Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on injury crisis at the club, facing Bournemouth and Rodri
Etihad Training Campus, Manchester, UK
Etihad Training Campus, Manchester, UK
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00:00It's the same. It's what it is. We'll see what happens. I would say we are used to playing
00:13in these situations, circumstances. Not maybe in this extreme, but in these situations.
00:17But the players are getting back. Some of them that were out and today they turned really
00:23good so maybe they can help us for a few minutes tomorrow. At the end of the day, the circumstances
00:28are right right now. Except Rodri, unfortunately the rest, sooner or later, they are coming
00:33to come back.
00:34You spoke in pre-season, Pep, about your worries about the start of the season because of the
00:39lack of pre-season that so many players have had. But we're nearly at ten games and you're
00:42top of the league. Have they surprised you, your players, with what they've done already
00:46this season?
00:47I know they are capable of. They are extraordinary. I'm really pleased. What can I say? I'm really
00:58pleased for the way we played. The game is a sports last moment, so fighting until the
01:06end to equalise and fighting to go through and to continue. I'm really pleased.
01:12Hi Pep. The game on Tuesday, the fact that his players, Aberin's, know that he's leaving,
01:18does that make them harder to play because they want to play more for him or easier because
01:22they think, well, the boss is going so we can subconsciously slap him off?
01:27The fact that Sporting's players know that their manager is going to leave soon, will
01:36that make them harder to play for you in this game because they might be more inspired or
01:39do you think it's easier?
01:40You have to ask him, the journalist from Portugal. Now it's this truck texting a message so that's
01:46why he's not listening to you. So that's why you ask him and he will know how the Sporting
01:53players...
01:54I expect the best. I expect the best. So the best advice we can have is that when you're
01:59playing an opponent, it's always the best performance, that's for sure. I'm pretty sure
02:02they will do. It's Champions League against Man City. But you have to understand that
02:09my concern now is not that.
02:12Just because I think you mentioned it the other day, because of the injuries, was there
02:16much of a debate about when you let Alvarez go, not replacing him as a sort of out-and-out
02:22striker, deputy for Erling, just in case the worst could happen to Erling? Did you
02:26discuss that? Was that something that maybe you would need a deputy in case he went down?
02:31Well, you don't expect to have eight, nine, or seven, or six, or seven, eight injuries
02:35or problems at the same time. So when you have these injuries, always the squad is short
02:41and everyone's feet isn't available and it happens. So when we won four times in a row
02:47the Carabao Cup, how serious it has always been, always because in the first stage, second
02:51stage, third stage, until I would say semi-finals, always play the guys, like not playing the
02:56last games in the Premier League in that specific moment. Always the players, go through, go
03:01through, and in the semi-finals, OK, go for it. But when we don't have players, listen,
03:07there are many wars to fight. In a season you have to choose which ones. Of course,
03:14in the sports with Erling we are stronger, but we have a lot of problems right now and
03:19I'm focusing on other things, so sometimes it's what it is. The players behave, I know
03:29the people judge results, but I'm more than pleased with the way we played, for example,
03:35the last game, especially the last game.
03:37Hi Pep, you said that City have never had an injury crisis like this. Have you ever
03:41experienced anything like this in your career as a player or manager before that?
03:45Some years, yeah. I played in the Champions League in Bayern Munich with seven players,
03:50players, players, players out. So it sometimes happens. In the right, right moment, you have
03:58to be ready. When you win the treble, it's because in the right moment, in the right
04:01moment, we were there, all the squad. Without that, you can't fight for one title, you can
04:05be there, but you cannot fight for more. It's impossible, but literally impossible, because
04:12the human beings have a limit. The rhythm is so high, intensity, the opponents are so
04:18strong, and when we are all together, wow, we can compete with everyone, no competition,
04:25but it's not the case. And in that moment, hopefully, when we arrive now in the Premier
04:29League and Champions League, and especially, you know, FA Cup, we can be the players, but
04:33it's what it is. So I said since the first moment in the press conference, we are not
04:38the only ones who can happen. So we take care of them really well, we are incredible,
04:42you know, take care of yourself, this is our target, and sometimes, for no reason, for
04:48no reason, it happens.
