, in the corners, in the free kicks, in every action.
08:49Look what happens, it's not easy for everyone.
08:51And every action is fault.
08:53Every action.
08:54Every action is fault.
08:55I know it's not easy.
08:57But I have to defend my club and my players.
09:00You know, for many, many reasons.
09:02And never, ever, in ten years, when we win a defeat or we lose in the Champions League,
09:06in the Champions League, in the Premier League, in the FA Cup, it won't happen.
09:11The first statement is congratulating the opponent all the time.
09:14All the time.
09:15When I do it, it's because I believe it's fair enough to tell.
09:19But if you say for one time or two times, three times, in ten years, I am that type of...
09:23OK, it's fine.
09:24Everyone defend his position.
09:25You defend where you work, right?
09:27I defend my club and my players.
09:29And what happened in many, many...
09:31When you have six minutes for a Dizalagone in the Carabao Cup, I had to tell him.
09:36You know?
09:37I have.
09:38With the hands against Wolves, it happened.
09:42And after Crystal Palace, Chelsea, what happened in the hands, I have to tell.
09:47Because I don't expect the ref is going to defend.
09:49We have to defend ourselves.
09:51What I think is, it's fair enough.
09:53Well...
09:54Hi Pep.
09:55Everyone talks about the intimidating atmosphere when they go and play in Turkey at Galatasaray.
10:01Can your supporters make the Etihad as intimidating tomorrow?
10:05Everyone is cultural.
10:07I was in there when I was a football player in Barcelona.
10:12But never ever...
10:13I was unlucky for that year when I was in Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now City,
10:17never, never we face against Turkish teams away.
10:20I would love to go to Istanbul.
10:22We were in Istanbul in a big night for us, for that club, obviously reasons.
10:26But against Galatasaray or Fenerbahce or Sipka,
10:31to see three names that normally are in Europe teams, I've never been there.
10:35So, I know, I spoke with some players here and there, the atmosphere is unbelievable.
10:43But every club and every country and every culture is every culture.
10:47So, what I expect is that people who come tomorrow support us in the bad moments
10:51we'll have because they are a top team.
10:53So, Galatasaray have a huge respect for how good they are.
10:56And can I just ask about Nico Gonzalez, is he going to be available?
11:00Today is the last training we assessed today.
11:03You've spoken a lot this season about the energy and the spirit within the group.
11:10When the players see that Arsenal had a result like they did on Sunday,
11:14do you notice that energy and spirit increase in the group
11:17or are they just so closed off to it they don't really even notice?
11:20My advice to them is focus on what you have to do.
11:23That is the best advice.
11:25If you are just happy or you are optimistic just for the fact that our contenders lose the games,
11:30it will not be good.
11:32So, we can do better, you know?
11:34We're done in the balls, we can do better to win games.
11:39So, now is a different competition in the Champions League and we are already qualified, that's good.
11:45But, of course, it will be really important with the game and the weight, you know?
11:50You are able to finish with the first eight and knowing that this competition is so, so difficult for everyone.
11:56So, every game is really, really tough.
11:58I will take some questions from Turkish media, just here in the front, please.
12:10For you Pep, what is the hardest thing to control about Galatasaray with Okan Buruk as coach,
12:16given their results against English teams?
12:22Well, the most difficult is the quality they have.
12:24Foro Ximena is a top, top-class player in the link with him, his speed, his top score.
12:30But not just him, Leroy, the post-wingers are so fast, so quick.
12:35And after with Torreira, Gundo, with Lamina, they have experienced, experienced players, all of them.
12:42So, if you've seen DB Duel, I think Galatasaray is one of the biggest clubs in Turkey,
12:48so always they hire good players.
12:52Yes.
12:53Hi, Pep.
12:54It's Veily Yigit from Now Sports Disney Turkey.
12:57As you said, Leroy Sané and Ilkay Gündoğan are the players who you worked in the past,
13:03and they know you really well.
13:05In my opinion, it's normal that they can do a trial meeting, maybe to discuss your tactical situations with their coach.
13:13Do you think this is an advantage for your opponents for tomorrow?
13:18Or can you say that I'm not the Pep they know anymore, I've changed tactically or mentally?
13:24No question.
13:25They should do it.
13:28They should do it.
13:29I would do it.
13:31Because we know each other quite well.
13:34But that's for sure, they don't know exactly which players are going to play tomorrow,
13:39and the way we are going to attack and defend tomorrow, they don't know it.
13:42I think, except have some spy here in the locker room and is going to tell him.
13:48So that is not going to happen.
13:50So I would do it, of course.
13:52Gündo and especially Gündo have been in a thousand million meetings together.
13:56But at the end, my colleague and myself, we don't play.
14:00Gündo plays, Leroy plays and our players play.
