- 10 hours ago
Guardiola believes this season has been a success of his City side
08/05/2026 embargoed section
CFGA, Manchester, UK
08/05/2026 embargoed section
CFGA, Manchester, UK
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00:00Your own words, but you have said a couple of times, I think it was before West Ham and Arsenal,
00:04if you didn't win those games, it was over. So is it now over the title race because you didn't
00:08beat Evan?
00:09Well, it's more difficult, you know, because we are facing the team like it's going to play the
00:16final of the Champions League. So here I want to congratulate Mikel and his group to reach the
00:22final. It's good for English football, of course, for Arsenal, but for English football is good.
00:26The same like Aston Villa, Unite, show again how incredible a manager it is, you know,
00:34I think six Euro, you know, Euroleague finals with Valencia, Villarreal, and now with Aston Villa,
00:42and the same Crystal Palace with Oliver. So it's good for English football, the three teams going to
00:47play in three finals. It's really, really good. And of course, we are facing answering your question,
00:55you are facing, you know, the team has been really good. And I know the only chance that we had,
01:00we dropped two points in a tough game against Everton, but still, you know, we tried to win,
01:07to slip two points behind them and see what happens. Will you watch the West Ham game that they play?
01:13Let me play against Brentford. Okay, slightly different question then. Will you be cheering West Ham on?
01:20Sorry? Will you wear a West Ham shirt and come on?
01:26You're so funny, huh? Let's win our game against Brentford and after in the press conference,
01:32like always you are, because you cannot live without my press conferences. So you will come,
01:37you ask me, you ask me. Yeah, weaknesses. And after I come there, we win Brentford. So always
01:45this kind of thing is a big mistake for the other ones. You see, he's a tough opponent. We are
01:50playing
01:50to European competition next season, well, for him making a top-top season. So let's do our job as
01:57best as possible, let's see. Pep, just back on to Phil Fodor. He's had a sort of difficult sort of
02:03few
02:03weeks and months, but how much of a sort of show of support is it that you're willing to give
02:08a new
02:08contract? I've said many times, there's no doubt about Phil, about his impact as a home ground player
02:13for our academy. He has been massively important in our seasons together and I wish at the bottom of
02:22my heart he can come back his best and play the next years with all of us, you know, help
02:28to continue
02:29that team being what deserves to be. Do you see signs, Pep, that he is getting back to his best?
02:35Yeah. For example, the minutes he played in Everton, his movements and his aggressiveness,
02:41so we talk about that. So, Phil, who you are as a player, what is your biggest quality? It's
02:45both turn and go, turn and go and attack the box and don't lose that. It doesn't matter if you
02:53are in
02:53better form or bad form, so you are not a team, a player like to control the game. Your quality
03:00is
03:01be a machine attacking the ball with the sense of assists and goals and make the keeper threat
03:06that you're going to shoot and it happened two or three times against Everton. At a moment,
03:12you go on the pitch with one two down or one three is not easy, you know that and he
03:18did really well.
03:20When Arsenal lost here, the cameras on the pitch caught Declan Rice saying to one of his teammates
03:25that it's not done and you were quite complimentary about that. You said that his attitude was top,
03:28I think was the word you used. Is that the same attitude that you've seen with your players in
03:32the dressing room after Everton and also this week? We proved it in the Everton game. In 1-3,
03:37it was not done. It was 3-3 and we tried and even done and I saw the game and
03:43of course we make a
03:44lot of mistakes. We lost. We didn't win against Everton for many reasons, for the quality, for David
03:49Moyes, for the team and please don't misunderstand me. So last season happened a lot of times.
03:58We give away the goals to the opponent and this season we were much better than that. We're more
04:03consistent in that situation and we tried to do. At the end of the opening score goals, okay,
04:11do something to score a goal against Man City, not give them away. The game against Everton was that.
04:19The goals we conceded were so easy for them.
04:25It's been referenced a few times that this is still quite a new group with new players and young players.
04:29Whatever happens with the outcome of this season in the title race, will you view this experience as a
04:34whole as a positive, whether it goes one way or the other? Absolutely. Even the guys with a lot of
04:39experience can do the mistakes. So it's not about that. But it's the first time the Mark or Kusa,
04:45G. Jollet, but the first time here with Antoine. It's the first time we are in the title race.
04:50You know, the feeling, the feeling. Oh, I cannot lose that game. And sometimes we need every time to
04:56leave that. But it's what I said. So still we are here. So the season has been more than good
05:03so far.
05:04So let's win the next game. And after we see what happens. And we'll see in the future.
