The Manchester City chairman discussed several topics during his wide ranging Q&A, including: Pep Guardiola's future, winning four consecutive league titles, Premier League spending limitations and the 115 charges.
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00:00 I'm really only one place we can start on the back of a treble, winning a fourth consecutive
00:19 Premier League title. How did that make you feel? Well, it feels like these last two seasons
00:27 are one season, almost interconnected. Finishing last summer, winning the Champions League,
00:33 it happened so fast. We had a very short pre-season and then straight back out at the
00:39 Charity Shield, the Super Cup, and then we go on to the season. And to finish it off winning
00:46 a fourth Premier League in a row. Now, unlike last year, Chris, you did the interview the morning
00:53 of winning the Champions League, where it was exhausting. I didn't even have time to really
00:59 properly think this one through and then let it sink in. This time, fortunately, we've had a week,
01:04 so I've had a lot of time to think about this. You know, we have to always sometimes pause and
01:08 contextualize. Since 1926, five teams have attempted to win four times in a row. Five teams.
01:19 Huddersfield, Arsenal, you had Liverpool in the 80s, and then you had Manchester United,
01:25 who attempted it twice. None of them succeeded. None of them succeeded. So over and over 100 years
01:30 of English football, never any team was able to achieve four championships in a row. So once that
01:39 sinks in, you start really appreciating the magnitude of what was achieved, the difficulty,
01:44 the challenge, the tenacity required. And then you really now, a week after, in a relaxed way,
01:50 you can answer Chris. - There were times during the season when it didn't look likely. Were you
01:55 worried at certain points that it wasn't going to happen? I mean, every game was a cook final
02:00 from December onwards, basically, in the league. - So I'll tell you something. I will tell you that
02:07 you want to actually let me ask myself the question. When did I know we were going to
02:11 win the league? - When did you know you were going to win the league? - Yes, yes.
02:14 I'm not going to, I'm going to surprise you with that one. - Cool. - Arsenal away.
02:21 Arsenal away, we didn't play particularly well. We didn't play particularly bad. I think it was
02:29 an off game by our standards. But I don't think we deserve to lose. If you remember, we lost with
02:35 that deflected goal in the last minutes. I said, this is why we're going to win the league. Today,
02:44 I know how this team is going to react going forward. And I know we're going to win the league.
02:50 - So the question is, four in a row, what next? - Five in a row. - Sounds good to me. - Oh,
03:00 absolutely. Without a doubt. Actually, to be clear, this is, I think, something that I'm
03:06 most proud of in this club and in this entire organisation we have, from top to bottom.
03:11 I would say, if you ask this question to anyone, they will ask you probably the same answer.
03:15 Players, executives, physios, board, whoever you're going to ask, they'll answer the same
03:20 thing. Five in a row. And by the way, that five in a row, in our minds, happened the second that
03:28 final whistle against West Ham. I remember just going down to the pitch and telling almost
03:33 everybody I saw, excellent, fantastic result, we're so proud. But now we're going for five in a row.
03:38 - How do you reflect then on the World Cup was won, the Super Cup was won, how do you reflect
03:44 on those and the Cup competitions? It seemed we were that far away from another treble.
03:50 - I mean, let's be clear, we didn't lose a single game in the Champions League. No team actually
03:56 beat us in 90 minutes or 120 minutes. We lost at the end of the day at the jeopardy of penalty
04:02 kicks. And penalty kicks, winner or loser, it's a flip of a coin at the end of the day.
04:08 So we gave it an incredible shot, we got to the quarterfinals, we played against our rival,
04:12 the most decorated team in European club history. But there's always a silver lining.
