Players are motivated
Monday, October 22, 2018
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Pre-match press conference of the Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola
- Josep, before the game we’ve got questions regarding three positions in your line-up. Will Kevin de Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendi appear tomorrow or you’ll have to replace them with other people?
- Good afternoon. If they are here, it’s because they are ready.
- You’ve got several players now - Fernandinho, Aguero, David Silva, Laporte - who are not playing football for their countries. Is that proving to be a good thing for you as a manager and for you as a team?
- Well, you never know. In Laporte’s case, he’s not selected. Sooner or later, he’ll be selected because it’s difficult to find a better left central defender than him by now, in the world. As for the other ones… At some point, it’s good for them. It was their decision – we never push for them to retire or tell them to play for their national team. We cannot deny that for players who are 32, 33, 34 years old, to have a week or ten days off to regenerate is good for their minds and legs. On the other side, the World Cup or the Euros are huge competitions for them. In the end, it is their decision. The manager or the Club do not decide.
- How long, do you think, Fernandinho can still carry on playing like that, given the period left?
- We have one or two more years of contract. So, at the end of the day, we shouldn’t think too much for how long he’s going to play. Just day by day, month by month, season by season, at the end of a season, they should ask themselves: Am I still enjoying playing football, do I still want to play it? So there’s a time when you have to decide for yourself: Well, I’m tired. I don’t want to play any more. And after that, you retire. Until that, they always play. Bacause it’s the nicest job in the world. And if you’re still hungry and if you still enjoy playing football, you have to play it. So, they have to decide it for themselves.
- Pep, how do you assess the City’s start to the season so far, do you still have the same kind of determination in the group that you had last season?
- Quite good. We have to analyse where we come from but I don’t have many complaints about that – even the games in which we dropped points, I thought we were quite good. For the first 45 minutes against Lyon, we were not like usual. I don’t have complaints. When I have complaints, I tell them, I haven’t told them so far. When you see them every single day, it’s not about how I say my words. It’s just about watching the players. When we watch them play every single minute, that is the best demonstration that they enjoy playing football.
- Pep, as we spotted Fernandinho on Saturday, he’s the fittest he’s ever been in his career. What do you make of how he’s kept going over the last couple of years?
- Ferna would make any manager the happiest or luckiest in the world. He has everything, He’s respected in the team. He shows respect. He is open to improvement and he keeps everything. He is a joy to have as a player - he is very special. He will always be a special person for me to work alongside.
- Pep, you mentioned the first half against Lyon. What did you tell the players after that game?
- [We have to] Learn from that [game against Lyon]. When you play one season and you play against tough opponents – normally in the Champions League, the level is much higher than in local competitions. It looks easy, but it’s not. When you achieve something, it looks easy. It’s not. When you win games by a big result, it looks easy. It’s not. Learn from that. You have still 12 points to play for. It’s in our hands to go through to the next stage and compete and to make something in this competition, you have to live these kinds of situations. We were disappointed to lose to Lyon but we will learn from it. All we can do is learn and try to avoid it in the future.
- Pep, could you just elaborate on your comments from the international break, where you said for Manchester City that you’re ready to win this competition. And you mentioned history. Do you think that playing the kind of football you’ve been playing this season, you need history? And also, how much pressure is on you, do you feel the pressure to win the Champions League with Manchester City?
- I was born in Barcelona. I grew up there. At 13 years old, I started to play there. They inoculate in your body: the only way to survive is winning. I learned that. I also learned when you don’t win, life goes on and you have another season. We are going to put all of our efforts into winning the competition. What I saw last season, with many circumstances and the club we are, is that honestly, we are not ready to win it. That is what I feel. That doesn’t mean we are not going to try to achieve it but to win that competition, it is not enough just to want it. Many circumstances have to happen and you have to have experience – still, we don’t have enough in some moments. Every game we play is a new experience. We are going to get it but wanting is not enough. You have to have the desire of the media, the club, the Chairman, the owner, the fans… everybody wanting to push to be closer to achieve the next stages. When this happens, when everybody feels, demanding it, [it will get closer]. One important thing to win this kind of title is that you have to push: everybody surrounding City. Still, we don’t have that feeling. The fans push to win the Champions League. We are a good team. I cannot deny that – it’s a pleasure to work with them – but that competition is something special. I don’t feel it. I’m pretty sure sooner or later, we will be closer if the Club works in the way it has done in the last five to 10 years. Every year, we will be closer. Sooner or later, maybe, hopefully, it will happen. As soon as possible.
