Manchester City Super Cup preview with Guardiola and Rodri on De Bruyne's four month injury lay-off
Manchester City Super Cup preview with Guardiola and Rodri on De Bruyne's four month injury lay-off
Transcript
00:00 Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, warm welcome here to this magnificent stadium of
00:12 Giorgios Karaiskakis which will host tomorrow the 2023 UEFA Super Cup. As you can see we
00:19 are ready to start with the press conference of Manchester City, we are glad to have here
00:23 on stage as you can see the head coach Josep Guardiola. There is simultaneous translation
00:30 in English, Spanish and Greek so please wait for the microphone from our volunteers, raise
00:37 your hand and I think we are ready to start. Alex you can take it.
00:41 Thank you. Just down at the front please. Thank you.
00:44 Some reports in Belgium about it could be quite serious.
00:56 Yeah good afternoon to everybody, buenas tardes. How is buenas tardes in English?
01:02 Kalispera. Kalispera. Good.
01:06 Yeah, it's a serious danger, we have to decide if it's surgery or not surgery but we'll be
01:11 a few months out.
01:15 Just that please.
01:20 When will that decision be made about surgery?
01:23 Next days.
01:24 In the next days. And what's the sort of worst case scenario that you're looking at? New
01:30 year maybe?
01:31 Surgery will be, I don't know, three or four months out, I think so.
01:37 There was a bit of good news today with Rico Luis' new contract, that's something for you
01:43 to be happy about?
01:44 You cannot imagine. When a player for the academy extends five years contract, it's
01:50 a reality for us. It's a huge compliment for all the structure for the academy, for the
01:59 scouting when he picked him up when he was six, seven, eight years old. And all the managers
02:04 have been with him, educating him. I was fortunate to know his father and mother and he's an
02:12 incredible person. For us it's incredible. So to have, for the club, to have a player
02:20 for the academy will be for a long, long time with us. It's amazing.
02:26 Who's next?
02:27 Simon.
02:28 You've obviously got a lot of options even though Kevin's injured. Rico, Kovacic, Foden,
02:35 Bernardo. Is James McAtee also an option this season?
02:39 Yeah, of course.
02:40 Is he going to stay with you rather than go out on loan?
02:42 No. First of all I have to say the injury from Kevin is a blow for us. It's a big loss.
02:48 Kevin having specific qualities and that you can lose it for one game, two games, but for
02:55 a long time it's really, really tough for us. But at the same time you have to look
03:00 forward and of course we have alternatives. They're different skills because the skills
03:06 for Kevin are replaceable but we have different talent players and it's an opportunity. Life
03:12 gives you that. When he's injured you have an opportunity for the other one. And I'm
03:17 pretty sure they will take it.
03:19 Steyer, please.
03:23 Good afternoon Pep. My name is Omar Akatuba from Omar Sports, Nigeria. Since you moved
03:30 to England you've more or less dominated the Premier League. But in the Champions League
03:36 you tried and tried and tried and tried and last season you won it. Having won the Champions
03:42 League did that sort of take some pressure off your shoulders if there was any at all?
03:47 I have to admit it's a relief for all the club of course. You have to tell you as well
03:53 that you can be seven years, one decade, 20 years, 30 years and you don't win the Champions
03:58 League. So it's a difficult title to win. It's of course a real relief but it's not
04:03 enough. Otherwise it would be everybody at home. Myself as a manager and all the players
04:08 saying 'OK, we have done it, go home'. And we are here but still we are hungry enough
04:13 to compete and especially to challenge ourselves, to prove ourselves. If someone wants to take
04:20 our three crowns, hopefully they can fight against us to take it. So still we want to
04:25 defend what we won last season.
04:27 Good afternoon Pep. Do you have plans to include Jürgen Kogvaddil already in tomorrow's match
04:34 or will he wait for his debut in the Premier League? Thank you.
04:38 I was really pleased for his debut. Unfortunately we didn't have much time to train altogether
04:47 for the schedule that we have. After the game against Newcastle we have eight days to train
04:54 in session so they are step by step can learn but of course he is here and we decide to
05:00 play. He is more than ready to do it.
