Guardiola happy despite City labouring to 1-0 Brentford win
Guardiola happy despite City labouring to 1-0 Brentford win
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00:00 -
00:11 Evening, guys, same process as usual, raise your hands, we'll come to as many views as we can.
00:14 Start with Simon, please.
00:16 I presume you didn't want any other player running down on the Brentford goal
00:22 other than Ole Haaland, and you never had any doubt that he was going to score that goal?
00:26 Yeah, definitely. If I had to choose one, I'd prefer to choose this one, yeah.
00:30 I mean, coming into tonight, everybody had spoken about Erling, you had to speak about him,
00:38 did you get the sense that he was determined to make an impact on the team?
00:43 When I was young, one friend of mine told me, "Never, ever, as a person, I was not a journalist,
00:49 I'm not and I will not be." So, tell me, top scorers, strikers, score a lot of goals,
00:55 don't criticise him, because he will shout your mouth. So, that's for sure.
01:00 So, sooner or later, he's always there. So, he came for two months,
01:05 he had an incredible tough week last week, he lost his grandmother.
01:10 And it's not easy for a human being, but the score is not in his best shape, but it's normal.
01:17 So, he's so tall, two months, but in this type of game, like Brentford, it's always so...
01:23 really, really difficult for us, because you can break maybe in transition, like Liverpool
01:28 has done in the last game, but against us, they are not spaces. Last season, we lost six points
01:33 against them. This season, we're fortunate we can beat them both. It's a so difficult,
01:39 complicated team, because apart from defending well, they have every... since the kick-off,
01:46 kick-off, throw-ins, free-kicks, corners, long balls for the keeper, it's a threat.
01:50 Always you have the feeling they can score a goal.
01:53 But we were there, we were stable, we made a better first half than the second.
02:01 We found the goal and, yeah, finally we can break, and important three points for us.
02:06 Sam?
02:08 OK. First of all, what's wrong with being a journalist?
02:11 For me?
02:13 Yeah, what's wrong with being a journalist?
02:15 For me?
02:15 Yeah, what's wrong with being a journalist?
02:16 Oh, I'm a manager. My life is better than yours, so...
02:19 So that's why I want to be a manager, I don't want to be a journalist. Absolutely.
02:25 How would we be against? The biggest compliments all the time, you say to me,
02:29 "How would we be against you?" No, absolutely, it's not personal, especially with you, Mr Lee.
02:34 So in terms of the game, it seemed like the crowd were impatient, it seemed like the players
02:39 were impatient, there was a time when they wanted Ederson to kick it forward, you were saying,
02:42 "Calm down." It just seemed like nothing seemed to be at the right rhythm. I know you talk a lot
02:47 about rhythm and playing at the right tempo. Was that the case in that?
02:50 No, no, no, I'm not agree. I'm not agree with that. We're playing incredible, right, right tempo,
02:55 and of course we can do it, but there is one side that is... that there is an hour build-up,
03:02 like men-to-men, and I have to exactly choose the right moment, because when you lose the ball,
03:07 they can punish you, and after when the defence are deep. I would love to make a transition and
03:11 two passes score a goal, because I have the answers for the players and the other one,
03:14 but we are not built for that. Bernardo has not the run to run 45 metres, and sometimes
03:20 you have to be another way. I understand the fans, I would love to score four goals after a few
03:27 minutes, but sometimes you need the process. When we can run, like we did in the goal,
03:31 in seven actions we can run, but in other situations we have to wait. We have to wait to be patient.
03:37 Is there an element in terms of being patient, did you have to tell the players at half-time
03:40 the crowd might want a certain thing, but we need to play our own game?
03:43 Listen, we have to talk that the first half we need in the half-time is for the 2-3-0 up.
03:48 So two players in the line, with the lines we have a shoot, and we didn't concede. Yeah,
03:54 we won free kick with Tony, but apart of that didn't do anything, we concede just one corner,
03:59 it is so important against the teams. Don't regret a half that they scored a goal. I don't know what
04:04 happened, we were so nervous. Immediately Ruben lost the ball, John lost the ball, Bernardo lost
04:09 the ball, and after we made a number of matches, but after we made a long, long possession,
04:13 and yeah, we finished the game like we deserved it. But it is so difficult, I give a lot of credit
04:19 to Brentford, because apart of being good, they had the ability, he was a master player,
04:24 so I never seen a player with a quality like Tony, that had the ability, and every ball,
04:28 they win it, but it is not win it for win it, they win it passing the ball for the mate and
04:33 give an extra pass, and he is a fantastic player that help us, you know, when you link with him,
04:39 you have to defend, if you don't win that ball, you are going to defend it.
04:41 So, Brentford maybe didn't get this season the result they get in the previous season,
04:48 but the team is there, so it is able to go to walls and win. So I know how difficult it is,
04:53 it is a fantastic team, but the way they play is a fantastic team.
04:58 Pep, you spoke about how difficult a week it has been for Erling, did you have to
05:02 speak to him yourself, or did his teammates rally around him?
