Pep Guardiola on Manchester City's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa

NicheSportMedia

21/12/24  Villa Park, Birmingham, UK.

Transcript

00:00How do you begin to explain that? Do you deserve more from the game or do you feel you've got the result you deserve?

00:12Congratulate us on Villar. The result is the result. It's the only thing we can not interpretate.

00:17First half was apart in the beginning. It was not good the first one or two minutes.

00:22After that I think we make a really good first half. I was not good in the second.

00:26We dropped maybe because I changed the pressing to adapt the quality for our captain.

00:32We struggled to drop them. We have done the first half really well with Jack in the final third.

00:41It's not easy to arrive because Onana and Kamara follow the pockets really well.

00:46Six players in the back, defensively strong, physicality, transition with Morgan and of course the other guys.

00:52The first half was much, much better than the game we played against United.

00:56The second half was not good enough. We lost again.

01:01Recovered these days, stay positive. Thanks to some players for the pride they show on the pitch again.

01:08The difficulties, how we want to help, how we want to be.

01:17Does it become harder for you week by week to keep spirits high, to keep the belief high?

01:27When the performance might be acceptable but the results are different.

01:32It's about the results. Like I said last game, we don't have defence about that. The results are not good.

01:38It's not about me, it's about how I can do with my people, what I can do to get the result back and continue.

01:47Hopefully the players will be back step by step and we can continue to do it.

01:55Do you ever question yourself when results go against you?

01:58Yeah, of course.

02:02You made six changes today. Are you disappointed that you brought different players in and yet the result is still the same?

02:10No. The first half we performed well, the second was not as good as the first half.

02:15I'm not disappointed for the performance, the guys that started out and they played.

02:20We're in a very tight period of games, lots of Premier League games in a short span of time.

02:27You talked about wanting the players back. Are you worried about not having any time to recover and players to get back to where they need to be?

02:36It happened since three months ago. Nothing has changed. It's the same.

02:43I have to deal with that. Starting 11 was good, the players in the band were good.

02:49It's not an easy place to come. Last season we were in the Premier League, we didn't win there.

02:54Today, for example, we played much better than last season in the way we played.

02:58I take positive things here and reflect.

03:05I have players like when I see them before, during and after, how they behave.

03:12As long as I can feel pride, let's go and think about the next one.

03:17Now it's over, analyse this one, good recovery, we'll see how many players are able to play in the next game.

03:22Against Everton, we'll try to do it.

03:27You said in one of your answers you felt that some of the players had fallen.

03:31Did you feel that second-half performance that some of your players didn't fight?

03:36No, no. I never point in nine or 14 years as a professional.

03:41Never point and never do one player. It would be easy for me to say that.

03:44I would be completely wrong because they play.

03:47When I said we dropped in the second half, the second half we dropped as a team.

03:50We were not like the first half, but not from any particular player.

03:54Never said, it never happened because they tried and they want to do it.

03:57I have to find the way, the solution, the balance to create more chances, score goals and not concede.

04:04Could I ask you about Morgan Rodgers? It was a long time ago that he left City.

04:09It's easy with hindsight to say he does look like a very good player.

04:12Absolutely.

04:13Do you remember the decision-making process?

04:15Do you know what happened? There are some players, it's the team that won the treble and the quadruple.

04:20Sometimes it's the right tempo, the right time, can give the chance.

04:25Of course, everybody knows how good Morgan is and a lot of players loan or sell him for the club.

04:32But it was in that age, at the moment, we have the players that we had,

04:38that allowed us to create more successful years in the football history, in our club.

04:47Comparing these 35, 40 days, they are not good.

04:50In that moment, sometimes when they arrive, they are two, three years younger.

04:54In that moment, they are Kevin in the prime and David Silva and Bernardo and Riyad and Leroy and Raheem.

05:01Sometimes it's difficult. That's the only reason why.

05:03In that situation right now, of course, these kind of players will be with us.

05:07It's obvious. But it was in the right moment. That's what happened.

05:10I'm happy for him because he's a lovely guy.

05:12He exploded, I think, last season and this season. He's a really, really top-class player.

05:16England have another exceptional player.

05:19Jürgen Klopp is pretty self-critical.

05:24He hasn't delivered as he should for Manchester City and that he's been failing in the defining moments.

05:32Do you think it's right of him to be so self-critical?

05:35I'm not agree with him. Without him, it would be even worse.

05:38But I like the players feeling that way.

05:41It's the only chance that we have to get better.

05:45There are two options.

05:47Like I said, your colleague asked me if I judge myself.

05:51I said yes.

05:53In the other situation, it's blame for what you have in your side.