05:03 Hi Pep, just coming back to Kevin. Has he been to see Dr Kogad in Barcelona?
05:08 In that case, Ramon saw the images, he did them personally and the important thing is
05:20 they have two or three doctors, they have the same opinion more or less what they have
05:24 to do.
05:25 You talked about opportunities earlier for players to come in. Phil has played that central
05:30 role before. Is that now a chance for him to come in?
05:32 Yes, I can play there but I can play outside as well. We have Kovac play there. We have
05:38 alternatives. Since day one the club gave me a really good squad and we are going to
05:45 find a solution.
05:46 Good afternoon, Graham Hunter from UEFA here. I am really interested in two things. One,
05:54 how you assess Sevilla as a rival, what you think of them and their football identity.
05:59 Also, although it is not normally a time for romantic ideas, the fact that Jesus Navas,
06:05 a player that made so many good years for you at City, is still playing and still important
06:10 is one of the good stories in football.
06:12 Absolutely. First of all, to be here in this press conference to play tomorrow, the game
06:19 you have to do two extraordinary things. Win the Champions League or Europa League. I have
06:24 to say this is not easy. Maybe for Sevilla it is easier because they won a lot of the
06:29 Europa League. I remember once when they beat Barcelona 3-0 in the Super Cup in this position.
06:36 Sevilla is a team that when they play well they win for many things but they have a special
06:42 character. Their resilience in the bad moments, in the play of the finals. It is not necessary
06:46 to play at the top level, always. They have something in their DNA that makes this team
06:52 and this club different. Now I have the feeling that the loss tells us we can make them more
06:58 dangerous against us. You have to talk mentally strong what you have to do. You cannot imagine
07:05 how incredibly happy we are to be here to play this game because we have to win the Champions
07:09 League. This opportunity we want to take it because who knows when we are going to come
07:15 back here to play this tournament. What could I say? Maybe knowing now I would have extended
07:25 the contract when we were together. At the end after the first season we took a decision.
07:30 It was an old team in that period. I said many times more than 11, 12, 13 players, more
07:36 than 30 years old. You should refresh mentally the team. That is why they make in that year
07:44 a lot of changes. It is incredible still with 37, 38 players. I know how commitment is in
07:53 his club, captain of Sevilla. I am really pleased to see him tomorrow and say hi to him.
08:01 Pep, good afternoon. I am Jorge Leaño from Desmarque Media Set. Let me ask you two
08:06 quick questions. The first one. Do you see your team as a favourite against Sevilla?
08:10 Or in other words, how do you see Sevilla in the final? The league has not started well.
08:14 And the second one, going back to the final, but it is a question of market on a player
08:20 with world relevance in the last years. There is a lot of debate in Seville about the convenience
08:25 of Sergio Ramos. Do you think Sergio Ramos is still in a condition to play in a team
08:31 like Sevilla? Would you like to see him there? Where was his home?
08:35 It is a question of faith to answer. Sergio Ramos has been an extraordinary player in his
08:48 career. He speaks for himself. Obviously, starting at home or being at home is a good
08:55 final. But you will allow me to say that I have no idea how the situation is. To make
09:01 an analysis of who is a favourite with a league match is very early. And the finals are
09:07 totally different from the forms. I have spoken with people, I remember in my first year
09:13 in Barcelona we had 25 days to play the first official match of the Champions League.
09:19 In Barcelona, to play the Champions League, and then we won it, but we had 25 days.
09:25 Today, if we had 4 or 5 to play, the first one has been a lot. The times have changed
09:30 a lot. In these situations, you never know. We have four important defeats, Sevilla
09:36 also has some important ones. Look how many crossings there have been in the beginning
09:40 of the season, in all the leagues. People do not rest mentally or physically. They make
09:46 you travel to Asia and America for business reasons, for the clubs. They make you play
09:52 very hard matches, against very tough rivals, in bad conditions, the demand of the first
09:57 day training. And people fall. And they fall, and they fall again, because they do not have
10:02 those 25 days to rest and prepare. So, to say who is a favourite, I have a feeling
10:08 of forgiveness for the arrogance, but since I have been a coach, they have always told
10:12 me that we are favourites. So, I accept it naturally, and knowing that the one who plays
10:18 better will win, and the one who loses. The favourite never gives you a 0 at minute 5.
