Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admits club assessing transfers for next season after their injury ravaged campaign
11/04/2025 embargoed section
CGA, Manchester, UK
11/04/2025 embargoed section
CGA, Manchester, UK
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00:00Good afternoon. How are you?
00:01I'm good. You?
00:02I'm good, thank you.
00:03I'm happy to.
00:04I'm happy too.
00:06We are happy.
00:07We're all happy.
00:09You talked on Sunday afternoon about the treatment of Phil,
00:14and you talked a little about the fact that he wasn't the only player
00:18who didn't play particularly well against Manchester United.
00:22But Phil, he's double player of the year.
00:25Looking ahead, not the next couple of days,
00:28but looking ahead to next season,
00:30what can you do to lift him, to get him back to that level again?
00:33We will try, all of us, to help him.
00:35Absolutely.
00:36We will try.
00:38And do you talk to him about this personally?
00:42And his response?
00:44If the team will play better, they will play better.
00:48So it's not just, you know, the reason why he was not good
00:52is a hypothetical player that you can choose.
00:56Okay, we sell him.
00:58Problems are gone.
00:58It's not about that.
01:01So it's simply better, you know, the individual players live.
01:06There are a few players in the world that for himself can leave the team,
01:09and we don't have a few.
01:11I would say, mm-mm.
01:12So we have to be, as a team, understand what you have to do defensively,
01:16spirit, defensively, our patterns that we had,
01:21that in the past always were so precise,
01:25and then this season we struggled.
01:27The last game was a real example.
01:28So, and this is what I tried to recover in these seven games,
01:33plus the FA Cup, plus the World Cup, and after, of course, next season.
01:37Yeah.
01:38Yeah.
01:39Sound that quick?
01:40Thanks.
01:41Hi, Pep.
01:42After the derby, you were talking about the reason for the performance,
01:46maybe not being so good, was you need to move less.
01:50You say that after a few games over the years.
01:54Can you explain exactly what kind of things they have to be doing?
01:58It's so simple.
01:59When you move the ball, you move the opponent.
02:01And when you do more opponent, you create spaces to attack.
02:04And when that spaces to attack are not occupied for the right players
02:09in the right positions, you cannot attack good.
02:11And what are some of the reasons for them not being in the right position?
02:15Because they are moving beings.
02:16It happens.
02:16Maybe they understand the silly manager.
02:20They understand better.
02:21So it happened many times, and it happened.
02:24And maybe next games we do it perfectly.
02:27There is another point that it doesn't work that, listen,
02:30when I go to the press conference and the journalist ask me questions about that,
02:34it's difficult for all the managers because they need some to respond.
02:37Now I'm more relaxed.
02:38I reflect more.
02:39In that moment, it's more difficult.
02:40But I had the feeling in that moment why we didn't.
02:43Sometimes it's that reason.
02:44Sometimes we give away a lot of the goals to the opponents.
02:49We miss a lot of chances.
02:51There are a thousand million reasons.
02:53But even with that, I will tell you now, even we have applied a little bit better what I think,
02:59what the reason why, maybe we don't win neither.
03:01Or maybe we lose.
03:02So there are a lot of factors.
03:03But for our game, we're working for many years.
03:06So we try to move the opponent.
03:12It depends on the fan and the way we happen there.
03:15You have to attack in different spaces, maybe quicker and faster being in the position.
03:19And we were not.
03:20And that's all.
03:20A different topic.
03:22I'd like to ask about Nico Gonzalez and how you analyse his couple of months at City.
03:28Obviously, you started with that Newcastle game that was really good.
03:32But Bournemouth away from home, United away from home, not being in the team.
03:36I know with Spurs, you said he was taking off like a tactical thing, pushing up too much.
03:40How do you analyse the whole thing up until now?
03:42The impact for the new ones have been really good.
03:45Even Victor Reyes, for example, didn't play much.
03:47In the training, I'm impressed.
03:48So I think it's not easy when they come in an environment that the way we're playing,
03:54the results are not good.
03:55Of course, Omar, we cannot deny the impact it has in terms of goals.
03:59And Nico had played good.
04:02And I'm pretty sure when Rodri will come back just for mimetism in the training sessions,
04:07he will learn a lot.
04:07He's another guy who understands many things.
04:09And he will get it because he listens, he's so attention,
04:13he's incredible focusing, his world is football, football, football.
04:18And that is really important.
04:20And the times he played, Brighton, for example, the two goals,
04:24it was a transition.
04:26They overgained the ball and we could score.
04:27So I've done many, many good things.
04:29With the ball, it's a play, it has to move less.
04:32I don't like the holding midfielders move a lot,
04:34it has to be more calm in the position.
04:36But I'm pretty sure he will get it.
04:38He's come from many years and physicality and he want to learn.
04:42He learned quick.
04:44So it's going to happen.
04:45Is that part of the reason why he hasn't played in those away games?
04:48No.
04:49I decide for the player for experience and maybe know better all the patterns.
04:55And after it happens for United,
04:57you have a mind, okay, I want experienced players,
04:59know exactly what you have to do.
05:00And you know the position.
05:03I want to sometimes take a much responsibility with some players.
05:06That's all.
05:07But it's not against him because Jeremy has played awesome for many games recently.
05:11He didn't play against United.
05:14So it's not about against any players particularly.
05:18Hugo Vaiana has started officially this week.
05:25Have you had much time with him?
05:27Sorry?
05:27Have you had much time with him?
05:29Yeah.
05:30We talk.
05:32And obviously with Chiqui, you knew him.
05:35How do you go about kind of getting to know Hugo?
05:39Because it's such a key relationship between the two of you.
