Guardiola on how City cope losing key players like Rodri and De Bruyne
27/09/2024
CFGA, Manchester, UK
27/09/2024
CFGA, Manchester, UK
Category
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00:00So, Arteta said, I think the other day, he was here for four years,
00:05he has information about how, basically, Manchester City maybe do the same kind of fouls
00:11and time-wasting and everything that Arsenal did against your team.
00:15So, what do you think about that? Because he's your friend, he was your assistant,
00:19it seems a little bit of a betrayal of, I don't know, trust or information.
00:23Did he say that?
00:24Yeah.
00:25What did he say specifically?
00:27I was there for four years.
00:29Yeah, you're right.
00:31It was to a question about his tactics and the time-wasting, the sort of fouls.
00:38The implication was, he didn't actually say these words, but the implication was,
00:41yeah, I've been there for four years and I know what goes on there, the same.
00:46Well, next time Miguel has to be more clear.
00:49May I ask you then, you're not aware of him saying that at all?
00:52No, next time he has to be more clear exactly what it means,
00:54what he said he was here for years, and we know exactly what happened here.
00:59Because it can be related in all the process now with 155 charges,
01:04maybe it's about that, he knows the information about that maybe,
01:07or maybe he had something like, I don't know.
01:09Because, really, next time he has to be more clear exactly what happened.
01:14I think he said it in this way on purpose.
01:17I think he left it hanging to sort of cause people to think,
01:21oh, what does he mean, and maybe cause you...
01:24OK, next time, like a good relation I have with him,
01:27hopefully this question has been asked,
01:30he can answer exactly what does it mean, what he said he was here,
01:33and I know what's happened here, and there still have to be clouds there,
01:37to be more precise.
01:41No, no, no, because we spoke with X after the game, and that's all.
01:46Pep, just back on Rodri, you've had some big injuries before in your time here,
01:53and you've always managed to find solutions.
01:56Obviously, memorably, I think in the 2018-19 season
01:59you lost Fernandinho for maybe most of the last three months,
02:02and Gundogan came in there, it was great,
02:05won the last final 14 Premier League games,
02:08Kevin five months last season, Harlan two, lots of other seasons, Aguero.
02:12Do you feel, though, with Rodri out for the whole season early on,
02:19this is maybe going to be your biggest challenge
02:23in terms of finding a solution to a major injury to a key player?
02:30Everybody knows, even our opponents, how happy they are.
02:35Everyone in the mindset now realises that Rodri is part of the fundamentals
02:39for many, many things and many processes, that is the truth,
02:42but what can we do?
02:44We complain and say, I'm so sorry,
02:45when Rodri comes back we start to fight again.
02:47We have to find a solution as a team, me as a manager,
02:50to tell the players, OK, these are important players,
02:52otherwise we would not have played the 1,000 million minutes
02:56that we played, consistent with recovery and whatever.
03:02But we have to move forward, move on.
03:07So when we lose, it's because we have to find a way,
03:10and we are going to find a way.
03:12I'm so optimistic of myself and my team,
03:15and we are going to find a way, that's for sure.
03:18We are going to, knowing that he is an important player,
03:22but as you said, Ferrandinho was at the time,
03:25and Sergio was born many times,
03:26Kevin has been out many times,
03:28Kevin was one year injured, almost six, seven months,
03:33a lot of time injured, injured, injured,
03:35and he didn't play much and we won again,
03:37so we have to find a way, we have to find a way to do it,
03:40because the team is good, the players are extraordinary
03:43in terms of mindset and togetherness,
03:47and we are going to try to do it.
03:49Do you think it's quite important that,
03:51over the next few weeks especially,
03:54you show you can cope?
03:55Because opponents might look and see no Roger,
04:00and that gives them a big lift.
04:01No, I understand the opponent, I understand that,
04:04but we played four games this season without him,
04:06and we want it, and of course it's important,
04:09but even if we won a lot of games, we will be missed.
04:14We will be missed, but we have to try to do it,
04:16and when we lose a game, we will not be specific for Roger.
04:20Roger is irreplaceable for that,
04:22you have something that is difficult to find,
04:23but not here, all around the world,
04:26so you say, OK Pep, you have money to buy a player like Roger.