10:23 So, we have to play it, and we know against which team we play. What I said before,
10:27 Sevilla has a special connection in the finals, in their... I saw the match of Sevilla
10:33 against United at home, and they had the ability to go to the Trafford in the semifinals
10:38 and play the first... but apart from that, they were outplayed by United, so that they
10:43 said, "Four will fall", and they were able to tie two, and in the round they put
10:48 three, United, which I know, which is a very strong team. And then they know how to compete
10:53 in the finals, as they did with Roma, holding on, holding on. That is their great, great
10:56 virtue. So, we know the difficulty we will have tomorrow.
11:01 Last two, please, guys. Jamie and then Jack.
11:02 Hi Pep. Just with regard to Kevin, I've had a few days since it happened at Burnley.
11:06 Was it just bad luck it happened, or was he maybe played too soon, considering what happened?
11:13 Give me 25 days of preparation. Give me 25 days and you will not be injured.
11:19 Of course, we could say, "Don't play." But I would say, if he's injured in minute 65,
11:27 65, 70, maybe there will be more responsibility. But it is 50 minutes. But before they take
11:33 a decision, I spoke with the doctors, the physios, with him, and he told me, "I feel good.
11:38 I feel good." I said, "Okay, it's better to start at half-time, 40 minutes, and after
11:42 the second time." But unfortunately, it happened.
11:45 And if the club were to say to you, "Pep, would you like a reinforcement? Would you
11:48 like a new player to help you with Kevin being out?" Would you say, "Yes, please"?
11:53 A reinforcement, not a player?
11:55 Not a new player from another club, a new signing?
11:57 We will see. We will see now. After what happened, we will talk with Chiqui. We will see it.
12:03 We will see the chances, the possibilities. We will see.
12:09 Hi Pep. You were talking about being excited for the game tomorrow. How important is it
12:15 for yourself and the club? Because it feels like if they win tomorrow, it's another legacy
12:21 trophy for this group of players.
12:23 Absolutely, for my city, never get that trophy because you have to win Champions League,
12:28 Europa League to be here, to be invited to be here. So that's why I think everybody
12:33 knows that maybe we will not come back again, hopefully, but maybe not. And once we are
12:38 here, we have to try to beat them.
12:40 You have this opportunity to win a trophy in Europe, it doesn't matter. We'll be in
12:44 December when we go to Saudi Arabia to play the World Cup. So we have to try to do it.
12:50 I'm pretty sure the team is happy, relaxed, satisfied. All the big adjectives to describe
13:01 what an honour it is to play this competition and we go for it.
13:06 Stefan Ortega has been by Munich, seems like they want to sign him. What are your thoughts
13:13 on that and is it too late in the transfer window to be allowing a number two goalkeeper
13:18 to leave?
13:19 No problem to lose it. First of all the quality. When we bring him here because Chiemann,
13:27 Thyssen, or Semmy, Eclipse, and Bayern Munich, this is a keeper that maybe we need. I didn't
13:32 know him. He's playing for relegated from Bundesliga and I saw him and said, 'Oh,
13:39 he looks good.' But since I didn't want to, I said, 'Oh, what a keeper we have.'
13:43 You know how many important teams, games he plays and how many saves. We don't want
13:50 to sell him. We don't want to loan him. We need him, yes, yes, yes. But like many cases,
13:56 it depends on three parts. Because after that if we lose Stefan two weeks out of the market,
14:03 we have to go to pick up a keeper. It's not easy now. You have to play transfer and it's
14:11 easy. We want him. I'm sorry but we want him, yes, yes, yes.
14:16 Thank you guys.
14:17 Thank you.
14:18 Thank you guys. We'll continue with press conference players Manu Lakhanji and Rodri
14:22 in a few moments. Thank you.
14:23 So where are you from?
14:35 Portugal.
14:36 Yeah, of course. You said Porto.
