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  • 11 hours ago
Pep Guardiola on the Premier League Title Race with 14 Games Remaining

01/02/2026

Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium, London, UK

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Sports
Transcript
00:00Pep, you must wonder how, having been in such complete control, 2-0 at half-time, you didn't win the game, how did you see?
00:10Well, it was 95 minutes or 99 in that case, and after the goal, they had their momentum.
00:16Yeah, 50-20 minutes, it was more difficult, but it's normal, when it's 2-0 down, nothing to lose,
00:21and his crowd and the energy that they have, the physicality they have.
00:25But after the last 15-20 minutes, we came back again, and yeah, it was well played, the first half was really good,
00:31we missed the actions of one against one with the full-backs or, you know, our people up front,
00:37we were not capitalised at these actions to, you know, at least to finish the actions,
00:43but yeah, in general, the game was well played, especially, obviously, in the first half.
00:50Pep, can I ask you about Tottenham's first goal that was checked by VAR?
00:55Solanke clearly kicks the back of Mark Gahy's leg.
00:59OK, then, you make the answer.
01:01But do you think the goal should have stood, and what do you think about it?
01:06If a centre defender do a strike, it's penalty, right?
01:10So you said, I didn't say, I said you saw it, it's OK, and after that,
01:16second half we can extend, you know, 10-15 minutes and get the control,
01:20the situation is a little bit easier, but at the moment I start to put one more player there,
01:24more long balls, they win one or two second balls, and after that they create the momentum,
01:28and after a goal they have perhaps another 10-15 minutes, but yeah, keep going.
01:34You've spoken a lot about decisions going against you recently,
01:38are you concerned about it, that it keeps happening?
01:42Nothing changed the opinion I had in the past, once again.
01:47Hi Pep, you've talked about momentum quite a few times there,
01:50obviously at the end you managed to drop them back into the box again,
01:53but while it's happening, you know, at 2-1, it's difficult for City at the moment
01:57to stop that momentum, isn't it?
01:59It might happen in the Premier League today, sometimes you can control it, but
02:04the way the game in England is well played, it's been played, so it happens sometimes,
02:08so we know when all the time we cannot control it, of course you go 0-3 or 0-4,
02:13but we have a lot of new players and we have our actions, we have other actions too,
02:20to try to finish the actions a little bit better, but the game was well played,
02:25sometimes you have a long ball, second ball, of course, sometimes you miss it.
02:32Yeah, we'd prefer to not get that transition, but it's an emotional issue for the first goal
02:38that the referee conceded to Spurs and after that the momentum is difficult to control,
02:46whatever happened here in England.
02:47Is that something then, that emotional issue, is that something you kind of need to work hard at?
02:52The play, the game was well played, so against United I could say many things,
02:56that's it, I don't have any, the game was well played, in general it was really, really well played.
03:05I sort of take the point on that, sort of played well particularly in the first half,
03:09there seems to be a trend in recent weeks, we look at the Wolves game and the Galatasaray game,
03:14maybe the Brighton game, of this 20 minutes after half-time, kind of struggling to have the same sort of control.
03:21Yeah, you're right.
03:22What can you...?
03:24Well, we talk, it's just, you as a manager, you would change something in the second half,
03:29compared to the first.
03:31So when you play really, really poorly in the first half, you can make some substitutions,
03:35I can tell guys that didn't work, we can now put the wingers in the stick,
03:38a bit more narrow, still more wider, or I don't know, but it was not, so the players were played,
03:44no control, it was, yeah, two or three free kicks from Simmons, and the rest was good,
03:49and we found in transitions, or we found the players that we wanted to run,
03:55and after we missed a little bit, the final third, the players up front, and we continued,
04:00but we knew it, and we started really well, except one transition action that GGO saved,
04:07and if the rest was started really well, it was the goal, it changed a little bit.
04:15You've always wanted to fight on all fronts for trophies, and you're still not out of the title race,
04:23but given the demands of the season and the injuries you've had, might there come a time this season
04:29when you may have to prioritise the other competitions and accept that you may not get there in the Premier League?
04:36So you're saying to me that we'll get rid of the Premier League?
04:39I'm just saying it may be a point where you might have to say...
04:42We're 14 games to play.
04:43Pardon?
04:44We're 14 games to play.
04:45I'm not saying you will.
04:47You had all the injuries is what I'm saying.
04:49I had, we had the injuries, so in the moment, one month ago we had a lot, so with nine, ten players out,
04:56so we know that, but at the same time we are there and continue, I know the calendar is where it is,
05:03and now we have a semi-final to reach a final next Wednesday and after Anfield and continue.
05:10This is what they have to do.
05:14Hi Pep, just on the title race in general, you just said there were 14 games to go,
05:17I know it's obviously a disappointment today, but do you feel quite optimistic still?
05:21Do the players, the group still feel optimistic that we're in touching distance of Arsenal still?
05:25Well, as much the chance is there, the hopes always will be there, so it happened.
05:31I know that these type of games always in the party had the way to, to capitalize the way to winning, right?
05:37And to, you know, happen, but yeah, we have difficulties for many things, but the players are coming back
05:46and I saw an incredible good spirit and many things.
05:49Jarlene is already with a good, you know, in terms of shape and I think Nico, Bernardo and Rodri in the middle,
06:00they give us incredible presence and physicality that we needed, that in the last games we were not consistent with the ball
06:09and especially without and they were really good to, you know, to make the process that we need to do it.
06:16When we could run, we run and we arrive in the edge and the once against one, once against one for many times
06:21and that not even we should and that we have to to improve.
06:26And after that, the momentum in the Premier League, when you can see the goal, when it happened,
06:30so it happened, especially when you are not, you cannot control it, right?
06:36So, and that will be a lesson is once again and that will make us stronger and better,
06:42especially for many players in the future.
06:46Thank you, everyone.
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