Guardiola on City latest ahead of Chelsea FA Cup semi final
CGA, Manchester, UK
CGA, Manchester, UK
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00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:10 >> Good afternoon guys, hope you're all staying processed as ever.
00:12 Mic's on either side, you can raise your hand, we'll come to as many of you as we can.
00:15 Set an embargo partly through for 10, 30 seats.
00:18 Start with Simon, please.
00:20 >> Hi, Pep.
00:23 Yesterday, there was a big announcement about the FA Cup.
00:26 You know what the FA Cup means to people in England.
00:29 You've won the tournament.
00:30 Do you have a view on the decision to get rid of replays?
00:37 Because clearly, at the top end of the game, you've got a lot of matches, but
00:42 other people really like the idea of replays.
00:44 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:49 >> I think you know better than me the reason why it was built, or
00:52 was created, replays in this country.
00:54 It's for the lower divisions, I guess, for
00:57 have the chance for a given opportunity with these clubs in lower division.
01:04 Have an opportunity to have a big club, a good money for them.
01:10 For that sense, it's a problem, it's a big blow.
01:14 Absolutely, the reason why.
01:17 For the big clubs, playing European competitions, it's much better.
01:21 It's much better.
01:24 We have less games, and now a tighter schedule, lots of games.
01:27 So to find the balance today in the world football is the most difficult thing.
01:31 And I understand that the clubs in the lower divisions can complain about that.
01:36 Because if we have a game here at the stadium, and we cannot win,
01:38 you have to go to the team with a conference win, or league one.
01:42 That game is so important for them.
01:43 That's why I think it was create that replacing the FA Cup for
01:47 a tradition for many, many years.
01:49 But with the schedule that we have, especially the teams that play European
01:54 competitions and national teams, many, many players go to the national team.
01:58 It's much better.
02:00 >> Obviously, a lot of your thinking about this match will,
02:07 I assume, center around Cole Palmer.
02:10 When you look back, when you've seen what he has done, well, first of all,
02:15 are you surprised how well he's done?
02:17 And has it made you at all think you made a mistake letting him go?
02:21 >> [LAUGH] No, that he's an exceptional player.
02:28 We knew he was here.
02:30 And we know how he's proven, but I have a lot of minutes, I said many times,
02:35 I didn't give the minutes and maybe he deserved it.
02:37 He wanted the minutes and now he has a Chelsea, so I understand completely.
02:41 So I'm happy for him because a lovely guy, a shy guy,
02:45 have an incredible potential, otherwise he would not be here.
02:48 So it's what it is.
02:52 So he's playing good, he's incredible threat, he's playing fantastically.
02:57 So what can I say, the decision had been made for many reasons.
03:00 He was asking two seasons to leave, during two seasons, to leave, to leave.
03:05 I said, no, stay, stay.
03:07 At the end, no, I wanna leave.
03:08 What can we do?
03:09 So I said in the preseason, stay because Riyad is gone.
03:14 He said, no, I wanna leave.
03:16 After two seasons, what can I say?
03:18 So go and then.
03:19 So playing that level is an exception, yeah.
03:24 Everybody knows it.
03:25 >> Hi Pep, obviously it was a tough way to lose on Wednesday night.
03:30 What's the feeling now going into what is another big game?
03:33 >> Today better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today.
03:38 >> Do you feel the players are ready to go out there and
03:43 willing to try to put right what went wrong?
03:46 >> We don't have another option.
03:47 I don't wanna feel sorry for ourself.
03:49 In football, you lose games.
03:52 So we perform in our best, we could or not able to win.
03:56 So what next?
04:00 So we don't have time to reflect.
04:02 We reflect in summertime, what happened during all the season.
04:06 So in football, it's you win, you compete to win.
04:11 That is what we have done, but sometimes you win, sometimes, most of the times.
04:16 Well, lately in this club, it didn't happen in years, but
04:19 sometimes you lose games, so and this is what happened.
04:21 >> Just on the players who came off, Erling, Kevin and Manu, how are they?
04:26 >> Kevin,
04:31 Finswell, Erling, who is he?
04:34 >> Hi, following up on Erling, you said you will see.
04:42 How is his condition?
04:44 >> We'll see.
04:45 >> [LAUGH]
04:48 >> Was there any problems before he asked to come off?
04:52 >> Yeah, absolutely.
04:52 It was a tough game, 120 minutes, a lot of action, high intensity for
04:58 both sides and Erling felt something, a muscular issue.
05:03 And that's why he asked me, I could not continue and Kevin, the last minutes as
05:08 well, he felt exhausted, so tired.
05:11 And after what happened, a five-month injury, so that is normal, but we'll see tomorrow.
05:19 >> And last question,
05:20 can you say a little bit more about the muscular issue that Erling experienced?
05:25 >> For Erling?
05:26 >> Yes.
05:26 >> I don't know, I'm not a doctor.
05:28 >> What does the doctor say then?
05:29 >> He said, yeah, he's a little bit niggles,
05:33 a little bit problem, we'll see how his evolution in the next hours.
05:38 >> Just following up on that, I suppose,
05:41 with Manchester City playing so many big games,
05:45 not just this season, over the last few years.
