Pep Guardiola on relentless City smashing five past Sparta
23/10/2024
uefa24
etihad stadium, Manchester, Uk
23/10/2024
uefa24
etihad stadium, Manchester, Uk
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Evening, guys, we've taken a show of hands, we'll come to as many of you as we can.
00:15We'll take questions in English first, and if there's anything in Czech,
00:18we'll take those towards the end.
00:19Somewhere to start, please?
00:21Pep?
00:22Pep, obviously an excellent result, what did you make of your team's performance tonight?
00:28Really good again.
00:30I'm enjoying a lot the way we're playing lately,
00:33not the second half against Fulham, but in general, I'm so pleased.
00:37So we conceded a few chances, of course we conceded goals,
00:42but the chances we conceded are, I would say, relevant lately,
00:47and we created a lot.
00:50The definition of the game was, again, 11 players in the 18-yard box,
00:55it's not easy, I know that people are a little bit impatient,
00:58but we have to be so patient, otherwise they make transitions,
01:01and they are so fast, so quick.
01:03I know the people, if I say it's not easy, I know.
01:05I saw the game against Harvick and Stuttgart,
01:08and I know how good a team they are, in many, many aspects.
01:13I didn't expect the defence to do that, but it happened.
01:16But the moment they opened a little bit, and we provoked, they come, they come,
01:20we were able to make a transition, especially with Mateusz there,
01:23with Erling, and Xabi as well, we were so fast in the transition,
01:26that's why the team decided to maybe set back,
01:28because otherwise we can punish them with Erling in the space,
01:31in behind is unstoppable, and understand the defender,
01:34but we are working to attack better and better and better,
01:37it's a question of being patient.
01:39Yeah, we scored four goals in Bratislava,
01:42unfortunately we could have scored much, much more,
01:44but five goals here against a team I wasn't expecting from me before the game.
01:49Yeah, we are there, still five games left,
01:51and the target is finished in the first eight,
01:55because it's a good advantage to not play in February,
02:00one no-cut stage, and focus in the Premier League,
02:04and yeah, I like the team we are playing,
02:07we are alive with the problems we have with many injuries,
02:09like many other teams of course,
02:11but I rely a lot on the players, and they prove me I'm right.
02:17James?
02:17Hi Pep, I just wanted your thoughts on Erling's goal, the first one,
02:22and also, do you think we're perhaps in a new era now,
02:26where the likes of him, Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe,
02:29they're going to be dominating the Ballon d'Or?
02:34I don't know, from my point of view it's the only...
02:38I know maybe other players are concerned about that,
02:42I don't care one second about the Ballon d'Or, this kind of stuff,
02:46the important thing is he's happy, he's smiling,
02:48and I know it's not easy for him because they defend in the box,
02:52there's no space, three central defenders with him,
02:54two whole midfielders close to him,
02:56even the wingers close to the whole midfielders,
02:59literally there's not space,
03:01every crowd, they are hugging him and pushing him,
03:05so it's not easy, but I spoke many times with him,
03:09be patient, be positive, the ball is coming, the ball arrives,
03:13to score two goals, have two headers,
03:15it's really good to score more, two more,
03:17because Erling has this incredible capacity,
03:20he can touch 15 balls, 20 balls, but he has seven, eight chances,
03:24it's unbelievable, this talent that this guy has,
03:27and of course make a fantastic goal,
03:29quite similar to Dortmund years ago,
03:30with an incredible pass from Joao Cancelo,
03:33I don't know which one is more difficult, for me both,
03:37so, yeah, really good.
03:40Simon?
03:42Pep, what did you make of Mateus Nunes tonight,
03:45he was obviously very good against Wolves as well?
03:46Yeah, really good.
03:49Really good, you know when you score a goal,
03:51how happy all the teammates are,
03:54so he's an incredible beloved, honest beloved,
03:57he's a lovely guy, he has a specific quality,
03:59if you can run in transition, he's as fast as Erling,
04:05so it's unbelievable when he runs for 30, 40 metres,
04:08nobody can stop him, so he has a special quality that we don't have,
04:12that's why we need him, he can play in many, many roles,
04:15he's generous in the back, defensively and everything,
04:19the only problem, he has just one,
04:21his manager maybe doesn't give him the minutes he deserves,
04:26but when he's a nice guy and ready,
04:30he can always help us in the circumstances that we have now,
04:33just with 15 players, plus keepers available,
04:38so of course it's important to have him.
04:41Sam?
04:42Hi Pep, at Wolves on Sunday,
04:44you were talking about the solution to playing against teams that play really deep,
04:47and you said, well, be patient and run,
04:49you said what's the alternative, to stand with Ruben and Eddie and wait,
04:53but it seemed like when you went to 3-0 tonight,
04:55that's exactly what you were doing, you talked about provoking them earlier,
04:59was that something you thought, it's worth trying that?
05:02No, I don't want to try, but what would happen if we do that for the first minute?
05:07What would happen in the football?
05:10Maybe they'll press.
05:12I don't think so, maybe, OK, come, we'll see,
05:15but if they don't attack, I don't want to attack, what happens?
05:19In basketball you have 24 seconds,
05:22in tennis you have to do something, you have to put the ball in the net,
05:25but you're there and Ruben and Manuel stay there, OK, I don't attack.
05:30Pfft, what happens?
05:32So I don't know.
05:34But it worked tonight, you scored.
05:36Yeah, we scored when they were deep and we scored when they jumped,
05:40you know that?
05:41I absolutely don't misunderstand me,
05:44I'm not judging what the opponents want to do and what happens,
05:47but with 2-0, they don't want to come, why should I attack?