04:18 That gives us more hunger, more tenacity. You can see today, I'm delighted, I think I reflect
04:25 how our coaching staff, how our management team, how our leadership, the board, the owner,
04:33 His Highness Sheikh Mansour, and of course, everybody in our staff, everybody feels obviously
04:39 proud and delighted with what we achieved this year. - I have to ask, has anything changed in
04:43 the last 12 months with regard to the charges brought by the Premier League? Are you still
04:48 frustrated? And how much of an impact has the constant referencing of them had on you and the
04:56 club? - Yeah, of course it's frustrating. I think the reference is always frustrating, having it
05:02 being talked about the way it's being talked about. I can feel, of course, for our fan base,
05:07 for everyone associated with the club, to have these charges constantly referenced. I think we,
05:14 as a club, have to respect that there's a process that we have to go through, and we're going
05:19 through it. It's taking longer than what anyone hoped for, but it is what it is. And I've always
05:25 repeated that in every interview I've done with you, Chris, is let's be judged by the facts and
05:29 not by claims and counterclaims. - Thank you. So, if we move on to Pep now, I mean, obviously the
05:37 players take a lot of the plaudits, but is it possible for you to put into words, not about
05:43 him as a manager, but him as a man, before we talk about his contract situation, what has he
05:49 brought to City? What does he bring to the organisation as a human being, not just a
05:53 football manager? - You know, it's hard to put in words what Pep has given this organisation,
06:02 this club. You can look at just records, for history's sake, and there I think he's racked up
06:11 every record almost in the book, and these are records that I think will be very, very hard
06:15 in the future to ever break, you know, from winning six out of the last seven Premier Leagues,
06:21 to winning four in a row, to the number of wins, to, you know, the records go on and on and on.
06:27 But also beyond that, I think what his impact has been on football. English football has changed
06:32 with the evolution to the type of football that Pep has brought in to the league. But beyond all
06:37 that, I would say one of the things I am particularly proud of, and I think Pep has brought
06:44 to two points, last game of the season against West Ham, and then the FA Cup final. In the last
06:49 game of the season, the chair of the Premier League, Alison, went and obviously delivered the
06:54 trophy to Pep and then the team. She came back afterwards and we had a conversation, and she
06:59 told me something that I think echoed very much in my heart. She said, you know, you have to be
07:06 very proud. I encountered something that was quite unique, giving the trophy to the team. I asked her,
07:12 what was it? She said, every single member of the team, from coaching staff to players,
07:18 looked me in the eye and said, thank you, with a smile and with respect. And it's quite remarkable.
07:25 Normally in these things, you know, players, et cetera, are in a rush or too busy. She said,
07:30 every single one of them did that. A week later, we had the final, the FA Cup final,
07:36 and the chair of the FA, Debbie, also ended up sending me a nice email after the final,
07:45 and she said to me something also interesting. She said, we saw something very special in the
07:50 FA Cup final. Obviously, commiserations on losing the game, but never have we seen in the FA Cup
07:59 final a team put a guard of honor to the winning team, and Manchester City did that. And then,
08:10 again, the way the players, the coaches, every member of Manchester City, from board members
08:18 to management, the way we behaved, she said, was a great reflection of how this team is in terms of
08:25 respect, humbleness, and just the attitude. And I think this is something I'm very, very proud of.
08:30 It's winning. It's about winning, of course, but it's also about how you behave when you win
08:37 and how you behave when you lose. And that, I think we have something very special in this club.
08:43 And this is why we are successful, and this is why I'm confident we will continue to be successful.
08:49 And I don't want this to sound like a goodbye, but where are you in terms of these contracts and
08:55 those conversations? Oh, no, with Pep, listen, we've had this conversation many times before,
09:00 you know that over the years of the contract. Pep has always been fully committed to this club,
09:05 fully committed to every contract he's signed with us. The decision on his future is always a
09:10 decision we take together, and I have no doubt we will find, as always, as we always have done,
09:15 the right solution that works for Pep and works for us. Now, if we move on to players, I know
09:20 you don't like talking about individual players because it's a team game, but I'm going to make,
09:24 or try and make you talk about individual players. And I've got to start off with a bit of a quiz.
09:29 All right, so I've written this down. So do you remember who said this and about whom in 2019?
09:37 And this is why I'm quoting. Here is a player who accepts the evolution of his role. He will be a
09:43 superstar, one of the most important players of his generation. And the best thing he has done
09:50 is taking the decision to be patient. Fortunately, I can still remember what I've said.