- Good afternoon. If they are here, it’s because they are ready.
- You’ve got several players now - Fernandinho, Aguero, David Silva, Laporte - who are not playing football for their countries. Is that proving to be a good thing for you as a manager and for you as a team?
- Well, you never know. In Laporte’s case, he’s not selected. Sooner or later, he’ll be selected because it’s difficult to find a better left central defender than him by now, in the world. As for the other ones… At some point, it’s good for them. It was their decision – we never push for them to retire or tell them to play for their national team. We cannot deny that for players who are 32, 33, 34 years old, to have a week or ten days off to regenerate is good for their minds and legs. On the other side, the World Cup or the Euros are huge competitions for them. In the end, it is their decision. The manager or the Club do not decide.
- How long, do you think, Fernandinho can still carry on playing like that, given the period left?
- We have one or two more years of contract. So, at the end of the day, we shouldn’t think too much for how long he’s going to play. Just day by day, month by month, season by season, at the end of a season, they should ask themselves: Am I still enjoying playing football, do I still want to play it? So there’s a time when you have to decide for yourself: Well, I’m tired. I don’t want to play any more. And after that, you retire. Until that, they always play. Bacause it’s the nicest job in the world. And if you’re still hungry and if you still enjoy playing football, you have to play it. So, they have to decide it for themselves.
- Pep, how do you assess the City’s start to the season so far, do you still have the same kind of determination in the group that you had last season?
- Quite good. We have to analyse where we come from but I don’t have many complaints about that – even the games in which we dropped points, I thought we were quite good. For the first 45 minutes against Lyon, we were not like usual. I don’t have complaints. When I have complaints, I tell them, I haven’t told them so far. When you see them every single day, it’s not about how I say my words. It’s just about watching the players. When we watch them play every single minute, that is the best demonstration that they enjoy playing football.
- Pep, as we spotted Fernandinho on Saturday, he’s the fittest he’s ever been in his career. What do you make of how he’s kept going over the last couple of years?
- Ferna would make any manager the happiest or luckiest in the world. He has everything, He’s respected in the team. He shows respect. He is open to improvement and he keeps everything. He is a joy to have as a player - he is very special. He will always be a special person for me to work alongside.
- Pep, you mentioned the first half against Lyon. What did you tell the players after that game?
- [We have to] Learn from that [game against Lyon]. When you play one season and you play against tough opponents – normally in the Champions League, the level is much higher than in local competitions. It looks easy, but it’s not. When you achieve something, it looks easy. It’s not. When you win games by a big result, it looks easy. It’s not. Learn from that. You have still 12 points to play for. It’s in our hands to go through to the next stage and compete and to make something in this competition, you have to live these kinds of situations. We were disappointed to lose to Lyon but we will learn from it. All we can do is learn and try to avoid it in the future.
- Pep, could you just elaborate on your comments from the international break, where you said for Manchester City that you’re ready to win this competition. And you mentioned history. Do you think that playing the kind of football you’ve been playing this season, you need history? And also, how much pressure is on you, do you feel the pressure to win the Champions League with Manchester City?
- I was born in Barcelona. I grew up there. At 13 years old, I started to play there. They inoculate in your body: the only way to survive is winning. I learned that. I also learned when you don’t win, life goes on and you have another season. We are going to put all of our efforts into winning the competition. What I saw last season, with many circumstances and the club we are, is that honestly, we are not ready to win it. That is what I feel. That doesn’t mean we are not going to try to achieve it but to win that competition, it is not enough just to want it. Many circumstances have to happen and you have to have experience – still, we don’t have enough in some moments. Every game we play is a new experience. We are going to get it but wanting is not enough. You have to have the desire of the media, the club, the Chairman, the owner, the fans… everybody wanting to push to be closer to achieve the next stages. When this happens, when everybody feels, demanding it, [it will get closer]. One important thing to win this kind of title is that you have to push: everybody surrounding City. Still, we don’t have that feeling. The fans push to win the Champions League. We are a good team. I cannot deny that – it’s a pleasure to work with them – but that competition is something special. I don’t feel it. I’m pretty sure sooner or later, we will be closer if the Club works in the way it has done in the last five to 10 years. Every year, we will be closer. Sooner or later, maybe, hopefully, it will happen. As soon as possible.
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