14:02That would be the difference, not the tactics.
14:04If you had some players from ex-Galota Strike, maybe,
14:08could you do the trial meeting with ex-Galota Strike players?
14:12Yeah, I will ask to the coach how his mindset is,
14:15how he approaches these types of games,
14:17play the same way home and away.
14:20So, of course, we will ask him.
14:24Okay, thank you everyone.
14:38Hi everyone, same process as before, please.
14:40We'll start with questions from English media,
14:42followed by any questions from Turkish media.
14:44We'll take a share of questions.
14:46We'll start with Martin.
14:49Hi, Jeremy.
14:50How important is it that you get in the top eight tomorrow night
14:54and avoid a playoff like you had last season?
14:56Very important.
14:58I think if you're in the top eight, obviously,
15:00you don't play two games.
15:02two games.
15:04And with the amount of games that we have now,
15:06two games less is good for us.
15:08So, yeah, we just want to win this game
15:12and control everything that we have in our hands
15:14and then see where it brings us.
15:16It was a very difficult night for the club in Norway.
15:19You obviously missed that one through injury.
15:21Could you tell us what happened there after the derby?
15:24What your injury was?
15:26Yeah, obviously, I got a knock on my knee
15:30and that prevented me to play against Norway
15:35because I was still in pain.
15:37And yeah, that was the reason.
15:39That was the reason I didn't play,
15:40but I feel good now.
15:41So, yeah.
15:46Just regarding the injury,
15:47it was obviously a challenge from Dalo.
15:49How did you feel about it?
15:50It looked pretty X-rated,
15:52let's put it that way at the time.
15:53Yeah, no, I saw the images as well.
15:56Yeah, what can I say?
15:58I can only say that I continued to play,
16:01but afterwards the game,
16:02I guess, no, it was painful to play,
16:05so I didn't.
16:06And yeah, I think you guys know my feeling about it.
16:10As a sort of, you know,
16:12you're all top professionals,
16:13you know, proper players,
16:15there's certain challenges which maybe aren't,
16:17you know, nice.
16:19How does it make you feel when that happens
16:21when another sort of top pro does that?
16:22Because, you know,
16:23you could be out for a very long time.
16:25I could have, but yeah, look.
16:31That happened.
16:32It's like, that happened.
16:34I didn't play, I guess, in no way.
16:36And that's it.
16:37Like, I don't want to get too much into it
16:39because it's a pass now.
16:41Thanks to the Lord, I didn't get injured badly
16:44and that I'm able to play now.
16:46So that's the only thing where I can focus on that.
16:48Hi, Jeremy.
16:50Just speaking sort of more generally on tackles
16:53and how you come up against sort of markers
16:54and things like that.
16:55There was obviously a challenge on Saturday
16:58that people were talking about after,
17:00where you got scrapes down the back of the leg.
17:04Do you think you get enough,
17:06or do you think wingers and fast attackers
17:09get enough protection from the laws of the game
17:13or the referees at the moment?
17:15I don't know in general.
17:16I can just say about that tackle, obviously,
17:18that was painful.
17:19I didn't ask the ref why he didn't give another card.
17:24I just know that it was painful.
17:26Just knowing myself and my character,
17:29I know that I'm not a diver.
17:30So if I fall on the ground,
17:32it's probably because something happened.
17:34And the other day, in terms of laws,
17:37in terms of, I don't know.
17:38I just know that when I'm on the ground,
17:41I'm not diving.
17:42So then it's their responsibility
17:45to see if this is a yellow or red or foul
17:49or not a foul.
17:50That's their job.
17:52How many times a week
17:55do you think you get like a really heavy knock
17:57from a tackle?
17:59In games, you mean?
18:00Yeah.
18:01How many times?
18:02Just sort of on average?
18:04Good question.
18:07You know, that's a good question.
18:12I would say a week.
18:14If there are two games in a week,
18:16I would say,
18:17most of the time,
18:18at least one in a game.
18:19At least one in a game
18:20where I feel like,
18:21oh, this is a strong tackle.
18:23This is a heavy confrontation.
18:26So I would say once a game.
18:30Hi, Jeremy.
18:31How nice was it to see Arsenal lose?
18:33It's difficult to say
18:38because it's not that I find joy in it.
18:42I didn't watch the game, honestly.
18:44I didn't watch the game.
18:45But yeah, I saw that they lost.
18:47But like,
18:48I knew there are a lot of games
18:49in this competition.
18:50And I knew that United,
18:52we lost against them,
18:53but they played very well.
18:54They played very well.
18:55We were not at our best as well.
18:57But there are a lot of games
19:00and we just need to focus on ourselves.
19:03We need to do our job.
19:04And then we still play against them as well.
