Guardiola on UCL draw against Real Madrid and difficult City month ahead of Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool
31/01/2025
CFGA, MANCHESTER, UK
31/01/2025
CFGA, MANCHESTER, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Afternoon, guys, hope you're well, same process as ever with mics on either side.
00:11We'll set an embargo partway through for 10.30 on Saturday evening,
00:14just bear in mind it is a busier open section when you're holding onto the mic.
00:21Hello Pep, I know you've got an important Premier League game against Arsenal this weekend,
00:26but can I get your reaction to drawing Real Madrid in the Champions League play-offs, please?
00:33Well, yeah, it looks like a derby already, four years in a row facing Madrid,
00:38so well, Madrid, Bayern, Bayern, Madrid, both were really, really tough,
00:44and yeah, hopefully we can arrive in the moment,
00:48first leg here and the game one week later in Madrid, so as best as possible.
00:55It adds to a pretty demanding February for your team in terms of the quality of opposition
01:00that you'll face with Arsenal this weekend, Liverpool in there, Newcastle too,
01:04how ready do you think your side is to take on that challenge and get to that level?
01:09Well, we start in Paris, in the afternoon in Chelsea,
01:12so we're already there in the amount of difficult games,
01:17so yeah, the schedule is what it is, and in the Premier League every team has to play with everyone,
01:24but yeah, that's true, that normally happens here in the Premier League,
01:28that always they put the toughest schedules for the European teams in the important stages,
01:34in the most difficult ones, because it's tough to play against Real Madrid or Bayern Munich,
01:41the problems in the middle have Newcastle, and they are so kind for the calendar,
01:47for many, many years it's always happened that way.
01:50Do you have any of your injured players back for this Arsenal game?
01:55No, continue the same.
02:00Pep, you mentioned there about the calendar,
02:03it does seem that some of the European countries do get a little bit of help,
02:08do you think they just never look at that?
02:10Are you asking me that question after so many years here?
02:13Come on, don't make me that question to say something impolite or that.
02:17So you are here for many, many years before I came here, it always has been like that, always.
02:23So it's not complaining because we had an incredible success dealing with this calendar,
02:28but don't make me that question, it's a surprise for you,
02:30because you know it's happened for always, it always has been like that.
02:35So we accept it and say no, I'm not complaining,
02:38because we won the Trebles and the Quadruples, doing like that.
02:41I said many times in the past, last season,
02:48we played in the quarterfinals against Madrid, I think so,
02:53and three days later we had the FA Cup semi-final in Wembley,
03:00where we could have another more day.
03:02So it always has been like that, and we survive,
03:05and we don't survive because Madrid is better, Bayern Munich is better,
03:08the opponents are better.
03:09But the calendar, because I remember, I said many times,
03:11when I was in Barcelona training and I followed the Premier League
03:14because it's the most attractive league in the world,
03:16Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger make the same complaints.
03:20So now you cannot ask me about the calendar, because it's from a long, long time ago.
03:24But just because it's always been like that,
03:27doesn't mean to say it always has to be like that in the future.
03:29Do you think it's going to change?
03:32The broadcasters decide, so they don't ask me when it's better to play Tuesday or Wednesday
03:39to have one more day.
03:41There are leagues that play on Friday before the Champions League.
03:45They play on Friday in Portugal, they play on Friday in France,
03:48to have one more day here.
03:50We went to Paris to play on Sunday in Ibiza.
03:52Why don't we play on Saturday? We play on Sunday.
03:55They say now that we are lost 2-4, and they didn't complain once.
04:00It's always been like that, so it's not a problem.
04:03Because you asked me, so it's what it is.
04:07It's fine. It's fine. It's fine.
04:10It's always been like that, and we have incredible success of that.
04:13There's no surprise when I see the calendar is what it is.
04:17Because for here, the Premier League is much more important than other competitions.
04:23Hi Pep, something we're asking all of the managers this week
04:26is about referee abuse, off the back of the abuse directed at Michael Oliver
04:30and his family in the last week.
04:32I suppose the first part of the question is how important is it for you
04:36as a manager and players to be aware of that,
04:39and also do you all have a collective responsibility to show support to referees?
04:45All of us are responsible.
04:49All of us.
04:50The managers, you, the players, everyone.
04:54There are borderlines that should not be crossed, and of course it's crossed.
04:57But not just in the referee issues.
05:00In all around the world, all the issues that are in the society, in the politicians, and whatever.
05:05With the social media today, the borderline is already gone.
05:09So have we treated the players, have we treated the managers, have we treated the referees,
05:12have we treated the politicians, have we treated that today?