05:12Hi, Pep. I don't know if you've seen this, but whenever City players get interviewed around the world,
05:19they always seem to get asked, like, Pep doesn't give you much freedom in the attacking third.
05:24Like, Ryan just got asked about it in Holland. Gabriel Jesus got asked about it in Mares.
05:28Turkey. But they all say it's not true. Have you seen that people say that about you a lot?
05:36And what do you think about it? Why do you think that people think that? And what's the reality?
05:41The reality is with Turkey, Ryan and Gabriel Sesto. So we are educated today. One is the problems in the
05:48society today that we are more pay attention to what the people say about you through the social
05:55medias or whatever topic today. You know, the info right more. We have more attention exactly what
06:02they do, what they say, that the people we are living every day, what they say.
06:06You know, and at the end, you have to see what my staff say, mainly what I think.
06:10Not because I am alone or maybe because I am so selfish and I'm not open to listen to my
06:17people
06:17what they're talking about what is going on. No. But what I believe or truly believe what we can do,
06:23that is what counts, because I'm there. And the people, of course, they may have opinions and
06:28open for that. But I know exactly what, for me, it's like I said last day, you know what
06:36Amir Laporte said about that club when I left. That counts more what the people can
06:42start around about what is this club. And the play is the same. So they know because we are all
06:46together working every day. That is the most important thing. Of course, there are roles to do,
06:52especially defensively, especially there are positions that you have. But when they have the
06:56ball, I never said that many times, they go right, go left, back, forward, pass here, pass there,
07:01shoot, cross. Never. Always I put the positions to have more time, more space to take decisions
07:08better. No, no more than that. But the spirit, the heart, and when you have that spirit that we had,
07:15we have the many, many years this season as well. It's because everybody fights for everyone. Everybody
07:21cares for everything and for everyone. And that, that is tough. When this happens, you don't have much to
07:28regret, you know. I know this would have been the case for you, like always. But I think it's really
07:35become clear in the last few years, maybe especially with Bernardo, the personality of the players and
07:41like how tough they are to keep playing every three days, but also to always want the ball and show
07:46spirit in games. Has that become something that's become more important over the years or has it
07:52always been the same for you, that value you place on it? No, always. I've been in my, I say
07:58many times the
07:59success I have because I manage clubs and players, especially teams and players, like a huge, huge
08:04personality in the tough, in the tough moments, the bad moments. That is what makes the difference for me.
08:09The good moments, it's in the bad moments. And I had a lot, a lot, a lot of my career
08:14that he knows where they are,
08:16they are aware where they represent, they are, what they have to do. And that is a,
08:21it's really, really extraordinary. Yeah. Pep, just in terms of Rodri, where is he at in terms of his
08:28recovery? Has he trained on the grass, for example, with the team yet? Yes, he started
08:33partial training and today we see. So it's realistic to think that he will play
08:38before the end of the season? Yeah, I hope so. I hope so. He's been to, he was at Everton
08:44on Monday,
08:45came to the Burnley match as well, in and around the dressing room. How important is it for him and
08:50for
08:50you that he's got that presence for him? Yeah, I hope. Ruben came and Josco came before
08:55the Everton game. So we talked. So now the season is done, intense, the good season,
09:00bad season is already, but everybody can help, you know, to finish in the, in the best way. We
09:16have to do, do what you have to do. So, and go do it.
09:23Just, just on Phil again, from what Martin was saying, um, you, you obviously see things internally
09:30that, you know, people on the outside just, just don't, uh, have awareness of. There are so many
09:36different things that, uh, can happen to explain a player's drop in form. There are so many different
09:42things. Have you been able to sort of establish in your own mind why Phil has had the drop off
09:48he
09:48has? And what is it about him that convinces you that he will absolutely, you know, come back to that?
09:56Always, always, I said, I, uh, I said to the players in a, in a career, long career, except cases.
10:04For example, I remember Bernardo the first season, right? I put exactly Bernardo because the player
10:09like, uh, can represent more disability, you know, in, in terms of mentality, right? The first season
10:14didn't play much. The second season was for me the best. It was unbelievable. And the third season
10:19was like that. And he said, they have energy. I didn't have energy. And said to me in the three
10:23quarter season, next season, I'll be back. I'll be back. But as a special because having
10:28incredible self-confidence, but the third season was not good. Really wonder, I think the
10:33Premier League won? Or was it just Liverpool? I don't know. But he won a lot, I forgot.