14:37 Yes. Yes. Not that Portugal.
14:40 That was not a good year then because we had to go to Poland, Gdansk. So we had to have
14:51 a PCR test in England.
14:53 We have to take your questions. So, start. Raise your hands please.
15:05 Hi Rodri. We've just heard from Pep Guardiola the news about Kevin De Bruyne. Just give us
15:11 an idea what the reaction is among the players to that news that he's going to be missing
15:17 for several months and what is it, would you say, that City will lose by him not being
15:26 around for that period of time, quite apart from his obvious talents?
15:30 Well, I didn't know it was that much, honestly. Yeah, what can I say? I mean, he's one of
15:38 the most important players of the club. For sure, we're going to miss him a lot. We're
15:45 going to try to support him in these bad moments that no one wants injuries. But at the end
15:52 I saw him the other day, he was with positivity. He wants to come back. He's an experienced
15:58 player. He knows that he doesn't need to run fast to come back. He has to recover. That's
16:05 the most important part. Yeah, we're going to miss him. But at the same time I can tell
16:09 you that we have a very complete squad to play these two months without him. And hopefully
16:17 we can have him back because he's been so important these years.
16:26 Roger, good afternoon. Welcome back to the new season, again, already. What do you think
16:31 about the way that Sevilla play? Not just how they use the ball, but how they play under
16:37 every coach. It doesn't matter if they're not the favourite or they're missing players.
16:42 Their idea about how to win, their spirit about how to win, I think is something that
16:46 every professional coach or footballer must admire.
16:49 Yeah, I think they've shown that they're a very competitive team. No matter the moment
16:56 they are, in a bad moment, in a good moment, they're always competitive. And in Europe
17:02 specifically, they've been sensational the last 10 years. So we know the team we're going
17:08 to face. We know how tough it's going to be tomorrow. We know the character. I know because
17:13 I'm from there, the character they have. It's not going to be easy. I think now, in this
17:19 moment of the season, we have to be aware because we have to show our best level to
17:27 beat them. Let's see these days, today and tomorrow, where we can find the way to punish
17:34 them. But of course, always when it's a team of a different league, it's not easy to analyse.
17:41 But I know them very well and they're so, so competitive.
17:44 Hi, Rodri. My question is not very different. I wanted to know what is the secret of Sevilla
17:51 in the Europa League. How do you explain the personality, the character, the performance,
17:56 winning against the best, going through bad moments? This has been going on for many years,
18:00 not just this season.
18:02 Yes, as you say. I think it's a very competitive team that knows how to play well in the games,
18:08 the moments. I think they've won in maturity in that kind of game, at a European level.
18:14 There are moments when it seems like they're about to die and suddenly they turn around
18:20 and know how to compete. That speaks of a team with a winning character in many situations.
18:27 From there, we have to think about ourselves, our game, what we want to do tomorrow and
18:32 knowing that things will go well if we play our game.
18:38 Hi, Rodri. I'm Jorge Liano from Desmarc & Mediaset. What do you make of the final?
18:45 Where does the game go? Sevilla haven't started the season well. Last year they suffered
18:50 throughout the year until the last two months when everything that the team-mate said happened.
18:56 You played against them in the Champions League group stage and you practically went over them.
19:04 Do you think there could be a similar game to last year? Or do you think Sevilla are more prepared than they were?
19:12 It's difficult to make an assessment at the start of the season. You say they've started badly,
19:20 but in the end you never know. It's true that we haven't had much preparation time in the pre-season,
19:25 but I think the team has started at a great level. It's a shame we couldn't win the Community Shield title,
19:32 but the team reached a level that is difficult to see at this time of the season.
19:38 I imagine a final is always different from a mid-season game. I imagine a very even final,
19:47 in which they will also propose with their weapons. We have to play our game.
19:53 We have to focus on what we can do and how we can hurt them.
20:01 If we are at our level, we will have many options.
20:06 Hi, Rodri. With Kevin being out for a little while, could this be an opportunity for Phil Foden to play in the middle?
20:14 What have you made of him when he's played in the middle rather than out wide?