09:55 So that was when I was speaking about Phil. Correct. I've had the privilege of watching Phil
10:04 develop from being an eight-year-old young player at the academy. I've seen him in my own eyes as an
10:10 eight-year-old, as a nine-year-old, as a ten-year-old. And as he's grown from age group to
10:16 age group within the academy and then making it all the way to the first team. I think throughout
10:21 that journey, it was clear to all of us where Phil was going. And it was always about giving
10:28 him the right environment and ecosystem and the right development framework around him to help
10:34 him grow to what he is today. Arguably one of the most decorated English footballers ever.
10:40 And you can see that eight-year-old City fan. We still see pictures of him walking out hand in hand
10:46 with a player as a mascot. And to think that he is now, would you categorise him as a leader in that
10:51 dressing room? Absolutely. He's a leader and I use the word craft because football too, Phil is a
10:57 craft. He loves it. He's passionate about it. Nice story with Phil. The last game of the Premier League
11:04 season, the day before, the West Ham game, I was attending practice, the last training before the
11:11 game. And practice finished and I was chatting with someone. All the players left towards the
11:18 dressing room, but there was one player that was still on the pitch, taking shot after shot after
11:23 shot. And he was at the 18-yard line, central point of the 18-yard line, and he was taking shots just
11:30 on target, alone. Nobody left. So I walked towards him. He made one brilliant shot to the top corner.
11:39 And I remember I spoke to him. I said, Phil, wonderful, but keep that for tomorrow.
11:44 Phil, in the game tomorrow, that same one. That same one in the game. Tomorrow. Get us that league,
11:52 huh? Yeah, get us that league. Come on. And sure enough, next day, three minutes into the game,
12:00 he does exactly that shot. Exactly that shot. And I think there's a lot of lessons in this
12:05 about that love and commitment and craftsmanship that Phil has towards the game and how really,
12:11 even at that level, last game of the season, he was still out there. And then the next day,
12:16 you can see how practice makes perfect. I mean, while we're talking about individuals and no
12:22 disrespect to anybody we don't mention, but Erling had an injury, interrupted season. People were on
12:28 his back. He ends up winning the Golden Boot. And Rodri ended up winning nothing, but played
12:35 70-odd games without defeating the City. So, those two probably deserve special mention again.
12:41 Well, those two and many others. But when you have achieved excellence, which I think what we
12:48 continue to achieve in this club, expectations are so high. And that's natural. When you win
12:54 as much as we've won over the years, people's expectations are incredible. I mean, if you look
13:00 at Erling on a standalone basis, and he's missed, as you know, many weeks because of injury,
13:06 he still ended up with, I think, 38 goals for the season. 38 goals for a season, and you're getting,
13:13 people are thinking this is an off year. So, Erling is Erling. And Erling is a goal machine
13:20 and continues to be, in my opinion, the best striker in the world. Rodri is another. I mean,
13:26 if you look at it, he's had, I think, the record, the most number of wins streak for the team
13:34 unbeaten, unbeaten, so not win streak, but unbeaten in European football history. I mean,
13:40 that's extraordinary. Extraordinary. I think only, if I'm not mistaken, the two AC Milan players,
13:48 Maldini and Albertini, were one game behind him. So, that level of, and standard of excellence,
13:56 is extraordinary. He's extraordinary. The position he plays, it's not a glamorous position, but
14:03 he is absolutely fundamental to this team, and one of the most critical reasons why we continue to
14:12 win and succeed and achieve what we are achieving. There's many other players. In the last four
14:18 years, we've won the best player in the league four times, and by the way, four different players.
14:25 This says it all. It's a team. Be it Ruben Dias, one year, be it Kevin De Bruyne, the second year,
14:32 be it Erling Haaland last year and this year, Phil Foden. So, that shows you we have a team.
14:38 This is a team. It's not individuals. It's the grouping of very talented, highly motivated,
14:45 and very disciplined players that have a shared vision and a shared mission,
14:51 and they go about it in a way that exudes the highest level of excellence.
14:55 It's a team that evolves as well, and youngsters come in and players go, and new ones come in.
15:01 I guess Rico Lewis and Oscar Bob and Micah Hamilton this year were sort of pushing his
15:08 way through. So, how integral is the academy to the sustainability of the first team,
15:15 and how sustainable is it, I guess is the question?