05:48 Is it a concern when two most influential players can't finish the 120 minutes in
05:54 a big, big game and when players like Roderick come out and say they're tired?
05:58 >> It's normal, the amount of games we are playing this season and
06:04 the previous seasons and not much recovery and
06:09 extra time and high intensity the way we played.
06:14 We put a lot of pressure in our game and that's why the fatigue is there.
06:18 They are human beings.
06:19 So they are not a machine, so they are human beings and
06:22 sometimes the fatigue is there.
06:23 >> And obviously, I know you're preparing for a big game in FA Cup, but
06:28 we're all very excited about the title race.
06:31 With all three of the teams in the title race now out of Europe,
06:34 does that add an extra dimension, an extra intensity to the title race now?
06:38 >> I would prefer to be in the Champions League and
06:41 play the title race in the Champions League.
06:43 We are used to, because in the last three years we arrived in semifinals, finals.
06:48 So it's what it is.
06:51 So it's a question of adapt the schedule that the broadcasters and
06:55 the FA Cups or Premier League decide when we have to play.
06:59 >> Hi, Pep, if I could come back to Wednesday night again,
07:05 you have already said that you did everything that you could have done.
07:10 Would you agree though that up until Madrid scored, the game started a bit slow?
07:15 And if you agree, why that happened?
07:17 >> Yeah, you wanna play 90, 120 minutes like we played the last 80 minutes against
07:22 Madrid?
07:22 I don't know which was and don't you make a judge.
07:27 We do know which team we're facing.
07:29 Did you expect that Madrid didn't have the ball or create the chances or
07:33 have opportunities to create that?
07:36 Or you believe now because we're sitting here,
07:37 we're going to win another travel this season and next season another travel.
07:41 And next season another travel.
07:43 We are going to win the Premier League for 20 points in front of the opponents.
07:47 So it's not the truth.
07:48 So the most unbelievable thing is that we compete as a team that we are until the end.
07:55 And in some moments they start because they take the ball and
07:59 because last season didn't do it, this season they cannot do it.
08:01 They are an incredible team, used to play under pressure with big events and
08:07 had to do it even with that we were absolutely outstanding.
08:11 For the minute one and the minute 120 plus penalties included.
08:17 So we were good, really good in many things and
08:21 the margin it was we lost for an aggregate and penalties for three.
08:25 So and you have to accept it.
08:30 So we're good.
08:31 Yeah, good enough.
08:32 No, because you were good a little bit better.
08:34 We can win.
08:35 We don't win in this business.
08:38 Who wins is right.
08:39 And if he doesn't win, he's wrong.
08:41 So last season we won, we were right.
08:44 This season they won, they were right.
08:46 So don't make another analysis.
08:48 So we can see what would happen if that, if that, if that, it doesn't count.
08:54 Don't count that level.
08:55 You have to win.
08:56 We did everything.
08:58 We know it, they know it, all the world know it, but it was not enough.
09:02 And when it's not enough, it's bad night,
09:04 congratulating what we have done 1000 million times and tomorrow FA Cup.
09:09 >> And because you have been that good,
09:13 it's rare that you feel the taste of a big defeat.
09:16 Does it change anything?
09:18 Is it different?
09:18 >> It's not the first time it happened in my life that in Champions League.
09:22 I shoot 35 shoots and target against Chelsea with Roberto Di Matteo and I lost.
09:28 We play incredible well by Munich, it's semi final against Atletico Madrid.
09:31 Unbelievable in the first half.
09:33 I know how many shoots and we lost.
09:35 So we lost in the last minute, we lost this game.
09:41 So it's football.
09:42 It's not about this opponent.
09:43 It's football.
09:44 It's happened.
09:44 So, but it happened when you do who you are and perform who you are.
09:50 What else?
09:51 We are sad, yeah, of course we are.
09:53 We wanna continue, but try to qualify for the Champions League and
09:56 next season try to do it, but it's not the first time it happened in my life.
10:00 So, but we have done what they have done.
10:02 And everybody knows we did everything.
10:06 It's not possible because they were incredible well-defence in the box.
10:10 They were incredible solidarity.
10:12 With the amount of talent they have, it doesn't matter.
10:14 They defend, they defend during a long, long, long, long time.
10:18 So that is triple.
10:20 I think my team is not able to do this.
10:21 I tell my team, I had to defend a lot, a lot of minutes in the box.
10:26 We are not good.
10:28 We are not able to do it.
10:28 We could not do it.
10:30 And they are able to do it.
10:31 So big credit to them.
10:32 Always we can say.
10:33 And next time, if it happen again, if we play again, how can we do to create three?
10:39 I don't know how many shoots we have done.
10:41 60, a double.
10:42 You have more chances to score a goal.
10:44 It's the only chance we can do.
10:45 Try to do better there.
10:47 We are not doing it, but the players did everything.
10:49 And when that happens, it happened three days ago against Luton.
10:53 It happened before in Madrid.
10:54 It happened before against Crystal Palace.
10:57 So the team always is there, always.
10:59 And that, after where we come from, it's quite admirable.
11:03 So it's really, really good.
11:04 I'm so proud.
11:05 But I would love to be there.
11:07 Unfortunately, we are not.
11:08 - Thank you. - Bye.