M,anchester City boss Pep Guardiola on bigger squads, enjoying some rest and City development for next season
4/03/2025
CGA, Manchester, UK
4/03/2025
CGA, Manchester, UK
Category
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00:00You mentioned Liverpool, they've been quite dominant in the Premier League this season,
00:04but weren't able to get to the latter stages of the Champions League.
00:06Does that reaffirm to you just how exceptional the level of your team has been in the last few years,
00:11that you've been able to win titles and win the Champions League?
00:15Absolutely, but not necessary to see Liverpool to realise that, I'm sorry.
00:20And don't change one second the opinion that Liverpool this season will have done.
00:24So when Paris cannot do it, it's because Paris was...
00:29The Luis Henrique team is an unbelievable team,
00:31to create a young team with the energy and the quality and the players that they have.
00:39They could not do it. Liverpool wanted, but they could not.
00:44But they didn't change because they are out now in this stage.
00:46Liverpool is going to change the fantastic season they have done, I'm sorry.
00:51I try to be honest with myself in analysis, maybe I'm wrong.
00:54Not because you go through and through.
00:55In the past, we were out in the Champions League for similar situations,
01:00even worse, I would say, even worse.
01:03Because the difference in the first game and the second one was big, big, big.
01:07In our defeat in incredible circumstances, the difference was not like that.
01:12And both games were really, really good.
01:17And the people started to say, lack of character, lack of personality,
01:21and this kind of beautiful analysis for your colleagues.
01:26So that was not agreed, I'm not agree now.
01:29So it's necessary to happen to say that, not just one season,
01:33many, many years being there have been.
01:37But that's why.
01:39OK, the season has been not good, but they still have ten games,
01:43two months ahead of us before we go to the World Cup.
01:45World Cup mentally is like next season.
01:47So that is the, OK, ten games without people at home,
01:51come to support us because we are in the difficult circumstances,
01:55and just try it with all our energy and positivity
01:59that we have to achieve a success thing.
02:03It sometimes happens in the bad seasons,
02:04still we can survive and be there.
02:07We have been 40 years in a row in the Champions League.
02:1040 years, no one team in England have done it,
02:13and just try to make the 50 in a row.
02:16And this is the target, six games at home,
02:19go every game at home like, you know,
02:22like a final every single game,
02:24and maybe the games away we can take something.
02:31Pep Erling is approaching another unbelievable milestone,
02:36100 goals involved in less than 100 games.
02:38What are the things he consistently continues to do
02:40in the pitch that you've never seen before in a player?
02:46I've been with Messi,
02:49but it's incredible what Erling has done,
02:52and I want more.
02:55I want more for Erling. He has to help us.
02:57He has to help us more and more and more
02:59to achieve what we want to do this season.
03:02But the numbers are unbelievable.
03:03Things are rife, you know,
03:05and being part of that in every game.
03:10And yeah, hopefully we can reach,
03:14you know, that little record tomorrow.
03:21Rico Lewis not in the England squad either.
03:23He was flying so high for you and for England
03:26at the start of the season,
03:27and then feels like he kind of played himself
03:29into the ground when you had so many injuries.
03:32How has it been for him this season,
03:34trying to get back that level of performance?
03:37And have you tried to kind of protect him
03:39as the season's gone on?
03:42I've been, since the pre-season,
03:44always available, no injury.
03:48I admire that players live 24 hours
03:50to be fit, to be ready,
03:52and he has done it since the pre-season.
03:58And he played a lot of minutes.
03:59We deserve it, and now, of course,
04:01for the absence of our ex-captain here.
04:03So, of course, he can have more minutes
04:06and give us something really,
04:09really good in the way to play.
04:11And he's so young.
04:12People forget how young he is,
04:14and it's a big success.
04:16He's in a national team with under 21,
04:19and the future of every single player
04:23depends on them.
04:24Is it just a question of his confidence
04:26getting back to where it was?
04:30Always have been confident.
04:31He's so strong.
04:32Rico's so strong.
04:34When he makes a mistake,
04:35always he's present again in the action.
04:39So, I don't have any doubts
04:41that Rico, of course, has to improve
04:44because sometimes we demand something
04:45or want something of him
04:46with the age that he has.
04:47So, it gives time to get better,
04:50and this is an incredible experience.
04:52He arrives, like Phil arrives,
04:54and every time it's Premier League,
04:55Premier League, Premier League,
04:56Premier League, Champions League,
04:56Pelberg, and always Portland.
04:59It's a reality of football as well.
05:01Now he's living a reality
05:04that I've not seen before.
05:07It looks like this business is easy,
05:09the business is tough,
05:11and I'm pretty sure he will help him
05:14in the future to realize that,
05:15wow, it can happen as well,
05:19to have bad seasons, bad moments,
05:21but it's how you react in that.
05:27Hi, Pep.
05:27You've said a lot this season
05:29that you're going to need a long,
05:30or teams need a longer squad,
05:31bigger squad to deal with the amount of games.