04:51Hi Pep, you talked about the limit there that human beings have. So when you've got a situation
04:57now with lots of injuries, the ones who are fit, how much can you push them? Because you
05:02must be thinking, you don't want John Stones to get injured, you don't want Erling to get
05:05injured. But in these next three games, they're probably going to have to play every one,
05:09they probably can't come off either. So how do you manage that situation with how much
05:14you can demand from them?
05:16They have used to play with some pain. You know when you are injured, the injury can
05:22be, or the niggles that can be dangerous. A part of that, when it happens, you have
05:27to... Today, the modern football, all the players play with pain. Almost all of them,
05:34almost all of them, the regular players. So there are moments when you are injured, it
05:39happens. When you are, wow, be careful in this part of the body, be careful, be careful.
05:45But sometimes you have problems, you have to play. Rafael Nadal played all his career
05:52with pain, and he played. He had, I don't know, how many grand slams. So you have to
05:57deal with that in modern football, otherwise you cannot sustain every three days in the
06:02top, top clubs.
06:03Have you always had, in your nine years here, you have obviously had lots of different
06:06players and this has changed a lot, but have you always had players like that? Is that
06:10why you have been able to go through periods in the past where there have been lots of
06:13injuries, but you have been able to adapt? Obviously they are versatile, but they are
06:16obviously tough.
06:17We will adapt. We will adapt as well tomorrow and the next games, I am pretty sure. We
06:21have an incredible group of players, a mentality. They are so strong in the tough moments,
06:27being a step forward. So this is what you do this week. This week is so important before
06:32the international break, and for the difficulty, the games away in the Premier League and the
06:38Champions League, and you have to do the rest before the international.
06:43And sorry, I know you get asked about De Bruyne every week, but it is because every time we
06:46ask, he doesn't quite feel right, but is he getting there now?
06:49He is getting better, yes. The last two, three, four days, the doctor said to me, make a step
06:56forward in terms of pain.
06:58This season, the injuries feel like they have been slightly longer than they have been in
07:05previous years maybe, where a two-week one might end up being a three or four-week one.
07:10Do you think, how much of that is players being exceptionally careful of their own bodies,
07:16given what we talk about with the schedule and things like that?
07:19Yes, definitely today, you have to be, it is impossible, literally to say 24 hours a day,
07:27you have to think about it. 24 hours, no, but 23, yes. So you have to be incredibly focused on your
07:33body, on your job, and the less distractions as possible, and be focused in there.
07:40In modern football, in the top clubs, they play every three days, and you have to be
07:45the modern football in the top clubs, they play every three days,
07:49and especially after winning a lot, you have to be more and more and more focused on that.
07:53Otherwise, just thinking what you have done, and just a little bit less than what you have done
07:57in the past, you cannot sustain it. Do you think players are being more careful,
08:05so they are maybe withholding their return a little bit, for fear of exacerbating the injury?
08:10It depends on the players. There are players that sustain,
08:16you know, OK, I'm ready, and the other ones, for the story, all that. There are players,
08:21don't tell me, it's the human nature, so everyone is different, everyone. There are players that
08:25they have more tendency to get niggles or problems, and the other ones, it doesn't matter
08:30what happens, they go, go and go. It's not because they were more or less, no. So it's
08:36the human nature, that the players are more adept to sustain an incredible amount of efforts
08:43daily, every day, more than the other ones. And obviously, the comments the other night about,
08:51which you've repeated today, about the focus and living it 24 hours and things like that,
08:55have you seen every single member of the squad acting that way this season?
08:59Yeah.
09:05Hi Pep. You've always talked in the past and explained why you like working with small
09:10squads. Obviously, you don't like to disappoint players, you don't want players out of the squad
09:14for long periods of time. Does a period like this make you re-evaluate that? Next year,
09:19if you come back, might you work with a bigger squad? Or in the future, if you have another job,
09:22might you work with bigger squads in case you get another situation like this?