20:18 I think with Phil, it's not about the calf's injuries. I think he's been playing in two sides of the wingers,
20:28 in between the lines, as a false nine. I think he's a player who can play everywhere.
20:32 Let's see. I think he's the best player we have in between the lines, turning and facing the goal.
20:41 When he plays there, I like him very much. But also when he plays winger, he's very decisive because he gets goals.
20:50 It depends on the coach, where he decides to put. But of course, he can do that role very easily because his talent can do it.
20:59 Hi, Rodri. You scored the goal that got City to this game. You scored a goal and an assist at Burnley.
21:06 Are you looking to add a few more goals to your game this season?
21:11 Yes, I hope. It's something I try to improve as a player. Of course, no-one demands me to score goals.
21:20 But I think it's something I can do. I can help the team in this fact because I think we have a strong team in set-pieces.
21:28 Shooting from the outside of the box, we have players like me who can score goals. It's something I like to improve.
21:38 In the beginning, of course, you don't have the responsibility. But now you score goals, you see yourself, you can do it.
21:45 It's a good point to grow. I will try to improve this aspect of my game.
21:52 Hi, Rodri. You're from Spain. There's this belief among football fans that the Spanish league is not as "tough" as the Premier League.
22:05 I've always argued that football is football. Styles might be different, but players can adapt anywhere.
22:11 You're a player. You've experienced different leagues. What would you say to this?
22:16 Is the Premier League more difficult to play in or is it just like every other league?
22:22 As I always say, I think it's very difficult to compare because the culture of football is different in the countries.
22:31 You can see the players when they join different leagues, they change the rhythm they play because of the league.
22:37 You never know. For me, the two best leagues in the world all these years. I've been growing in Spain and now I've come to England.
22:49 What I can tell you is I've been enjoying both. Now in England, for me, it's incredible. The level of the teams are rising now.
22:57 The level of the Premier League is incredible, but I cannot judge you.
23:01 Because then Sevilla win the Europa League and they beat United. Football is like this. You never know.
23:08 You never know who is the best level. The only thing you can say is who wins is the best.
23:13 Today, Sevilla and City are the best in Europe.
23:16 You've won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup last season. You've got this competition and the Club World Cup coming up in December.
23:25 Is it for you guys as a squad and City as a club to try and do a clean sweep and show that you are the best in all those competitions?
23:36 You mean winning this one? We're always hungry and decide to win every trophy we play.
23:44 I remember the team was very disappointed the other day when we lost to Arsenal because we deserved to win.
23:50 But at the end, football is like this. But the way we come back the other day against Barley shows the hunger of the team.
23:57 We want to prepare ourselves. Now we have the Super Cup.
24:00 Tomorrow I will ask my team to be the same in the last finals we played.
24:09 The same level, the same desire, the same hunger.
24:12 Tomorrow is a final opportunity. I tell the guys that in finals you cannot leave the chance to win it because it's so tough to arrive.
24:20 Tomorrow we have to go for it with desire and the same way we did in the last finals.
24:25 In 1999 Manchester United did the treble and then tried to win the Super Cup and failed.
24:34 Does that show how hard it is to keep hitting the heights and also is that an added motivation for City's players to do what they failed to achieve?
24:43 I don't know if it's a motivation but this year we can break some records.
24:50 For us it's not that important but it's in our head.
24:54 Winning four Premier Leagues in a row or maybe winning five of the six titles in a season will be massive.
25:02 For us every final is important, every title is important.
25:09 This Super Cup is even more special for me because it was my first trophy as a football player.
25:16 I know how tough it is to win it. Let's go step by step.
25:21 I don't think much about the future.
25:23 Just tomorrow we have another chance to put City on the Europe map again.
25:29 That will be the best thing.
25:31 Thank you guys.
25:34 [Football talk]
25:36 [Football talk]
25:52 We have Manuel Akanji here with us, a defender from City.
25:57 Ready to take your questions.
25:59 Please raise your hand as we do it.
26:01 Someone to start please guys.
26:03 Who is the first player at the front?
26:06 Just in the white please. Thank you.
26:10 Hi Manu. The game tomorrow looks like a huge game for the club.