05:33Is that actually going to be the plan
05:35going into next season?
05:36Is that what you're going to have?
05:38I don't know.
05:39I have the same point of view,
05:41but last game,
05:41Mkhitaryan was not selected,
05:43and it's a painful decision
05:46more than losing 1-0.
05:48I don't like to say,
05:50yeah, you have to,
05:50I would say you have to have reliable players.
05:53This is more important
05:54than if you have Phil and Ricos
05:57and what else?
05:58And Juskos.
05:59The 24 hours a day guys.
06:00No, and Juskos,
06:01in terms of their intensity,
06:03of course you can be at this rate
06:04like what happened with Rodri,
06:05you know, in actions,
06:07and with Oscar and that.
06:09But the guys,
06:10like they can play three days,
06:12that's important.
06:12But it's not, I think,
06:13sustainable economically,
06:14even for the day-by-day,
06:16for the manager,
06:17for the players.
06:17Have a lot, a lot of players
06:19like they are not playing
06:20and they are injured.
06:21Of course, you have to be
06:22a little squad bigger,
06:23but not, I would say, huge.
06:25Because what happens
06:27if you have,
06:28I don't know how many players,
06:28a lot in one season,
06:30no injuries.
06:30What happened in the past,
06:31in the last eight, nine years,
06:32that we were incredibly stable
06:34in terms of injuries.
06:36So, always is so difficult as well.
06:39Because that would be
06:40quite a big change, wouldn't it?
06:42I know you're very adaptable
06:43in terms of tactics
06:44and different countries and things,
06:45but you've always liked
06:46that small squad
06:47because of the reasons you say.
06:48You don't like those difficult decisions
06:49of leaving somebody out.
06:51So that would be quite a big change,
06:53wouldn't it?
06:53Even to have a bigger squad
06:55to help with the fitness.
06:57No, the question is...
06:57But then you've got more players
06:58left out.
06:59Sam, the question is
06:59if I know next season
07:00the central defenders,
07:01I will not have central defenders.
07:03Of course, we have to
07:04have more squad.
07:06But if you have central defenders,
07:07I don't want more central defenders.
07:08So, I have the feeling right now,
07:09the same I've done,
07:10if we have one injury, two injuries,
07:12but the squad should have been there,
07:16maybe we are playing Champions League
07:18right now.
07:18Maybe we'll be close to Liverpool
07:19and Arsenal.
07:20So, who knows?
07:22If I would know in the beginning
07:23of the season,
07:24Pep, it's going to happen that,
07:25oh guys, bring me players
07:27in the summertime.
07:29Go to the market and bring me players.
07:30But nobody knows.
07:31I would expect, okay,
07:32that team won
07:33the main group of the team,
07:35won the Premier League again,
07:37make 51 for the last 57 points
07:40last season,
07:41arrived to the FA Cup final.
07:42Maybe we don't arrive well prepared.
07:44We arrive in the quarterfinal
07:45Champions League
07:46where we play unbelievable
07:47against Madrid.
07:48And it happened for them.
07:49We present there.
07:50They didn't shoot and target in,
07:53I don't know,
07:53in the second half
07:54after 10, 15 minutes.
07:56So, we were good.
07:57And I rely on the players.
07:58I'm sorry.
07:59What is the problem?
08:00Because I rely on the players
08:01that give me or give us
08:02that club a lot.
08:03But I start to make players
08:05maybe are not there
08:06or maybe are tired
08:07or maybe injured
08:08and many things.
08:09Okay, we should anticipate it.
08:10Yeah, maybe.
08:11But who knows that?
08:13Like season.
08:15John will be there.
08:17Nathan will be fine.
08:18Manu will be fine.
08:20Roddy will recover perfectly.
08:22Oscar will be back.
08:23I don't know.
08:25Otherwise, three more
08:26holding midfielders,
08:26seven more central defenders.
08:28It's not about that.
08:29Just to be lucky,
08:31make the right decisions.
08:32Sometimes we don't do that
08:34and pray.
08:37Pep, just going back to
08:38Jack Grealish again.
08:40You said earlier that
08:41he's getting to the levels
08:42that you want to see.
08:44Does that mean you've seen
08:44an improvement in him
08:46in training?
08:46Against Plymouth,
08:47he's playing really good.
08:49In terms of training as well,
08:51is that set up?
08:52But sometimes you have Jeremy.
08:54Jeremy has played really good
08:56in games against Spurs,
08:57for example.
08:58Before Spurs here,
08:59a player, oh God,
09:00really good.
09:01And Xabi is so active.
09:04This is what he has realized.
09:06It's not personal.
09:07People believe a player
09:08sometimes, you know,
09:08because still now,
09:10after many years,
09:10they judge.
09:12If I play, it's fine.
09:12If I don't play, it's not fine.
09:14It happens to all the managers
09:15of the teams.
09:16But it's not about
09:17any other person.