05:57That depends on them.

05:59I'm not agree with Erling because we tried.

06:02At the end, he needs to be delivered the right balls in the right spots in the right positions.

06:08Now we'll recover and we'll fight for the next one.

06:15Do you think it's time for a change?

06:20I would say I'm not in the right moment to make creative tactical changes with some players like they are at.

06:29There is a moment that I'm not overthinking right now in that period.

06:33I try to be simple.

06:34Don't bother much.

06:35Go to the principles that help us.

06:36Give certainty to the team.

06:38To the players.

06:39What they can do on the pitch, they can do it.

06:41The benefits for the team, defensively and offensively.

06:44This is one of the points of that situation.

06:51It came because he said the last 10 minutes came back again.

06:54Disturbing that he had that last month.

07:05We saw it.

07:06I said now it's the third month.

07:09Manu made an effort.

07:10He trained one or two training sessions and came here in 90 minutes.

07:13Kovac is the same.

07:14I substituted Kovac because I said the game is not right and we have four days.

07:19We have a substitution for him.

07:21I've been one month out after the international break with Croatia.

07:25It's the same.

07:27Djibout is training again.

07:30We know that.

07:31We know he's there.

07:32What do we have to do?

07:33Don't play the games.

07:34No, we had to play the games.

07:36It's the players that we have.

07:37We have to perform 90 minutes what we have done in the first half.

07:41The first half was really good.

07:42Of course, they have two options.

07:44The pieces are really good.

07:45They are strong.

07:46They are physical.

07:47They are quicker, faster.

07:48We know that.

07:49In every team.

07:50We bring the team.

07:51Jack was so active.

07:52Arriving the ball, Phil and Gundo and Erling and the winger opposite side.

07:56Plus Kovacic and Rico sometimes arriving the positions.

08:00We had people there.

08:01We could see transitions but not a lot.

08:05In the second half, we could not continue stable.

08:07It happened a lot this season.

08:09We are not consistent.

08:10We have a really good period.

08:12I remember the first games when we lost against, not Bournemouth,

08:16but against Sporting Lisboa in the first half and Brighton in the first half.

08:22Many, many games we start really well.

08:25One or two up.

08:26But after we are not consistent to arrive for the lack of many reasons.

08:33That is the situation we have to deal.

08:39Wow.

08:40I am looking forward for the effort.

08:42What can I say?

08:43Can I just ask about transitions?

08:45Sporting Lisboa in the first half.

08:48It has happened quite a lot in that sort of thing.

08:52No.

08:53I would say it was a good action.

08:55Emiliano Martini made a good pass for Thielemann.

08:58Thielemann turned.

08:59Gianni Zerbi late.

09:01Kovac didn't follow the action that we do.

09:04Morgan moved in that way.

09:05He had to follow.

09:06For the players, it is more difficult to sometimes follow.

09:10I give more credit, I would say, for Aston Villa making the action.

09:15In the second half, for example, we were not as much aggressive

09:18as in the first half, like this action.

09:20They arrived more times in our box.

09:22They make a lot of passes.

09:24They link diagonal balls behind our holding midfielder with Thielemann,

09:27with Duran, with Morgan in that position.

09:29In the first half, it didn't happen.

09:30We were more effective.

09:31In the second half, we saw something, and it was not good.

09:36Sometimes I give credit because the opponents are good.

09:38We are not really convincing sometimes.

09:41When you go one or two duels, they are stronger.

09:43They dribble.

09:44They keep the ball.

09:45We go McQueen.

09:46They dribble you.

09:47We go to Morgan.

09:48They dribble you.

09:49After that, it is ineffective.

09:50When we were in that position, we win that duel.

09:52We win that duel.

09:53It happened for the lack of depth, for the out of minutes,

09:56for the specific players that we have now.

09:58Sometimes we struggle in that position.

10:00After that, you have to run a little bit more.

10:02But in the way we played in the first half, I like it.

10:05It is what I think we define.

10:07We don't create a match, but we have the Josco action.

10:09We have two or three shoots from Jack and actions from there.

10:12But, of course, it is obvious.

10:14We don't score the balls that we scored in the past.

10:16We concede the balls in the chances that we didn't concede in the past.

10:19When that happens, that is the reason why we lose games.

10:22We are not solid for the ball.

10:24We are not creating matches.

10:27It is simple.

10:28It is defined that that is the team that we are right now.

10:31It is not what we were in the last eight years.

10:33We have to accept it.

10:35It is the best way.

10:37Be serious with the players.

10:39They have to know exactly the reason why, what I believe is,

10:41and try the next game.

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