We came to win
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
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Press conference by Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola and midfielder Yaya Toure on the eve of the matchday in Kharkiv
The strongest have arrived
The City mentor brought the fighting squad.
- As you know, Kevin de Bruyne was suspended, and some players have injuries, including David Silva, - Guardiola reminded those present. However, I did bring here the strongest ones. This is my team, the guys deserve it, that’s why they are here.
The press conference included some questions about Manchester City’s successful run ahead of the meetings with Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester United.
- I can assure you: we came to win. At least we really want it and will try to do it. We will play for our own reputation, with the desire to retain our mentality. It’s true that sooner or later we will suffer a defeat anyway, but the next day we will wake up, have breakfast and have lunch, and then we’ll continue working and achieving results, - Josep stated. - I watched the whole match Shakhtar vs Napoli - the first half was magnificent. I like Shakhtar’s defensive third and midfield: I want to mention Stepanenko, Marlos, Bernard, Taison and especially Ismaily. Tomorrow we are facing a tough encounter, but we are here to win. We want to show our respect for Shakhtar, Napoli and fans with the performance against Shakhtar.
Serious encounter ahead
Yaya Toure, who previously played in Ukraine for Metalurh Donetsk, answered some of the questions in Russian without the help of an interpreter. First thing, the Ivorian noted the high level of City’s performance.
- Our performance deserves respect, we enjoy it, dominating the pitch and attacking, - said Toure. - It's still early to talk about our Champions League success, as we’ve got some hard work ahead. Our opponents fight so that we sometimes have to snatch the wins in the dying minutes. However, we have a great coach and a qualified team. We play in the best tournament and will do our best to win the title.
The midfielder also shared his opinion about those Group F opponents who deserve to advance to the knockout stage:
- Both Shakhtar and Napoli are worthy of that. It wasn’t easy for us against the Miners in Manchester, but only the last round fixtures will reveal the final outcome. We are facing a tough duel.
The City mentor brought the fighting squad.
- As you know, Kevin de Bruyne was suspended, and some players have injuries, including David Silva, - Guardiola reminded those present. However, I did bring here the strongest ones. This is my team, the guys deserve it, that’s why they are here.
The press conference included some questions about Manchester City’s successful run ahead of the meetings with Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester United.
- I can assure you: we came to win. At least we really want it and will try to do it. We will play for our own reputation, with the desire to retain our mentality. It’s true that sooner or later we will suffer a defeat anyway, but the next day we will wake up, have breakfast and have lunch, and then we’ll continue working and achieving results, - Josep stated. - I watched the whole match Shakhtar vs Napoli - the first half was magnificent. I like Shakhtar’s defensive third and midfield: I want to mention Stepanenko, Marlos, Bernard, Taison and especially Ismaily. Tomorrow we are facing a tough encounter, but we are here to win. We want to show our respect for Shakhtar, Napoli and fans with the performance against Shakhtar.
Serious encounter ahead
Yaya Toure, who previously played in Ukraine for Metalurh Donetsk, answered some of the questions in Russian without the help of an interpreter. First thing, the Ivorian noted the high level of City’s performance.
- Our performance deserves respect, we enjoy it, dominating the pitch and attacking, - said Toure. - It's still early to talk about our Champions League success, as we’ve got some hard work ahead. Our opponents fight so that we sometimes have to snatch the wins in the dying minutes. However, we have a great coach and a qualified team. We play in the best tournament and will do our best to win the title.
The midfielder also shared his opinion about those Group F opponents who deserve to advance to the knockout stage:
- Both Shakhtar and Napoli are worthy of that. It wasn’t easy for us against the Miners in Manchester, but only the last round fixtures will reveal the final outcome. We are facing a tough duel.