26:17 How important is it for the players that you get another trophy to cement your legacy in Europe?
26:27 It's another final and a possibility to win another trophy.
26:33 We are really excited for the game and we are going to do everything we can to win it.
26:37 Not everyone, particularly in England, sees it as a huge trophy.
26:43 They see it as similar to the Community Shield.
26:45 I'm presuming you wouldn't go along with that.
26:48 I don't care. It's another game for us.
26:52 Especially if you can win with just one game, you can win another trophy.
26:57 We are going to do everything we can.
26:59 That's the mindset in our team. We want to win every game.
27:01 That's what we are trying to do tomorrow again.
27:03 [Football talk]
27:11 [Football talk]
27:39 [Football talk]
28:04 [Football talk]
28:20 [Football talk]
28:49 [Football talk]
28:55 [Football talk]
29:08 [Football talk]
29:22 I think the summer break was pretty short.
29:28 I wouldn't change it for anything because we played in the Champions League final and the FA Cup final.
29:34 I hope we can do this next year again.
29:37 It's not easy to proceed when you're going into holidays.
29:40 First we had a national team as well and then you go into holidays.
29:43 Then you really try to think about everything you did last year.
29:47 When the summer started, I just tried to enjoy it to the fullest.
29:53 But obviously you also have in mind that at some point you need to start preparing for the next season again.
29:59 That was the thing. I enjoyed it first. I was with my friends and my family.
30:04 Then at one point you have to put the mindset to get ready for the new season again.
30:08 Hi Emmanuel. I'm from Nigeria, your father's country.
30:13 I saw a video of you displaying your mathematical dexterity.
30:20 As a footballer, as a defender, how does being a great mathematician affect your game?
30:26 Because obviously you have to calculate time.
30:29 How does this affect your game? How does it make you better as a defender?
30:34 To be honest, I don't think it really helps me in the game.
30:37 I wish it would help me at some point.
30:40 But I can't predict what the guy is going to do because I don't know him that well.
30:47 I don't know what's going on in his mind.
30:50 So I try to read him as a player but the mathematical things don't help me.
30:58 Hi Emmanuel. You obviously settled in very quickly at Manchester City.
31:02 How is Josco Gvardial doing and what does it look like he will add to this squad?
31:08 I've seen him play before a lot of times. I've played against him already at Dortmund.
31:13 He's a really good defender, especially for his age.
31:16 He has a lot of time in front of him and also at this club with so many good players here.
31:22 The managing staff that we have, he can learn a lot and he settled in really well.
31:28 It's not easy to come into a team that just won the treble last year.
31:33 You try to do the best thing that you can and I think as soon as he gets some minutes in this team
31:39 and can show everybody what he can do, I think all of us here will be really happy
31:46 because it's going to be a big help for us.
31:49 Hi Emmanuel. You were just talking about Gvardial.
31:52 We've seen you play across the entire back line for City.
31:55 When a player like that comes in and they spend so much money on a defensive player in your position,
32:01 how good is that for this team in terms of competition and helping better you as a player?
32:07 It helps me. Also when I signed here we had so many good defenders.
32:12 I don't even know which position because I changed it a lot of times.
32:17 It helps me that I have to prove every day what I can do and get to the best level as I can.
32:26 It pushes me. In the end everybody wants to play.
32:31 There's only 11 spots but that's the goal. That's what makes us better.
32:36 I just wondered, you've played so many positions across the back.
32:42 What is your favourite position and do you mind playing left back?
32:47 No, I don't mind playing it at all.
32:49 It's also hard for me to say which is my favourite position because it depends on how the opponent plays.
32:55 Sometimes when I play in the middle I have more touches than when I play in the full-back position.
32:59 But when I play in the full-back position, either right or left, I can be more offensive.
33:05 I like that too. It always depends on how the opponent plays.
33:09 If they close more in the middle, it's good as a full-back and I can go more in front.
33:15 But if they let you play through the middle, then you don't have as many touches as a full-back.
33:20 It really depends on the opponent.
33:22 We remind you that the training session for City is fully open to media starting at 6.
33:30 Thank you.