It’s always tough against Shakhtar
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
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Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola gave a press conference in Kharkiv before the Champions League match vs Shakhtar
- Obviously, it was a disappointing result on Saturday. Have you done anything to kind of lift the spirits of your players since then?
- No. I believe their spirit is good.
- In the Ukrainian league, half of the coaches meet with Shakhtar less often than you do. Aren’t you tired of meeting with the Donetsk team so often?
- In fact, I’ve bought an apartment here! I played Shakhtar many many times: with Barcelona, Bayern, and now with Man City. I come here almost every season.
- One of the reporters said that you could lose the league title because of the likes of Stones and Otamendi. What’s your opinion about it?
- I wouldn’t want to comment on other people's words. I respect both John and Nicolas. They are really important to the club.
- Phil Foden did not come to Ukraine, John Stones won’t take to the pitch either. What’s the matter with them?
- Foden had a stomach virus, so he won't be able to take part either in tomorrow's meeting or in the next league game. Stones got a muscle injury this morning and dropped out for four to five weeks.
- Jurgen Klopp has said the other day that he considers Manchester City the strongest team on the planet. How seriously do you take those words and what do you make of your chance of winning the Champions League title?
- Did he say that we are the best just on planet Earth? If so, we will try to conquer the whole Universe!
- A question regarding the defensive third: how big an issue will Stones’ injury be for you?
- That’s a problem, a challenge for me and the whole team. John and Aymeric Laporte are out ... But we have Nico, other good players, such as Fernandinho, who can help our defence. In general, this happens, there’s no game without that, and I definitely won’t complain. There’s a good opportunity to test me and the team, to get together and find a way out. We understand the complexity of it, but for us, it will be a step forward.
- Tomorrow, you will have your 12th match against Shakhtar as a manager. Which match was the most difficult and which one do you remember best?
- Playing Shakhtar is interesting each time, and all games are alike. It was hard to counter Lucescu’s team. I remember that the first game was very difficult, and we, as far as I remember, managed to win in the last minute. I remember the excellent footballers who used to play for Shakhtar: Srna, Willian - just super! When Fonseca came, the team was also well organized, with no gaps between the thirds, although last season, we managed to win quite easily. Of course, Taison, Marlos, and Stepanenko are great players who control the ball in midfield and in front of our penalty area. We know that you no longer have Rakitskyy at centreback but your new central defender also performs very well. The same Pyatov just continues to gain experience and is getting better. Besides, Shakhtar’s short-passing style quick counterattacks launched by Taison and Marlos are always difficult for any team. Therefore, my task is to maintain the right rhythm, and, of course, it’s important for us to win the first leg away. I remember last season, when we lost the first leg at home, having to catch up to, to win all the remaining games. This is the difficulty of the Champions League, when the distance in the group is really short – just six matches. I want to say that Shakhtar have a rather unusual team style for us, they don’t play like most of the EPL teams. It will be difficult and interesting. Most likely, the score will be quite narrow. I also want to say that I respect Shakhtar very much.
- When you coached Barcelona, you had a versatile Mascherano, who could play defensively among other things. Can Fernandinho perform this role now?
- Theoretically, yes, he can. And I'm counting on him. But he does not play that much this season, he has been rediscovering his league form for quite a while. During the international break, he spent time with his family and now feels a little better mentally. I think that I can fully use him defensively, if necessary.
- What did you hear and know about Shakhtar’s new manager Luis Castro?
- We don’t know each other personally, but I’ve already watched two or three of Shakhtar’s games with him at the helm. If I want to know the coach, I carefully watch the games of his team. This is exactly what I am doing in this case. And, of course, I’ll try to outplay him.
- No. I believe their spirit is good.
- In the Ukrainian league, half of the coaches meet with Shakhtar less often than you do. Aren’t you tired of meeting with the Donetsk team so often?
- In fact, I’ve bought an apartment here! I played Shakhtar many many times: with Barcelona, Bayern, and now with Man City. I come here almost every season.
- One of the reporters said that you could lose the league title because of the likes of Stones and Otamendi. What’s your opinion about it?
- I wouldn’t want to comment on other people's words. I respect both John and Nicolas. They are really important to the club.
- Phil Foden did not come to Ukraine, John Stones won’t take to the pitch either. What’s the matter with them?
- Foden had a stomach virus, so he won't be able to take part either in tomorrow's meeting or in the next league game. Stones got a muscle injury this morning and dropped out for four to five weeks.
- Jurgen Klopp has said the other day that he considers Manchester City the strongest team on the planet. How seriously do you take those words and what do you make of your chance of winning the Champions League title?
- Did he say that we are the best just on planet Earth? If so, we will try to conquer the whole Universe!
- A question regarding the defensive third: how big an issue will Stones’ injury be for you?
- That’s a problem, a challenge for me and the whole team. John and Aymeric Laporte are out ... But we have Nico, other good players, such as Fernandinho, who can help our defence. In general, this happens, there’s no game without that, and I definitely won’t complain. There’s a good opportunity to test me and the team, to get together and find a way out. We understand the complexity of it, but for us, it will be a step forward.
- Tomorrow, you will have your 12th match against Shakhtar as a manager. Which match was the most difficult and which one do you remember best?
- Playing Shakhtar is interesting each time, and all games are alike. It was hard to counter Lucescu’s team. I remember that the first game was very difficult, and we, as far as I remember, managed to win in the last minute. I remember the excellent footballers who used to play for Shakhtar: Srna, Willian - just super! When Fonseca came, the team was also well organized, with no gaps between the thirds, although last season, we managed to win quite easily. Of course, Taison, Marlos, and Stepanenko are great players who control the ball in midfield and in front of our penalty area. We know that you no longer have Rakitskyy at centreback but your new central defender also performs very well. The same Pyatov just continues to gain experience and is getting better. Besides, Shakhtar’s short-passing style quick counterattacks launched by Taison and Marlos are always difficult for any team. Therefore, my task is to maintain the right rhythm, and, of course, it’s important for us to win the first leg away. I remember last season, when we lost the first leg at home, having to catch up to, to win all the remaining games. This is the difficulty of the Champions League, when the distance in the group is really short – just six matches. I want to say that Shakhtar have a rather unusual team style for us, they don’t play like most of the EPL teams. It will be difficult and interesting. Most likely, the score will be quite narrow. I also want to say that I respect Shakhtar very much.
- When you coached Barcelona, you had a versatile Mascherano, who could play defensively among other things. Can Fernandinho perform this role now?
- Theoretically, yes, he can. And I'm counting on him. But he does not play that much this season, he has been rediscovering his league form for quite a while. During the international break, he spent time with his family and now feels a little better mentally. I think that I can fully use him defensively, if necessary.
- What did you hear and know about Shakhtar’s new manager Luis Castro?
- We don’t know each other personally, but I’ve already watched two or three of Shakhtar’s games with him at the helm. If I want to know the coach, I carefully watch the games of his team. This is exactly what I am doing in this case. And, of course, I’ll try to outplay him.
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