10:40And, and, and come back. So with, with Phil sometimes had that period. He's always said to him,
10:45never forget who you are. As a football player, never forget who are your skills, who are your
10:49potential. It's not new, right? Your potential is that, your quality, your skills, your, just do it
10:56again. And do it a thousand million times. So just feel free because it's not about this lazy,
11:03it's not about to have a work ethic. It's not about like, I don't care. It's completely the opposite.
11:08There's a guy like a rate that go and love and recovery every three days during many times,
11:14have proven. It's just back who you are. Nothing, don't pretend to be something different or
11:22something special. And it will come. I said, it depends on you. I can help you. And many people
11:27can help you just to visualize that because my new face, the joy you play because he's the one
11:32that plays. I said many times, like Alex Inchenko have, Riyadh, many players that go on the pitch in
11:37the training session and always, pep, another, another competition, another game, stay more time,
11:41few minutes, because they love, they like it. Phil is one of them. And just recover that the spirit,
11:46that the pleasure to be a football player. Not because I have a contract, not because I have duties to
11:51do,
11:51not because I have to win that game. Forget about all of that. It's just a joy to play football
11:57like
11:57you were a little boy and were in the streets or in your school or in Academy in Man City,
12:01you were enjoying. It's just back that field. And when that happens, we'll explode again and we'll be
12:07back because it's not a player like you and me, James. We're going to discover him. We're missing many,
12:12many, many, many times. He's not 35 years old, like your legs don't run anymore or you're,
12:17you know, you got to be there with a wheelchair. It's not, it's not the case. He's still young.
12:23He still has energy, passion and love and for that. And the moment we'll do that, one at a time,
12:30he will be back. I'm pretty sure.
12:33I bet you're talking about the personality of players and the character and things like that.
12:38Just looking back to Monday night with the two late goals, you said it wasn't over. Do you think
12:43that's the sort of thing that the team would have been able to produce at the start of the season?
12:48Or is this a product of them playing with each other for a period of time? Because obviously it's
12:53a new team. Is this something that can be learned?
12:58In the same time, I said the character of the team, like we scored in the last goals,
13:02if we have not scored the last goal from Jeremy, the character will be the same. So we lost finals,
13:08the semifinals in the last minute. People say they don't have character. I don't believe a deal about that.
13:12I saw the game, how we behave in the bad moments, how we,
13:15Kovacic, 3-1, take a ball, put the ball in Erling and score 3-2.
13:20When you are scared, you don't want to come back. You don't have these attitudes. You don't have
13:25these behaviors, you know, going to take the ball. I saw Minas and West Ham, and West Ham,
13:30sorry, Southampton in the semifinal second half, how quick we go to the corners, how quick we go to
13:35the second ball. You need to score that. That is what that team's defined for many, many years. And after
13:40you can
13:40score Jeremy of big four, make us safe. Changed a lot the characters. No. We judge for the results
13:47all the time. We have been judged in the plays. But always I try to see, even when we play
13:52good in the
13:52beginning of the season, when we won every match perfectly. And against Wolves, we won 0-4 in the first
13:59game. I said, well, I was really bad. And the best conference said, I didn't like it. It's the first
14:04game. We come from short holidays, World Cup, and, you know, sometimes we need engine, you know,
14:11to put the season is long. The players are not consistent to be 90 minutes. And I'm at first.
14:16And 0-4, I could say, ah, guys, we are a title race. We are the main candidate. How nice
14:21is Man City.
14:21We are back, you know, after last season, 0-4 of Wolves. No. I didn't like many things. But this
14:27process,
14:28you see. But in general, last season, you know me. You asked me, right? Last season, I said,
14:34how is the season? You win the FA Cup against Crystal Palace. The season has been poor. The season has
14:40not
14:40been good. Even we won the FA Cup. That season, we're going to play against Chelsea in the final. I
14:45said,
14:45the season has been good. So many things. I like it. The team was there. The fans cannot be
14:51regret much about we were there. And that is the minimum we have to do. And of course,
14:57the title helps because Carabao Cup against Arsenal, we beat them. So it's not
15:04enough task to beat them. And we are in the final and champions, they qualify already four or five
15:08fixtures before. Look how happy they are. They qualify last game against, um, what was the last game?
15:15Brentford? No. No, I don't know. No. Who beat? Sorry? United, Fulham? No. Liverpool. Liverpool won the
15:28point that we need to, you know, to win the Champions League. You know how happy they are.
15:33So at the end, this is a big task. But the way the team behave in general, with the mistakes
15:38we have
15:38done and improved many things, it was much, much better than the past. Okay. Thank you.
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