15:18 It's very sustainable. We are very careful in keeping that squad always fresh,
15:24 with a mixture of new players coming in, players I think leaving at the right time,
15:29 and then a boost from the academy. So, that tells you everything. We always maintain that balance.
15:35 What bearing do the current regulations have on what you can and can't do this summer in
15:41 particular? Because it feels like, to the layman, certainly it's a complicated landscape. There's
15:46 FFP, PSR, squad cross ratios, 70% rule in Europe. I mean, how hard is it to navigate all those
15:54 regulations? And will that make this summer's transfer market subdued, or do you think it'll
16:02 be buoyant? Specifically for us, or in general?
16:05 For both.
16:06 Okay. I think the Premier League got to where it is today by being the most competitive league.
16:12 So, I hope there's a bit more sensibility in regulating. Always a balanced approach is good
16:18 from all the leagues, be it in England or the rest of Europe. I think you won't see the same level as
16:24 we've seen in the past years because of the level of the regulations that have come to place over
16:30 the last 12 months.
16:31 Is it likely then that there'll be fewer cash deals and more swaps, or player plus cash?
16:36 No, even that, because there's also been a lot of restrictions now put in place on swaps and
16:42 loans. So, even that is now much more restricted. So, I think the level of manoeuvrability that was
16:49 in place before that allowed teams to do what they were able to do in the past, I think is much more
16:55 restricted this year, and that's going to be reflected, I believe, this summer.
16:59 So, this week's seen a lot of discussion about player overload, and it's a subject that's been
17:04 going on really all season. Do you think we are asking too much of our players in relation to
17:09 the number of games they're being asked to play?
17:11 So, I'd like regulators to focus more on that. So, I think at the end of the day, my message here
17:17 is let's focus on the mental health, let's focus on the physical health of our players. I think that
17:24 is very important, rather than spending so much time on regulatory issues that just kind of slow
17:31 down the growth of the game. To my point when I started, I mean, it felt the last two years was
17:35 almost one season interconnected. It's not enough time to both physically and mentally recover,
17:42 and it's too much. It's too much, and I think no doubt the international schedule of demand is just
17:49 too much on these players, particularly with these competitions that they continuously compete in.
17:54 So, there's a lot of contradictions in it. So, you restrict the size of the squad, you put a lot of
17:59 regulatory constraints on that, but at the same time, you ask the teams and the players to play
18:03 more games. So, something has to give. Chairman, how disappointed were you losing the FA Cup
18:10 to Manchester United? Very disappointed. I think it was a game for sure everybody wanted to win.
18:18 It's the FA Cup, it's against Manchester United, it's doing the double-double back-to-back. So,
18:23 from that perspective, very disappointed. But always, you have to think of the silver lining.
18:30 One of the things you always want to avoid is complacency. You never want to be content.
18:35 You want to keep that hunger, and there's always a silver lining. You have to find a silver lining
18:41 after defeat, particularly. Pep obviously was very, very disappointed himself.
18:47 And we had just won the league the week before, and to end on that note, and I spoke to many that
18:55 day, I told them, I said, "Sometimes, a bad thing is a good thing. Maybe leaving with that feeling
19:04 in our stomach of unfulfillment is going to help us a lot next season. Great season, yes,
19:12 disappointed we lost at the end with the FA Cup, more importantly, now we come back hungrier
19:18 because we want to win this again. We want to go for the treble again, and we're going to try to
19:21 win every competition we compete in, and I think this is, for me, that silver lining, which is
19:27 no complacency, no content, always hungry. We've not really mentioned the Club World Cup,
19:33 or gone into detail. What was it like watching City win that? It's a great joy, and being able
19:40 to compete with teams from all over the world, outside Europe, for a serious competition,
19:47 and then winning that trophy, and now having that badge is absolutely fantastic. I'm so,
19:54 so proud of it. Having it for the rest of the season, this season, having it all of next season,
19:59 and then the privilege now of qualifying to play in the next new edition of the Club World Cup
20:06 is a great privilege. What next?
20:09 We've done four in a row, now we're going to go for five in a row.
20:14 [BLANK_AUDIO]