Guardiola excited by City UCL opener against Inter Milan
17/09/2024
CFGA, Manchester, UK
17/09/2024
CFGA, Manchester, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Afternoon, guys. Same for us as ever, and mics on either side. There are no embargoes,
00:14so please raise your hands, let us know that you'd like to ask a question. We'll take...
00:18Is there any Italian-speaking media in the room? Okay, we'll hold until the end of the
00:22press conference, if that's okay. We'll start with English. Someone to start, please. Simon?
00:29You've obviously been phenomenally successful in the Champions League in the old format.
00:35With the way that this competition has been restructured, do you have to look at the eight
00:42games in a different way, or what are you trying to do? Are you trying to finish top
00:47to get a seeding, or just a top eight? How does it work?
00:51Win our first game, and the second one, and see what happens, and the last of the last
00:58games, take a look. Just like in the Premier League, it's not necessary to take the table
01:02right now. It will be in the future. Win the first game, and the next ones, and after we
01:09see. For all of us, it's new. Maybe for more experience next season, if we are lucky to
01:16play this competition, maybe we can read better what we have to do. Normally, in the
01:22past, when we had success to go through in the group stages, at home we were able to
01:26win all the games, except one year. Make the nine points, and this is what we have to do.
01:31Our games at home, we have to try to take the points, otherwise everything can happen.
01:36Pep, obviously you had a very special night against Inter, sort of 16 months ago. Do you
01:42feel that they're a better team now than they were then?
01:46It was a better team in that moment. It was a good team in that moment, and it's a really
01:51good team right now. Same manager, Simone knows how to have incredible patterns. You
01:59know, in Italy, the last years, they were the best. In Italy, it's always been a tough
02:08league, a lot of experience, and so competitive. Tomorrow will not be an exception.
02:14Have you watched that final back a lot of times?
02:16Yesterday, the first time, yes.
02:21Man City v Inter seems like exactly the sort of game UEFA would want for the start of this
02:27competition, but some of the players are already talking about having to play extra games.
02:34Having to play into January in this group stage, is that more mentally difficult to plan for?
02:42I've said many times, I don't think much about the future, about what happens in January
02:47and February, or what is the mental. I don't know, I'm focusing on preparing well for the
02:53game and trying to win tomorrow. After the rest of the day, Arsenal and Watford, I don't
02:58think much, honestly. It's always been like that. I don't know what's going to happen,
03:03not even tomorrow, imagine in January. Many things can happen. I think in modern football,
03:10modern sports, you have to handle the present and what is the next game, and that's all.
03:21Good afternoon, good to see you. For a lot of City fans, that final back in 2023 was
03:28a wonderful occasion. What's your most vivid memory of that night?
03:33The ball was nice, tight game. The first half was much, much better than the second half.
03:39After goal, we had one clear chance to fulfil, they had two clear, clear chances.
03:46The coin came in our side, could go to the other side. It's so nice to have many Champions
03:54League, we have just one, so winning was of course special, but if you analyse the game,
04:00it was so, so tight. I said in the days before the final, I remember how tough
04:06is the opponent. Now the people believe me more, because the people need to see
04:11really how strong they are. But it's not a final now, it's a game at home. We are going to go to
04:19Milan, it's completely different. With our people, our games at home, we try to do it.
04:27How much inspiration perhaps will your players draw from that wonderful night tomorrow?
04:33Sorry?
04:34How much inspiration will your players draw from that night when they play into tomorrow?
04:44I think they have to know what they have to do. They have to judge something, because
04:52with the way they attack, it's so difficult to control.
04:56In that moment, about the inspiration, about the emotions, I think I'm so cold on that.
05:05It's the first game of the group stage with eight games, and after, what happens in the future.
05:09So we just tactically be present, what you have to do.
05:17I wanted to ask about Kevin De Bruyne, because obviously he had the difficult injury last
05:22season, and then he came back. A lot of assists, some games really good, some games not so good.
05:27But it seems like this season he started it as good as ever. How does he seem,
05:31how does he feel around the training pitch?
05:33Yeah, I agree. But it's the same with Erling and all the comments after the game. I said
05:41the season will start now, and there are a lot of games. Of course it started really well,
05:45came back good, helped us in the Premier League games, in the competitions that we had. But
05:53now we see. So every three or four games, so he cannot sustain in any player every week.
06:01But yeah, I'm happy. His mood is good, and he's playing a good level.
06:04And in terms of Phil Foden, when he's back available for selection,
06:08should we expect him to be playing more in the central areas now, like at the end of last season?
06:14Or could he still be used on the wing?