05:17All of us are responsible, not just one person.
05:21This is the last time I will ask you this.
05:24The transfer window closes soon.
05:27First of all, what are the chances of you bringing any more players in before the deadline?
05:31I don't know.
05:34On that basis there, assuming you don't sign this holding with Fielder you've been looking for,
05:39how happy are you with the business the club has done this January?
05:42The club is always happy.
05:44They do what they believe is the best for the club for now and for the next years.
05:50Two, three, five, ten years.
05:51Always they try to do the best.
05:53Like I think all the clubs.
05:54Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
05:56But always they try.
05:57So there is no doubt about that.
06:03The last game against Arsenal was quite a stormy affair.
06:06Has this become a grudge fixture?
06:07Is there any needle still lingering?
06:10No.
06:12There were words said after the game by Mikel.
06:16Have you had a chance to speak to him since?
06:19How is your relationship with him now?
06:21Exceptional.
06:23With him and his family.
06:24Exceptional.
06:26Of course we are not in touch much because he has his business, I have business, I have other games.
06:30But the respect that we have is always there.
06:34Pep, a quick question about Champions League again.
06:37You can register three new players.
06:40Do you know who you are going to introduce?
06:42No.
06:43Is there a chance of Rodri being?
06:46We didn't discuss about that.
06:52Hi Pep.
06:53I know that the February games are quite tough.
06:56But you said a couple of times that your team at the moment isn't really built for transitional games,
06:59back and forth.
07:00But against the bigger teams, in theory that shouldn't happen.
07:03It should be a bit more possession-based.
07:05Do you think that your team is maybe built better for games against Arsenal, Real Madrid,
07:10than they are maybe against Brighton and Brentford?
07:12Listen, what I said before, the schedule that we have in February,
07:15we have had in the previous seasons many, many times.
07:18Many times.
07:19So we have a moment in February or March or April that we have an incredibly tight schedule
07:24because we are in all competitions, we are in incredible, maybe,
07:27fighting for the Premier League with the tough opponents,
07:30involving the quarter-final, semi-final, Champions League opponents.
07:32So it's not a surprise.
07:33So it is what it is.
07:34So, as I said, it's not about complaining at all.
07:38I get it off to think about that.
07:41Never, ever.
07:42So we play in good teams.
07:44Yes.
07:45We are our best.
07:46Yes.
07:47But when you win a lot of titles or win in the past,
07:49it was always with the hypothetical, not the top teams,
07:52always we were there.
07:53We play good.
07:54So it's absolutely not a problem.
07:56We know we're playing on Sunday or Thursday and Tuesday.
07:59But it happened for the last nine years.
08:01So it's not, oh, I'm surprised now how the schedule is tight.
08:03We have done it.
08:04We have done it many, many times.
08:06We are happy that we were doing 55, 60 minutes, 65 minutes out of the Champions League.
08:14You know?
08:15And now we are in the Champions League.
08:16Okay.
08:17It's fine.
08:18We can be better.
08:19Yes.
08:20We can be eight in the first stage.
08:21Yes.
08:22We are not good enough.
08:23So we don't deserve to be in the finish this season, winning just three games
08:26and draw another one and lost a lot.
08:28So we don't deserve it.
08:29The draw could not be nicer.
08:31Yes.
08:32Yeah.
08:33For one goal, maybe play another one.
08:35But who doesn't miss playing against Celtic, the Glasgow or another team
08:38or whatever, and it's even worse.
08:40So we play awful and they go through it.
08:44We don't.
08:45So the draw is a draw.
08:46Bayern Munich was extremely difficult.
08:48Madrid is extremely difficult.
08:50We know that.
08:51And we're going to play with a three-day, two-day recovery, four days.
08:54It doesn't matter.
08:55Because we have done it.
08:58We have done it in the past.
08:59We have built this kind of incredible tire schedule for many, many years.
09:03So it's not a problem.
09:04But my concern is always give us between seasons more time.
09:07Even that doesn't happen.
09:09It's okay.
09:10So we complain, dedicate another job, go home, don't play football
09:15and go in other countries or don't be manager for Man City.
09:19Another job is what it is.
09:21So I would love, yeah, I'm sure, but for many years,
09:24but many years for Sterling, for Jose, for the teams, for us,
09:28and for the managers deal in a European competition,
09:31in a top-top, you know, in these countries, and it happened the same.
09:35So we have done it.
09:37We never found a reason why for that.
09:41We'll need you guys, please, just to try and get through as many as we can.
09:44Simon?
09:45Pep, you've got Omar Mahmoud at the club now and Oscar Bob coming back.
