Pep reacts to Man City's 2-2 draw with Brighton
15/03/2025
Etihad Stadium, manchester, UK
15/03/2025
Etihad Stadium, manchester, UK
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SportsTranscript
00:00Pep, at the end there you had a good chat with the referee, you had a player booked for diving and you lost a player to an injury after he'd only just come on as a substitute, could you just explain what...
00:13Well, if he doesn't jump, he can break his leg, you know, if you go on the grass as a tackle and he jumps too, don't be a contact, so...
00:24Jeremy's not a diving player, they should know it, but, you know, it's what it is, so we didn't win or we didn't lose for that decision, so...
00:33No, I accept that, but sometimes it doesn't look good if a player gets booked for diving, does it?
00:40I said to the referee that, if he doesn't jump, he can be kicked hard, you know, and that's why he jumped, to protect himself, and, yeah, but, you know, it doesn't matter, don't ask me about that, please.
00:54Do you think a draw was a fair result in the end?
00:56It's what it is, our performance was much, much, much better than nothing in the first game, and, yeah, I think we made a good moment, we had two goals in the first half, we had a very clear chance with Savio, of course, they are so good,
01:16when they link inside with Ruter and Jopey, they are fantastic players, the space with Minta and Mitoma, and we controlled it really well, of course, the duels when they won it with Baleva and Gomez, they won really, really well, but, yeah, I think Jeremy was incredible threat, Omar was really good, making the penalty, the goal, and two assists to Savio, defenders, yeah, we were, Ruben was fantastic with Kusa,
01:43yeah, in general, it was good, I think we started the second half with two up, and we said, okay, keep going, and we had a good chance in the final third, and after, unfortunately, we didn't win a duel, and the corner were sloppy, and they are stronger and equalised, and after we suffered the last 10, 15 minutes, and they were in a stable, which is normal, what happened in the position that we are right now, but after we came back in the game, when Bernardo came in, we came back in the game, we had really good moments,
02:10we had, you know, maybe they had one clear chance with Baleva, but we were there, and we pushed until the end, and, yeah, we take the point.
02:21Hi, Pep, do you see this race to qualify for the Champions League going to the final day, and if so, will that be fun for you, exciting?
02:29Yeah, it looks like, I don't know, it's nine games at the end of the season, of course, you have tough games, and our qualification passed by home, it was quite similar, at least we didn't lose, and nothing unfortunate, 83 minutes, okay, you cannot win, you try to be stable, and then concede the goal that was, it was not good enough, but, yeah, it will be until the end, I think so, yeah.
02:53Andy?
02:54Yeah, hi, Pep, why was Everson not in the squad today?
02:56Had something with Domino, Niggles, nothing unfortunate, had a problem, and that's why, that's why it happened.
03:06Will he be back after the international break?
03:08I hope so.
03:10Mr. Richard, please, Paul.
03:15Hi, Pep, on this battle for the Champions League place, there's obviously Breitner in it as well, I mean, it looks very competitive, how confident are you?
03:24I'm more than confident, in that I'm a master, so there are moments I can doubt, but I find the right way, the positiveness and everything, so I know it will be difficult for many reasons,
03:36it happened to Bernardo today, and Everson was in top form, he's injured again, so many things happen, we know it, so Niko has one meter away, alone in front of the keeper, the goal to score a goal,
03:49and after they had a transition, they could concede, and I said, oh, they're going to concede after that, unfortunately it didn't happen.
03:55So, yeah, it's nine games, nine finals, next game Leicester here, after Old Trafford, and first Bournemouth at the cup, and people go to the national team, refresh, and come back.
04:05Oh, yeah.
04:07Hi, Pep, I think there was maybe an assumption when you went out of the Champions League that you would get time on the training pitch, that you would sort of stroll into the top four because you would have players back and win enough games,
04:19but you kind of hinted yesterday that it's perhaps a lot more difficult than that, there are a lot more teams involved than perhaps there has been in other years, and it may not be as simple as perhaps people on the outside may think.
04:31Maybe, that helps with the fact that you don't get injured when you play every three days, the risk is more when you have long weeks, it's less, and the other players are trained really well, they are committed to do it, and that's what it is.
04:44Sometimes we are not used, I would say, but it's fine, so at the end I respect, we played against Nottingham, Thurntable, Brighton in the last four or five games in a row winning, so it's a fantastic team.
04:54And I think we were there, we had chances, our spirit was much, much better than Nottingham, they were so passive, they were aggressive, and the keeper is really good in the build-up, they play a lot of long balls, win the seconds, we won a lot.
05:08We regained balls, we couldn't make a quick transition that we like, we are not a team to make long, long transitions, and the first goal, and the second, and the chances that we had with Xabi always was in that term, so yeah, it was really good.
05:22Just on Brighton, I know you've praised them a lot over the years, but they bring players in, they sell players, they bring more in, the managers go, managers come in, they just seem to keep getting better and better and better.
05:34How impressed are you by them, and what they did today as well?
05:40Really good, I'm a little upset because after winning six Premier Leagues they never praised us, so Brighton should do it, after my comments for Brighton all the time.
05:48No, they're really, really, really, joke aside, they were a really good job.
05:52In the terms of, yeah, since a long time ago with Caicedo, with Cucurella, and many players, they always go good in the market, and the managers they had, you know, Graham Potter is an exceptional manager, and I have a special, special affection and weaknesses with Roberto de Cherby, for me he's one of the greatest, and of course, Fagen is doing a good job as well.
06:18Pep, are you aware that Erling hit another landmark today?
06:22Yeah, they told me.
06:23100 goals.
06:25100 goals.
06:26100 goal involvements.
06:28Ah, involvements, yeah.
06:2984 goals, 16 assists, what's your feeling about that achievement, given all the other ones?
06:37Not bad at all.
06:38Right?
06:39Not bad.
06:40It's always there.
06:41Yeah.
06:42Hopefully we can continue to play better, better and do it, and help them to score more.
06:52Pep, I know you said that the spirit of the team was better today.
06:56Much, much better.
06:57Do you feel that there was a sort of sense of nervousness around the stadium?
07:03Yeah, definitely.
07:04Definitely.
07:07Everybody feels the pressure, yeah.
07:09Because that's not, it's not really that helpful, is it?
07:12That's what it is.
07:13We have to play better, and after they will be back.
07:15Is that the thing, you have to give them performances?
07:17Absolutely.
07:18Absolutely.
07:19Absolutely.
07:20In the good moments they are there, but of course they feel, oh, it's not good when they
07:24qualify, and everybody feel it.
07:26Yeah, yeah, smell it.
07:27Everybody knows it.
07:28Even you, Jacques, realise it.
07:31Is that the embargo for 10.30 on Sunday evening?
07:33Is that with Sam?