05:42No, but we compare the relationship.
05:44So with Chiqui, we are together since we played together in Barcelona.
05:47We were almost teenagers.
05:49So it's a life, I would say, we share it.
05:54But the two relationships never are the same.
05:57So, but I know, I hear it, and we experience it in a short time.
06:03It will be so easy to communicate and work together.
06:07So easy.
06:08In that terms, it's a perfect replacement.
06:12What are your early impressions of him?
06:14The way the vision, the football, the way we talk,
06:17the composer that I think is quite cheeky.
06:20It's not a stress.
06:21It's not like me, for example.
06:22So the balance is more calm.
06:24And hopefully he can express himself, you know.
06:29Always I ask him, so forget about what we have done.
06:31You know, we need your vision.
06:33You need your, you know, you don't come to follow just what you have done in the past.
06:37So let us talk what you see about the team.
06:40So many months is, you know, watching us.
06:44What do you think?
06:44What do we want to do better?
06:46What is your feeling?
06:47And so back and forth opinions, opinions, when they come up, the best opinions.
06:52So I don't want to be clapped with just as a manager all the time.
06:56No, it's not about that.
06:58And we never work about, you know.
07:00I rely a lot on my sport directors and they give me the teams or the players they believe
07:06is the best for the team.
07:07And as a manager, the staff, we have to lift them and, you know, do the best of them.
07:13But you said earlier that you were optimistic about finishing in the top five.
07:21What have you seen over the last few weeks that gives you that optimism?
07:25Some spirit is back.
07:28In some games, the moment was good.
07:30I don't know.
07:31But a manager spirit is there.
07:33But to sustain us, the chance is the spirit.
07:35The way the game we play, maybe we will struggle.
07:40But the way, the spirit has to be there.
07:44And we learn.
07:45We saw with incredible curiosity this Tuesday, Wednesday, Champions League games.
07:51And I know the rhythm and I know the spirit that they play.
07:53And this is what you have to do.
07:55Are you able to elaborate on the spirit from this season?
07:59What maybe you've not liked from the team?
08:02Because you'd always associate a Guardiola team and a City team with plenty of spirit
08:08and they go to the end.
08:09But you seem to be suggesting that that's not been the case.
08:15Listen, I say many times, there are a lot of reasons.
08:18But the main reason, main reason, main reason, main reason, we didn't have players.
08:22We have a lot of inches.
08:24And without that, it's impossible.
08:25Put in any sport collectively, the important players in basketball and wherever,
08:28the important players don't play.
08:30I'm not the same.
08:31We cannot be the same.
08:32And we cannot rotate.
08:33They cannot compete each other.
08:36They cannot, you know.
08:37And in a certain moment, we need to be justified.
08:40We don't have legs.
08:41We have energy.
08:42Because it happened in the period where it was October, November, December, January,
08:46we'll have a lot of...
08:47Sorry.
08:49I just read.
08:50And every...
08:51And every game, every three days.
08:54So that was the reason.
08:55I know they wanted it, but they could not.
08:57I'll just ask a very quick one.
09:00Have you got any more injury problems?
09:03Right now, no.
09:08No.
09:09My feelings helped for tomorrow.
09:12For the injury I had in Ultra 4.
09:16But it's doubt.
09:17So the rest, the rest, except Erling, Manu, and John, and Nathan.
09:24The other one, okay.
09:26I saw my world for this guy.
09:27Hi, Pat.
09:28You mentioned...
09:29Brody.
09:29Sorry.
09:33It's quite good, huh?
09:34Yeah.
09:35Yeah?
09:37You will see when they will be back.
09:40You will see.
09:41Hi, Pat.
09:42You mentioned energy there.
09:44Do you think there's more energy going into the final few games than in previous seasons
09:47where you've had more games, do you feel that the players are actually fresh than they have
09:52been in previous years?
09:54Sorry, sorry.
09:54I was distracted.
09:56In previous seasons, you'd have a lot more games because of the Champions League.
09:59Yeah.
10:00Do you feel that actually the players are fresher now?
10:02You said there's been a lack of energy at times this season.
10:04Do you think with this running, actually, you are benefiting from that?
10:08I would love to be in Champions League, but I've said many times we're miles away to compete
10:13against Dan Leeds from Europe this season.
10:15So always we have been, but this season no.
10:16So now it's a reality.
10:17You have more long ways.
10:19The guys are training good.
10:20Hopefully they can, you know, it's a final every single game.
10:23Now it's not much complicated.
10:25Now we have 15, 20 games, but now it's seven games left.
10:28So it's a final every single game.
10:30You have to win a lot of games to qualify because Newcastle, just one game a week
10:35and the quality of Aston Villa and, you know, all the teams are involved, Chelsea and Nottingham.
10:42So Fulham is there.
10:43So there are a lot, a lot of, yeah, teams that they will be there and you have to win games.
10:50So it's not much complicated than that.
10:52So you want to be in Champions League next season and leave the Tuesday Wednesday with the elite,
10:56you have to win almost all the games.
10:59It's not much with a tough schedule because we cannot say Crystal Palace and after Goodison Park and playing really good Everton again.
11:05And I was impressed with the rhythm they played against Arsenal the last game and after Aston Villa.
11:12So, yeah, it's what it is.
11:14So accept the challenge.
11:16You say you have to win almost all your games, you think, to get into the Champions League then.
11:20Do you have a points tally in your mind?
11:22If you win all the games?
11:24You say that you think you'll need to win almost all the games to get into the Champions League.
11:27Do you have a points tally in mind?
11:29How many points?
11:30No, no.
11:32With 21 we'll be there.
11:34That's for sure.
11:37Thank you guys.