04:32It's not in the market, because he's really, really good,
04:36but it's what it is, I'm so sad for him,
04:38because nobody deserves it, he needs it.
04:41It's what it is, I do, hopefully the surgery went well,
04:44and time, recovery, and with the players that we have,
04:50because this is the challenge,
04:51at the end the team needs to have a challenge,
04:54the opponents, that's the last press conference,
04:57so we don't expect everything will be smooth and comfortable
05:00and easy for everyone.
05:02There is no team that was more beaten than us here in England,
05:07so we felt it, we smelled it,
05:09that, again, City, they don't like them, at all.
05:17So, we respect that, OK, so without the problem, OK,
05:22let's go, let's try.
05:26Hi Pep, is Erling all right for this weekend after going away this week?
05:30And he was pretty fired up against Arsenal on Sunday,
05:35did you like that extra side of him?
05:40I would say that sometimes the emotions are so there,
05:48when you are, you know,
05:51Darius said perfectly in the press conference,
05:53so, after the match, so, this is a war,
05:56we have here to provoke the opponent, to push them,
06:00and at the end, what can you do?
06:03So, we have to, OK, you provoke me, OK, I'm there,
06:07you want a war, now we war.
06:09So, we have to do, and after the emotions are the emotions,
06:12so, I'm pretty sure he's not proud,
06:15but, listen, the type of challenge that Arsenal challenges,
06:20I understand it.
06:25When you have such a big blow to a key player,
06:27I know it's obviously personally very, very sad for Rodri,
06:30but does it affect the morale of the overall group
06:34to lose someone so key for such a long time,
06:36and does it also affect your morale?
06:37With Oscar, you know the morale when Oscar was injured,
06:40in the pre-season, of course, Rodri is another step
06:43for what happened in the years,
06:44but when one guy is injured, we are so sad,
06:47but at the end, he knows we are there,
06:50now we'll be a long time in Madrid,
06:52with family, recovery there, with the doctors,
06:54officials there, when we come back here,
06:56with our open arms, we'll be more than, you know,
07:00we'll give him more than welcome to come back to us,
07:02but, yeah, and after that, you have to, OK,
07:05what's for game?
07:06We have to play, you know?
07:07And now, Newcastle, we're going to Champions League,
07:10and after, Fulham home, and, yeah,
07:14we'll have to see what happens.
07:16It's obviously one thing dealing with Rodri
07:18missing the game in a physical sense,
07:20what he brings to a team,
07:21but how do you lift a dressing room
07:24that are having to deal with one of their key players?
07:26We have huge personalities in the dressing room,
07:28and Rodri is one of them by far,
07:30but in other qualities,
07:31and everyone had to make a step forward, you know?
07:35When you don't have this type of players,
07:37step forward to do more.
07:38It's what it is.
07:41Everybody knows how important it is,
07:43how important Rodri is for us.
07:45Everybody knows it,
07:46but so that means we have to do extra,
07:50you know, to replace this absence for a long, long time.
07:54You were talking about January earlier.
07:58How difficult is it going to be
07:59to find someone that is like-for-like,
08:02that can play in that position?
08:04It seems like the club have been looking for two years.
08:07Right now, I'm not thinking to find anyone.
08:11But the scouting of the department from Chiqui,
08:13of course, they are always connected to the players,
08:17but in my mind, I don't find this team.
08:20But as I said, it's the January half-time,
08:22and maybe the situation,
08:23so I feel we need something,
08:25and maybe the opportunity is possible, not possible,
08:28and we will take a decision.
08:29So, with Rodri fit,
08:32we will not absolutely think about that.
08:34But now, we'll see.
08:36Now, I'm not able to take a decision right now.
08:40First, because it's not possible to do it,
08:41and second, because I want to see my team,
08:43how we react all together.
08:46Do you think it's sort of long-term towards,
08:49you know, as we get into January, February,
08:51later on in the season,
08:52it's more likely that one of the existing players,
08:55someone like Bernardo Silva maybe,
08:57alters his position on a more permanent basis,
09:00if he were to play two in the field?
09:02I have a solution.
09:03Players can play in that position.
09:06Can play.