05:06 No, we spoke about the moment, and I realised a little bit days later,
05:10 because I didn't say anything about the pass away from his grandmother,
05:13 and we talked about how he feels, and of course for his father, and yeah, but in this type of
05:22 game, especially in Brentford, you need Erling, and in a team like Spain, you can play maybe with a
05:28 typical striker, but today we cannot use Kevin, because he has Niggles in his hamstring position,
05:36 and I didn't want to take any absolute risk on him, but in this type of game, the second goal,
05:43 for example, in Brentford, is an assist from Kevin, and you need this type of players,
05:50 but I would say John and Manuel were amazing today, the game they played, amazing.
05:55 Joe?
05:57 I was going to ask about Kevin, is he OK?
06:03 No, he's OK, he's OK, he just has more caution and prevention than anything,
06:08 but he didn't feel comfortable, the doctor said it's a little risk, and I said OK.
06:12 After five months off, we didn't take any risk on him.
06:19 Jack?
06:20 One tonight, Drew at the weekend, can you see many differences between how those two games played
06:28 out, or was it just the fact that...
06:29 Both we played really good, first half against Chelsea they were better,
06:34 not better, they had more chances, we could see we were not in the right pace, but the second half
06:39 was amazing, and today the first half was better, but we competed really good both games, so...
06:46 I'm in love with this team, with these players, what can I say, it's difficult for me to judge
06:50 differently, for many reasons, so... They know how difficult is that game, and it's still there,
06:56 today is a Champions League game, all around the world don't see, except you, no one person in
07:01 England watch the game, I'm pretty sure Inter, Madrid or PSV against Borussia Dortmund, and...
07:08 You know, game in hand, no teams in Premier League playing,
07:13 night, so... And still the team and our people, you know, we appreciate because again,
07:18 the crowd was full, in a moment we saw Full World behind us, so... I had the feeling that every time
07:25 we are here, our crowd, and knowing now that is at the end of the season now, the next games here
07:29 will be with... I think with United, Copenhagen and Arsenal, the next games here, so I'm pretty
07:38 sure they will be there, to make the contribution that we need. Do you remember what are you
07:46 shouting at the players before Bernardo Silva take the free kick in the second half? And for me...
07:52 Which one? Sorry. You were shouting at the players before Bernardo Silva take the...
07:57 taking the free kick in the second half. No, I want a short pass to the cross,
08:02 not cross the rec, Juliano was too wide, I said more central, and in that moment...
08:06 There was a little bit of confusion there.
08:08 But it happened, they played, it happened, not a problem.
08:11 Hi Pep, in your programme notes you said that Brentford are the best you've ever seen from set
08:20 pieces. Today, how well do you think your team did in limiting the number of set pieces that
08:24 Brentford had, but also how well were they... That was a free kick in the middle, but not
08:29 corners, just one at the end, I think so, maybe two, I don't know, some free kicks.
08:33 We defended really well. So we spoke, every situation, free kicks, corners, if we defend
08:39 well we have to celebrate as a goal, like you scored a goal, because they are an incredible
08:45 threat in every department. I never, never see a team play and create so many dangerous situations
08:53 like Brentford in my life, I never see a team like them, never. Every corner free kick is an
08:58 admire. But the guys, the back four, Erling, Rodri, of course the smart from Bernardo,
09:06 help us a lot to defend these kind of situations.
09:09 Last couple of guys just there, thank you.
09:12 Thank you. Hi Pep, just on a similar note to that, I know you've just used the word like
09:18 Brentford are very difficult to play against, so what is it specifically that means they are
09:21 so hard to come up against every time you play?
09:22 No spaces. They are able to make man to man, every time you go back they push up,
09:26 and they are so aggressive, they provoke to make frontal ball, they are aggressive.
09:30 And when defend deep there is no space, no space.
09:32 As Tony and Wissa and after Mbappé is close to the back three, it's with Rodri or in front of Rodri.
09:38 So they allow you to go here, go here, go here, and when you cross they have eight players with
09:45 the one ninety meters, like they defend pretty well. And when they are in the ball they have
09:50 the ability to make one or two passes, contact with Tony and after round with the wing backs
09:54 and the other one. And when you let them play, like happened the last ten, fifteen minutes,
09:58 they play really good. They have a quality, they link inside, and they play good.
10:03 It's incredible. So the work from Frank in there, this year is when it was in Championship,
10:10 at the end not promoted, and after being promoted and have done it, it's really good.
10:16 So maybe you can break them if you let them to play and after round.
10:19 Now maybe you can do it, but you want to attack and do one attack, drop them and find the spaces,
10:24 it's so difficult.
10:26 So difficult.
10:27 You celebrated Erling's goal by kicking the drinks cooler box.
10:32 I won a water and it was not there.
10:34 Is your foot ok after that?
10:36 Sorry?
10:37 Is your foot ok?
10:38 Yeah, perfect.
10:40 No injury?
10:40 Not at all.
10:42 Thank you guys.
10:44 Thank you guys.