05:50OK, we won the game, we go there,
05:53but of course we are our fans and we have to attack,
05:56and the moment they attack, we attack and then we can run and always punish them,
06:00so that's why I understand sometimes you cannot do it,
06:02but the reality is that, in football, for the rules,
06:06one team can say, you know, 90 minutes in the ATR box,
06:11nothing, make a transition goal, oh, it's a masterclass.
06:14Master, master, genius, and wow, what a transition.
06:18No, you want an episodic action, one transition, one corner, or whatever.
06:24So I'm not judging, don't misunderstand me,
06:27but the reality is that, and I've said to the players,
06:29what they have to do is how we attack better against teams that defend so, so deep.
06:34And step by step, we are learning, and step by step,
06:38but there's just one thing we cannot forget, don't be impatient.
06:41I know the players of the team will cross us and shoot and whatever,
06:45but it's there, 18 players there,
06:48there's no space behind, no staying between the lines, just here, here,
06:52and when you cross, we have Erling Haaland, but the rest,
06:56Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva,
07:00you know, it's like my son, so it's difficult.
07:04We don't have Peter Crouch, you know that?
07:06Otherwise, we would use him more, but that is the reality.
07:10But we have to find a solution, and step by step, we are doing it.
07:13You have to sometimes attack quicker in certain moments of a half,
07:17when we're in the ball, don't look there and look here,
07:21but step by step, step by step, we are going to improve
07:26how we can attack these type of teams.
07:30Jack, when it comes to you.
07:35What has been your opinion on Savinho's performances?
07:39It looks like he's contributing quite a lot in the final third,
07:43but also defensively, he seems to have got it.
07:46Both wingers, Mateus and Savinho, play really, really good.
07:50I love when they run backwards, otherwise in this team we would not play.
07:55They know it, but it's his aggression, you know?
07:59It's a typical Brazilian goal, lose the ball, try again, try again.
08:04He's missing the final shoot, he had the chances to score,
08:09some keepers make a good save, but as much as he will not be obsessed with that,
08:14the goals will come, and when they come, they come quite often.
08:18But he's playing really good, he's a winger who can play on both sides,
08:21the second half against Walsh, as I said,
08:24go by line and crosses, crosses, crosses, left to left.
08:28A player on the right had the ability to go even by line with the right,
08:31make incredible balls inside from Gundo or Phil or Rico or Erling.
08:36So, yeah, for him to be just three months with us,
08:40his level is really, really, really high, really high.
08:43I had the feeling he didn't need much time to adapt, you know, to understand.
08:47I want to say something.
08:49It's thanks for the work from Mitchell and Girona has done it,
08:53so the way they play is quite similar to us,
08:56and I think many things they learned with Mitchell,
08:58and that's why I'm incredibly grateful and thankful for Girona and Mitchell,
09:03especially the team has done with him.
09:05Cam?
09:07To take you back to Erling's first goal,
09:10I looked at your reaction when the ball hit the net,
09:12and you turned and looked at your coaches,
09:14and you looked like you couldn't believe what you'd just seen.
09:17No, I didn't know how to score in the moment,
09:19because there was one player in front of me,
09:21and I didn't even know who to score.
09:23And I said, who to score, and I said, how?
09:25And they tell me in that way, and now I saw it on TV,
09:27but I didn't see it in the moment.
09:30In retrospect, in all your years, have you ever seen a goal like that?
09:34Yeah, against Dortmund.
09:36Against Dortmund has done it, quite similar, yeah.
09:40So it's no?
09:42I would say no.
09:44For a human being, I would say no.
09:47Let's take a couple of questions in chat, please, guys, just here.
09:49Good evening, coach.
09:51That Erling's goal reminds me of something Zlatan Ibrahimovic,
09:54and you know very well Zlatan.
09:56So can you compare them, because I think they are similar in some aspects.
10:00Yeah, yeah.
10:02His agility to do is quite similar, you're right.
10:09Good evening, coach.
10:10Before the game, you said that Sparta made a good impression on you.
10:16So is the impression still the same after the game?
10:18And is there any player that maybe caught your eye?
10:21They adapt.
10:23I saw the games against Salzburg and against Stuttgart,
10:26and they were so brave.
10:28I know for last season Stuttgart have been well-managed,
10:32a really, really good team.
10:34And they create a lot of problems for Stuttgart.
10:36And I said, wow, wow.
10:38In Stuttgart yesterday, we won in Turin against Juventus.
10:41So I know how good they are.
10:43But they adapt.
10:45I know sometimes it's not easy to play against us,
10:47for many aspects, we were so aggressive,
10:49and with the ball, we have an alternative,
10:52and they adapt, and I can understand completely.
10:54I have the same, same opinion.
10:56I'm really, really pleased today,
10:58when I said I was pleased, I know exactly.
11:00Your colleagues from England don't know Sparta Prague much,
11:04and I know it will be, ah, it's easy, easy.
11:06I know it's not.
11:08We have done many, many good things,
11:10because they have pace.
11:12The keeper is good with the long balls.
11:14The strike is so strong.
11:16They are so incredibly fast for the wingers.
11:18But, yeah, I think...
11:20I think one of the successes that we have
11:22is always respect a lot the teams,
11:24like the people say, I will be easy.
11:26No, no, you have to do it.
11:28You have to do it.
11:30And it's not easy.
11:32And now in the Champions League,
11:34look how many games they are,
11:36it's so precious that they are.
11:38So it's better to be calm, respect,
11:40analyse the opponents, and do what you have to do.
11:42And I'm really pleased for the way we have done it.
11:44OK?
11:46OK, good night.
11:48Safe trip back home.