09:07There's the long ball,
09:08he's present to win the ball,
09:09the transitions, offensive, defensive,
09:12it's the best, so we cannot.
09:14I said to do long balls, Rodri win,
09:16now we're going to lose.
09:18Lose, 10 to 10.
09:20With Jolington tomorrow,
09:22we're going to lose, but it's not a problem.
09:23As much as you're far away,
09:25ready for the second, be close to Jolington.
09:27We'll recover maybe four, five, six seconds later.
09:31Yeah, that's what it is.
09:32You have to adapt with the players that we have.
09:34And the other ones, they give us something
09:35that maybe we already don't have, you know?
09:37Or maybe one cannot do it, we'll put two players.
09:39Maybe we'll help, you know,
09:40to do the process what they have to do.
09:42And that, when's going to happen?
09:43When I'm going to see game, my game,
09:45my game and see what happens.
09:47Maybe we'll be late,
09:48because I'm going to lose a lot of games.
09:50I don't know.
09:51But at the end, we are, yeah,
09:53five fixtures we've played, five games.
09:55No, we've played five games already in the Premier League.
09:58It's still 33, right?
10:0233 left games, 99 points.
10:05So a lot of things are going to happen.
10:08Pep, obviously it's a very serious injury for Rodri.
10:12Like you said, I presume you've spoken to him this week.
10:14And how is he feeling?
10:17Well, I spoke with him before,
10:18yeah, two, three days ago, before Watford.
10:21And yeah, it was a bit sad.
10:22But at the same time, OK, we're going to do it.
10:25It's happened.
10:26And what I said, when a game like in Arsenal game,
10:29and he make the gesture, you know, to go out,
10:32knowing Rodri that had to be something dangerous.
10:36Otherwise, he's stubborn.
10:40He would have stayed in the pitch.
10:41So when he went out, it's because he felt something
10:45that just the players felt it.
10:47Always were optimistic that the fact, OK,
10:48we'll be maybe less,
10:49but unfortunately it was the worst.
10:51And, yeah, we're going.
10:55You spoke a little bit about Rico Lewis earlier,
10:58stepping into that position.
10:59Obviously he's played a number of positions for you.
11:02What does that say about his intelligence,
11:03that he can play in that sitting role
11:06as well as play at full-back?
11:07Never played as alone,
11:10but alongside to the other one, always played good.
11:12And in positions more advanced,
11:14like attacking midfielder pocket,
11:15it's one of the best that we have so far.
11:20So, except Arsenal game, a few more games,
11:23he played in 45-minute seconds against Brentford,
11:26played all the minutes,
11:28and always have been the best.
11:30So that's why I say,
11:33no, the replacement for Rodri and Rico, no.
11:36It's impossible.
11:36But he gives us something alongside to Kova
11:39or alongside to John, to Manu, with Gundo.
11:43And then we can do things that maybe can work.
11:47We'll see.
11:48Last two, guys.
11:49One each for Sam and Michael, please.
11:50I bet.
11:50Have the players done the vote for the captaincy yet?
11:53And if so, could you tell us who's in there?
11:55Yeah, Kyle is the captain,
11:56vice-captain Kevin,
12:00Ruben, Rodri,
12:01Bernardo, Gundo.
12:03So six players?
12:04Yeah, because it was tight.
12:05It was too tight.
12:06You're going to end up with 11.
12:08No, for me it doesn't matter.
12:11As much as they have less problems, we will have.
12:16Back on the injuries,
12:17you've had three pretty significant injuries already this season.
12:20Obviously, Nathan, Oscar and now Rodri.
12:24You haven't had many injuries over the last couple of years.
12:26And we've spoken a lot about the number of games,
12:28the impact on the players.
12:29Do you think this is already a sign of the number of games
12:32players have had in the last couple of years?
12:36It's not the muscular injuries.
12:38Maybe this one is my concern.
12:39It's the trauma from Oscar and the trauma from Rodri.
12:45It depends because of the fatigue, the tiredness.
12:50Oscar was not tired.
12:51You know, that is an action within the training sessions.
12:54Jose Mou is unlucky.
12:58But yeah, I think all the clubs in general have a lot.
13:02But yeah, it's what it is.
13:04So we accept that and go.
13:07Thank you, guys.