09:18I want the best from Jack
09:19and play, I don't know
09:20how many games,
09:21go with his national team.
09:22Of course I want it.
09:24I'm happy for them.
09:25So I want the best of them.
09:27But they compete the players.
09:28Sometimes the players,
09:29they are, you know,
09:31they are good.
09:32So I try to be,
09:36you know, to honest.
09:37And you were talking earlier
09:38about the middle place teams
09:40that have risen up this season,
09:42or last couple of seasons.
09:43Do you think there could be
09:44a scenario in the next few years
09:45where they push even higher
09:47to sort of challenge for the title?
09:48Is that possible?
09:51I think,
09:52I don't want to pretend to be,
09:57in naming again,
09:58the big manager,
09:59the one with the exception
10:00of Mario Fabio Capello.
10:01It doesn't look like I run,
10:03I would say.
10:03But we have to raise the bar
10:06in the Premier League.
10:07And the teams you were at
10:08had to go to the markets
10:09and right.
10:11And the same,
10:12that helps to the people.
10:14People want to do good.
10:16People are well organized,
10:17have a good structure,
10:18good decisions,
10:18good players in everywhere.
10:20And I've been here
10:22when I went in Bournemouth
10:23in the, you know,
10:24in the beginning.
10:25And now it's different.
10:26And when I went in the beginning
10:27in Brighton,
10:28and now it's different.
10:28And when I went in Fulham
10:29in the beginning,
10:30now it's different.
10:31I've been here,
10:32I'm an old guy,
10:32nine,
10:33I'm the oldest manager here,
10:34nine years.
10:36So I know the evolution
10:37of the Premier League
10:38has been massively.
10:41So,
10:42and I spoke with my colleagues,
10:43some of them,
10:43with Enzo,
10:44Mikel,
10:44or whatever,
10:45and said,
10:45have the same opinion.
10:46So it's incredible
10:48how they change.
10:49And it's good,
10:50really good for the Premier League.
10:51We have the feeling right now
10:53that all of us,
10:56so we play the next ten games,
10:58every game,
10:59it doesn't matter who we are,
11:00name one,
11:01we'll be tough.
11:03We'll be tough.
11:03And before it was tough,
11:04but,
11:05OK,
11:06we could control that.
11:08No,
11:08that's what I said to him.
11:10So,
11:13we had to behave,
11:13but the season,
11:16I had to try to finish well,
11:17but I've been tough.
11:19Two guys,
11:19Jamie and Michael.
11:20You often talk about
11:21how you like
11:22going to, say,
11:22Leighton Orient
11:24in the FA Cup,
11:24or when you were a football player,
11:25you didn't always play
11:27at the very top clubs.
11:29You accepted the challenge
11:30of going to sort of lesser teams.
11:32If you went down
11:32into the Europa League next season,
11:34do you think big players
11:35like Haaland,
11:36Ederson,
11:37Rodri
11:38would be humble enough
11:39to attack the Europa League
11:41like they would do the Champions League?
11:42I will ask you
11:43when we'll be potentially
11:45in the Europa League.
11:47The follow-up then is,
11:50would you prefer not to play
11:52the lower European competitions
11:54if it came to it?
11:57Why not?
11:59We are going to play
12:00what we deserve
12:02to achieve the last ten games
12:03of this season.
12:05So,
12:07in a Champions League,
12:08the competition we talked about before,
12:09there are many factors,
12:10but in the Premier League,
12:11if you don't qualify
12:12for the top four,
12:12or six,
12:13or seven,
12:13eight,
12:14it's because
12:16of what it is.
12:17So, we'll be disappointed,
12:18yeah,
12:18but I'll tell you.
12:19So,
12:20let's see what happens
12:21in the next ten games,
12:22and after,
12:23gently,
12:24like always,
12:24I've been with you especially,
12:26so I will answer you.
12:28Just a quick one, Pep,
12:29you mentioned Oscar Bob,
12:30any chance
12:31after the international break,
12:32do you think,
12:33or when he might return?
12:35Yeah,
12:36I hope so.
12:37He's training now regularly,
12:38feels really,
12:39really better.
12:41He played a friendly game yesterday
12:44with the second team
12:46to see how,
12:47because he has to be on the pitch
12:48in the training sessions.
12:49Now,
12:49it's difficult for me,
12:52because we have all the people
12:53up front available,
12:54and bring him,
12:55you know,
12:56some minutes in the situation
12:57we are playing,
12:58and that's why it's going to happen
12:59when it's difficult to dictate
13:01how does he feel,
13:03you know,
13:03just in the training sessions,
13:05and it's good
13:07to see him for himself,
13:08to forget in his,
13:11you know,
13:11mind that I'm fine,
13:12I'm perfect,
13:13I can do what,
13:14you know,
13:15I'm able to do,
13:15and after,
13:16of course,
13:16you have the same chances
13:18that the other ones to be with the team.
13:20Thank you, guys.