19:07So a lot of things will happen.
19:09So yeah, I wasn't really focused on that.
19:11But obviously if they lose,
19:12it's better for us for sure.
19:14How much will it potentially help you
19:16in this title race
19:17if you're able to get into the top eight
19:19in this competition
19:20and avoid those extra two matches?
19:22I feel a lot.
19:23I feel it will help us a lot.
19:25Less games means also more rest.
19:27More rest means hopefully less injuries as well
19:31because we have quite a bit of injuries now.
19:35And I feel like if we can avoid those two games,
19:38it will be beneficial for us to rest a bit more.
19:42So yeah, that will help us.
19:44Hi, Jeremy.
19:45When you go on the pitch now
19:47compared to before you joined City,
19:49what kind of things are in your head?
19:52Has it changed a lot over the last three years
19:55the kind of things you have to do?
19:57Or is it very similar to how you've always done it?
19:59It depends game by game, you know.
20:03When I go on the pitch,
20:05if I play against a team,
20:07I'm just thinking of my task,
20:09what I need to do
20:10and just to also be confident.
20:13When I go on the pitch,
20:14to be confident
20:15and to just think about my qualities
20:19and what I want to do in that game,
20:20who I'm going to play against my opponent.
20:23and I'm just more focused on that.
20:25So that doesn't really change a lot, no.
20:27Just more about, oh, tactical.
20:29Okay, what does the coach demand for me?
20:31And then that's it.
20:32Then I just focus on myself
20:33and what I want to do.
20:34When you're in that position to cross
20:36and you're looking up
20:37and you know Erling's pretty much always
20:40making the back post run
20:41and you may have players come into the front post,
20:44is that basically the plan all the time?
20:47You know Erling's always going to be back post.
20:50Would you prefer him to maybe come near post
20:53or is everything drilled
20:55and that's how it is?
20:56When you're looking for those targets,
20:58is that what you know is going to be the case?
21:01No, I feel like it's difficult to say
21:04this is how it's going to happen.
21:06You can prepare something
21:07and then in the game the free space is somewhere else.
21:12So when I'm in that position,
21:16I always keep my head up
21:17and try to look for the right player to pass to.
21:21And sometimes he's second post,
21:24sometimes he's first post, sometimes he's...
21:26I remember against Dortmund,
21:27he was more on 16 yard when I passed about to him.
21:32So it depends.
21:33I feel like it's not something...
21:35Obviously there is a conversation for sure,
21:37but there's not something that is always like this.
21:41No, it changes.
21:43It depends also on the opponent and we adapt.
21:46Thanks.
21:53Hi Jeremy.
21:54Just on the sort of the treatment that you get in games,
21:57what is more frustrating to you as a winger?
22:00The fouls that you pick up
22:01or when people think that you're diving?
22:04For me, fouls is fine.
22:07As long as obviously if I don't get injured.
22:09But fouls is fine because it shows that...
22:12I see that as a compliment that they can't take the ball.
22:15It's more something like that.
22:16For me, it's more the diving thing.
22:18When I don't get a foul while I'm not diving,
22:20that's sometimes frustrating because I know...
22:23I know my character, you know,
22:25if I fall on the ground it's because something happened
22:27or I wouldn't fall on the ground.
22:29Like sometimes even the players tell me,
22:31fall more on the ground, you know?
22:32So, yeah, that's for me more frustrating for sure.
22:36And can I just ask as well,
22:38you seem to be playing more inside this season at times.
22:42Is that something that you've been working on
22:44and are you enjoying that?
22:46Yeah, I'm enjoying it.
22:48I feel like it's more unpredictable
22:50and gives me more options as well.
22:53So, I can play on the inside, I can play on the outside.
22:56And, yeah, it changes my game as well.
22:59And I feel like if I can grow there as well,
23:03it will be beneficial for me.
23:05So, yeah.
23:07Take some questions from Turkish media.
23:10Anything, guys?
23:13Yeah, just there, thank you.
23:17Hi Jeremy.
23:18Hi.
23:19In your first season in Manchester City,
23:21you started in the 46% of the games.
23:26In your second season,
23:28you started in the starting 11, 60% of the games.
23:31And this is your third season.
23:33And I see that you started in the starting 11,
23:3669% of the games.
23:40Can you say that this season will be your prime season
23:43in Manchester City?
23:45My prime season?
23:47Let's see at the end of the season.
23:49I can just say that I always try to grow
23:51and always try to become better.
23:53So, we're just at the half of the season.
23:56But I feel like I've been doing better.
23:59And let's see where it brings.
24:01But I believe that this season will be better
24:03than the previous two for sure.
24:06We'll leave it there.
24:07Thank you very much.
24:09Bye.
24:10Bye.
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