06:16Yeah, we have Gundo now back and other players. But yeah, his position,
06:21you know, it's better he's there. But when everybody's fit, the contention is tough,
06:26and they have to compete for themselves, to perform well. I want to rotate, but they have
06:31to prove when I rotate they are ready to play. When they don't perform well, I rotate less.
06:36So the business here is to win the next game, and not because I give presents for
06:42this player or the other one. I want everybody involved, because it's the best way to work the
06:47injuries, to be fresh mentally, physically, but they have to perform.
06:52Erling has 99 goals in 103 games for City. If he scores tomorrow, he'll beat Cristiano Ronaldo to
07:00be the fastest player to get to 100. I think Ronaldo got 100 goals in 105 for Real Madrid.
07:05What do those numbers say about Erling? And how much better can he get?
07:09Akanji was talking at the weekend about him becoming an all-round player,
07:13involved in the game a lot more. But can you just talk about those kind of numbers?
07:16Because you've said in the past that those are kind of messy and Ronaldo numbers.
07:20Can he bowl? But if you tell me in the next 100 games he'll score another 99 goals, for me it's
07:26fine. So if he won't improve, don't improve. If he scores in the next 100 games 99 goals,
07:34I'll be more than delighted, and City and all the organisation from Man City as well,
07:39and I think for him as well. But I think the experience playing game and game and game and game,
07:46they will improve. So it's difficult to improve when you don't play. So as much games he's going
07:52to play in this club, he will be a better player. For a natural way, not because we say something
07:58special, or he practises something special, in a natural way.
08:02Are those numbers surprising you though? Because you knew you were getting a goal scorer,
08:07a guy that was a great finisher, but have those numbers even surprised you?
08:13A little bit, yeah. Do you know why? I played 11 years as a profession,
08:21as a football player. I was a football player in the past, you know?
08:24I scored 11 goals. This guy in four goals scored nine. So have one more game, equalised me.
08:32So imagine, he surprised me.
08:38Just on the improvement, Pep, do you sense there is that hunger and thirst in him to improve?
08:46He's a player who just isn't satisfied.
08:49The difference of last season, he feels his body,
08:53his niggles and his tiredness, it feels better. I think the difference between this season and
08:59the previous one, or especially in the first season, they're making incredible numbers,
09:02the year of the travel. He came from Dortmund with a lot of problems muscular in the first
09:07month, the struggle a little bit. So far he feels, I'm clean, I feel good here and no problems. But
09:17what I said before with Kevin Hansen, every three or four days, game, game, game.
09:22I don't know, in one or two or three months' time. I don't expect every single game to score
09:27three or two, three or two goals. I don't expect that. The moment that it's going to happen,
09:32it's not a problem because I know the quality is there. But I think the difference of last
09:36season is what I said, he feels good, no problems. When a player, not just him, all the players
09:43had that feeling, he can perform his best. Is that a bit worrying for opponents that
09:49he's still being able to hit those numbers, even though he's had injuries, missed two months last
09:55season, he's had niggles and problems to get with, he's still got to that? The opponents will find
10:01a solution to control these numbers of goals. And we have to find the resolution to beat them,
10:09to find a way. But, of course, they are going to find...
10:14And after when this happens, it's because there will be more players over him,
10:18and I have to create an environment around him to another player to score goals.
10:25But hopefully he can continue his mindset positive and he can continue to help us.
10:31One more in English, guys, then we'll take some Italian.
10:33Hi Pep, you've studied Inter's games, obviously, a lot this season. What in particular makes you
10:39think that they're such a dangerous team for you to face?
10:43First is the historical team, the incredible mentality. They are built to win every single
10:50game. They are created to win the competitions. Last year they won a lot, and that means the
10:57mindset of the players that I'm able to do it is quite similar to us. They have a good high
11:04pressing, almost man-to-man, similar to Brentford. After they defend with the typical mentality in
11:09Italy that they have to suffer, I don't know how much it means that they are not a problem.
11:15Strong team in set-pieces, good incredible qualities in the build-ups with Bastoni,
11:21Chanel, Loglou, Pavard, and after good guys coming for the second line, especially Varela.
11:30I don't know if Di Marco will be fit, but every time he crosses right with four or five players
11:35in the box, yeah, a complete team. You cannot win the Italian league or being in the position
11:44two years ago with the same manager, 90% of the players the same ones,
11:48final Champions League if you don't have something special.
12:18It would be a competition that we can think of, that we were much, much stronger than them.
12:23One thing that the media says is that going to a final, making us weaker than the others, is a dream.
12:34In Italy this is a dream, you are masters. But I knew that they would be strong as they will be tomorrow.
12:41I have a lot of respect for them, for what they have been doing for so many years.
12:46It will be a different competition, because a final in the Champions League is completely different
12:54from a group stage match, but we'll see. We'll see if we can impose our game and play a good match.