09:26Yeah, if next season I know there will be seven or eight changes, yeah, I would say I want more
09:30players. If I know it's not changes, I don't want it. I don't like to see players.
09:38All they have to do is work with them and say, guys, 24 hours. So sleep every single minute of
09:45your life thinking of your profession. It has to be like that. And just one more about Amirin,
09:52if I may. You've always talked about the challenge that Jurgen
09:56posed when you came here and he sort of raised your game. And then,
09:59I guess now Mikel Arteta is doing the same thing, helping raise your game.
10:03When you see a young manager, one of the best, most highly regarded young managers in Europe
10:07come to this country, you're going to play him on Tuesday, you'll play him again in the Derby.
10:11Is that the kind of thing that motivates you, that gives you a sort of added interest and
10:15enjoyment out of the job, is pitting yourself against different managers?
10:19Yeah. It's not specific for the new manager from United.
10:24Unai Emery is here, Raul is here, and many, many top managers. Every manager has new challenges,
10:30new ideas. And of course, I prove myself. I said Jurgen, and now there were the rivals,
10:34and because it was many years, how many times we faced Jurgen, or in that case,
10:39Mikel in the last four or five years, many, many times. It's normal as much you play with them,
10:43and always they are there fighting with you, your team, to be champions. It's normal that
10:48at the end, with other clubs, you play two times, maybe a season or more, the rest is much more.
10:55But of course, every... I'm completely honest, I learn a lot when I see the other managers. I
11:03learn a lot, and the problems they can create. After the game, I said, oh God, they have done
11:09that, they create problems here and there. Next game against them, we have to be careful, and
11:13you make you better. It's simple to analyse, but it's the truth. And of course, every match in that
11:21case, a United manager is going to happen, for sure.
11:28Hi Pep, can I just check something? The other night you referred to the FA Cup final
11:32last season, and you said...
11:34It was a joke, my friend, it was a joke. I said I'm so bad, you know, to make a joke that you get it.
11:41So, of course we were ready. They beat us further, but of course, after winning the Premier League,
11:46we have to celebrate it. My guys are really good on the pitch, but off the pitch are really good too.
11:54And they have to celebrate it. Otherwise, what sense, you know, 11 months to win the Premier
11:58League, and it was one, two, three days, but they trained really well on Thursday, Friday, two days
12:03before the final, and they were better. United deserve to win. We can analyse some episodes,
12:10but they deserve it. We congratulate them, and that's all. So, I don't make excuses because
12:15we were not ready. We were ready, and they were better. That's all. And it's not a joke.
12:23And you spoke with the youth players, bringing them up. Is it difficult sometimes to know when
12:29to put the youth players in? Because it might be very easy to say, right, I'll just throw in the
12:32youth players, but is it sometimes you have to know exactly? No, listen, when we have all the
12:38squad fit and have a problem with players, like, have a lot today now, they don't play.
12:45And play the guys with feet. But the problem is we have not much players and have a lot, like,
12:49I don't know. That's why we have to be gambling, you know, take a risk with this player, take
12:56no risk, and that is the doubt that we have when we have in this situation. Have players that can
13:02play maybe 20 minutes. No more than that. There are players who can start, but maybe, I don't know,
13:07it's going too short. So, we have a few now. This is a little bit the problem we have right now,
13:12but it's the way it is. We try to be smart and talk with the players and see, because all the
13:18players depend on us. It's an ad, but I'm ready. And the other one said, Pep, I don't know. Okay,
13:24so, at the end, the decision to make it will be a lot with how the players feel. I'm not
13:30in the hamstring of the players, you know, in the ankle of the players. I'm not there.
13:34They have to tell us most of the time. There are players who say, it doesn't matter, take a risk,
13:37and the other ones, you know, say, no, Pep is better because he's injured and will be seven
13:43weeks out or six weeks out and say, okay, don't do that. And now we are in this position. Like I
13:50said, with many, many, many teams today. So, there are a lot of teams with this situation,
13:54that's normal. Okay, thank you.