09:50If there were to be an offer for James McAtee in the final few days of this month?
09:56I don't think so.
09:57He's going to stay.
09:59We don't have enough players.
10:00We have a World Cup at the end of the season.
10:02We have a lot of games.
10:04I think he can play more minutes.
10:06There are minutes they have to fight, continue to fight,
10:08and I'm really pleased for Maca.
10:12But at the same time, maybe arrive an offer for the club,
10:15say, listen, we have to sell him.
10:18The opinion on Maca, I said to the club, is really clear.
10:22But always there is a club, you know,
10:25and the club has to take the resources and sell players,
10:28and it depends on what happens.
10:32Just on McAtee there, obviously he's got a lot of games and stuff,
10:37but he hasn't started a Premier League or Champions League game for a year,
10:41and I suspect he wants more play minutes.
10:44Can you understand his frustration?
10:45And if he does stay, do you think he'll be getting more play in time
10:48over the second half of the season?
10:50Yeah, of course I understand the frustration.
10:52Absolutely.
10:53I understand.
10:54I was a football player having incredible empathy to feel what he can feel.
10:58But the same happens for other players.
11:00You know, for the other ones.
11:02And they have to be ready, and the best.
11:04So we don't want anyone unsatisfied.
11:07You know my opinion on that.
11:08But in the middle of the season, with the problems that we had,
11:11I had the feeling that we need him.
11:13I need him.
11:14It's simple.
11:17Joep, it was in the game against Arsenal earlier this season that Rodri got injured.
11:22When you look back, does that just feel the moment that everything changed for you?
11:33The absence of Rodri is massive, but I repeat the same thing I've done many times.
11:38I've not been just Rodri.
11:41Of course, the best player in the whole absence.
11:44Tell me one thing we didn't notice.
11:46Of course we noticed.
11:48I would prefer to lose that game and Rodri have it all season.
11:51Absolutely.
11:53But I think, maybe I'm wrong, I cannot prove it,
11:57the situation that we had this season was not just Rodri.
12:01It was many other things.
12:04Hi Pep.
12:07Omar Mahmoud's debut last week against Chelsea was quite exciting.
12:11I think he excited the supporters with what he produced.
12:15What was it that first drew the club to want to sign him?
12:20And how was he settled in in his first couple of weeks?
12:24Well, the club decided to bring in an extra player in the final third with a talent
12:31and a score and assets and runners and set pieces and what I said.
12:37So, I think, except for Médic Laporte or someone else,
12:41we never went to the winter transfer in this period.
12:46Always we want to go to the end because it's not good,
12:49but it's an exceptional situation.
12:51This season is exceptional for many things
12:53and we should intervene to finish the season as best as possible,
12:56but that players don't come from these six months,
12:58come from the next four or five or six years in this club
13:01and everything is going well.
13:03So, that's why we went there,
13:06because financially we're stable for the last seasons.
13:10Still right now, even the investment we have done,
13:14we have been profiting the net in the last five seasons.
13:17So, that's why we have done it and maybe in the future we're going to continue to do it
13:22because financially the club has moved in the last five or six years incredibly well
13:27in terms of sales and players that make an incredible performance
13:32for the club that help us to win what we want.
13:36Pep, just on Rodri, we've seen him travel with the squad to Paris last week
13:43and he's been in and around training.
13:45How important is it to keep him close and as involved as possible
13:49and is there a chance that he will play again this season?
13:52Or is that out of the question?
13:54He's positive to Feyenoord at the end, but I don't know, to be honest.
13:57The ACL is ACL.
14:00Always I believe in the injuries, the long injuries,
14:03there is a time that must be respected because the human body,
14:06there is a place that can win weeks,
14:08but the human body, ACL is ACL for every football player, every athlete,
14:13so there is a time.
14:15The first month was in Madrid all the time
14:17for the surgery doctors and the physios there,
14:19and after I came here and he's here, once he's here,
14:21it's lovely to have him in the locker room,
14:23his vocal voice, his presence, of course it's important.
14:28And when he wants to travel, I always say to the English players,
14:31when you want to come in special places, of course you can come,
14:34and it's nice to have him, of course he's good.
14:37But what I said, the most important Rodri right now is recover well.
14:41Still you are not a teenager anymore, but still you have years to play,
14:46and it's going to happen if you recover well.
14:49To win one month, two weeks, and after a step back for the next season
14:54is not intelligent.
14:56Of course he would love to play tomorrow, I know that,
14:59but the bodies are the bodies, recovery needs its own time.
15:05But he's going really well, he feels really good,
15:08and step by step we'll see.
15:10Bargov, 10.30 on Saturday.