Guardiola on importance of Man City beating Brugges and sealing UCL play-off spot

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Guardiola on importance of Man City beating Brugges and sealing UCL play-off spot  28/01/2025  CFGA, Manchester, UK

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon, guys, hope you're well.

00:07Same process as ever, we'll take questions from English-speaking media first,

00:10and then if there is any Belgian media, brilliant.

00:14We'll take some of those towards the end, please, guys.

00:16Somewhere to start, Simon?

00:20Hi, Pep.

00:21You've already described this game as a final.

00:25Do you regard it literally as being as big as a final,

00:29or is it just an important game for Man City?

00:35Well, in the situation that we have, we have two options, because we win the game,

00:40and if not, we're not continuing this competition,

00:43and we want to go through to have another chance to play another two games,

00:49to qualify for the next stages.

00:53It's not a problem, it's an opportunity, a challenge, and we will face it.

00:59You've qualified for the second-stage knock-out phase of the Champions League

01:04for so many years, and I would have thought that's a matter of pride,

01:08given nobody else has managed to do that from England.

01:11How important is it for you to maintain that record,

01:15and what kind of a blow would it be to the club if you were to get knocked out?

01:22It's not personal for me, it's for the club,

01:27and of course it would be not good, but I'm not thinking about that right now.

01:35I know for all the people concerned about what's going to happen to qualify,

01:38I appreciate your concern and all of you,

01:41but I'm thinking we're going to do it.

01:46Pep, what do you want the Etihad to feel like tomorrow night?

01:52As much as they come, we'll be fine.

01:54Nato have to do the rest, but of course if we perform well and we are in a good rhythm,

02:00they will be there, like the world's last game against Chelsea,

02:03that we felt more than ever this season that they were with us.

02:07Even when we started, it was really tough.

02:10I know the opening we're going to face in the last year,

02:12the last 20, 21 games, we didn't lose a game.

02:16So I saw the game against Juventus, as many games as possible,

02:19and they are incredibly solid, consistent, they don't concede chances,

02:23they are aggressive.

02:25We played against them years ago, and they make a step up in terms of

02:31how aggressive they are and the patterns.

02:34They play really well with the ball, and we have to perform really well to win the game.

02:39Can I ask you about team news, what state are you in?

02:43Do you have any fresh injuries or anyone you're not expecting to be available tomorrow?

02:47No, the guys who were able to play the last game against Chelsea,

02:53they are available, and I think Oskar came back as well.

02:59Pep, would it be embarrassing for both you and Manchester City if you didn't make it?

03:05Ask me a question after. I know you want it, but thank you for your concern again.

03:10You know how worried you are.

03:12We are out, but we are going after the game, you can concern me.

03:16And I will answer you.

03:19You're on a bit of a run at the moment, in the league at least,

03:22and won again at the weekend, do you feel like things are turning?

03:26No, not yet.

03:28Why do you say that?

03:29Because it's a few games.

03:34Hi, Pep, you've been asked about the consequences otherwise of going out,

03:39but financially, this club's always had the money in recent years,

03:43from getting to Champions League, quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals.

03:48If you do go out, has there been some discussions about the drop in income?

03:53Could that affect transfer budgets, things like that?

03:56I don't know, I didn't speak with my CEO about that.

04:02In the last two or three years, or four years, we've always had the transfer window,

04:06so I would say the budget is always positive.

04:09Of course, I'm not naïve enough to know how important it is financially for the club

04:15to go through in this competition, but sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.

04:20But of course, we want to try to go through, especially for sportive reasons.

04:26And after that, when I said many times recently,

04:30like in the last five or six years,

04:34Spendnet has been amazing, this club,

04:36so the club said, OK, the situation is the situation, we're going to deal with that.

04:42We can spend, we spend, we cannot spend, we're going to spend.

04:47Hi Pep, you were speaking after the game at the weekend

04:51about the importance of Jon Stones coming back, is he ready to start this game tomorrow?

04:56He played 35 minutes, he played really well, we'll see today how he feels.

05:02Hi Pep, what's the sort of approach to the game tomorrow,

05:08do you want to try and get it done as quickly as possible,

05:14or is it important to be patient, how do you sort of view it?

05:18Well, we like to score goals in the first 20 minutes, a lot, a lot, a lot,

05:21but I think it's not going to happen.

05:23The approach now today is to read the game we have to play, what they do.

05:29Today is completely relaxed, no emotions, understand the game.

05:33And after tomorrow, we have to read that, I know this type of game,

05:39you have to put something special, something that has not been enough

05:42so far in the Champions League to win the games.

05:47The question is simple, if we don't win, we'll be out, if we win, we'll go through.

05:52Saying special things that you've not managed to do so far this season in the Champions League,

05:59is that purely just managing the games?

06:02No, I've been in the Champions League for many years,

06:04I started my career as a manager, I've played this type of game many times.

06:08So not only do you have to play this type of game,

06:10you win, you go through, you don't win, you're out, so many.

06:14But it happens more in further stages, I wouldn't say right now,

06:20but we are here for the reasons that we know, that we are not good enough,

06:24but in this situation I live in many, many times.

06:28I'll go to Warnick for these guys to get through the rest.

06:30Hi Pep, what do you expect from Club Brugge,

06:32because they're in a similar situation where they need to get something from the game

06:36to stay in the top 24?

06:38I don't know, they expect a tough, tough opponent.

06:42When a team is 20, 21 games unbeaten, no loss, it's because they are good,

06:48otherwise there are no secrets about that.

06:51And I saw the games, and I saw the reason why when I play against Aston Villa

06:56or play against... that they beat them, or Juventus in the last games,

07:01or against Milan they play good, and the way we play against Celtic,

07:05the Glasgow, the games against Genk, they have leaks, so they do really well.

07:10Different variations in the beat-up, in a man-marking situation,

07:16and always uncomfortable for that, and you have to read well what you have to do.

07:19But of course in every team, Manchester City included, there are weaknesses,

07:25and you have to try to discover all of them, and try to punish them.

07:30Hi Pep, this group of players have got lots of experience in big games,

07:33big finals, big semi-finals, do you think that these kind of moments

07:36bring the best out of them?

07:38I hope so, yeah, I hope so.

07:41I know they want it, I know how focused they are,

07:45and I don't have doubts that we'll perform like we have to do to go through,

07:52but with football, you never know.

07:57Pep, when it comes to these big matches, do you do anything different personally

08:00when it comes to talking to the players before the match,

08:03or is it because of their experience they know what they're going to say?

08:06Like I said with Jack right now, I don't think about that,

08:07I'm thinking about what is the game plan,

08:09what I have to introduce to the players, what Bruce behaves, and that is important.

08:15I don't want emotions today, tomorrow we'll see, and we'll calm our minds,

08:20sometimes I talk, sometimes I don't, so we'll see.

08:23Hi Pep, before Rodri was here, you had Ferdinand Dinho as your key central midfielder,

08:30I know you never want to replace Rodri,

08:32but is it a priority for you to try and get someone,

08:34a bit like you've done with Mammoosh for Erling,

08:36someone who can support Rodri,

08:38just going forward to give you more depth in the future?

08:42Is it about the transfer window?

08:45Yeah, just generally about how important is that position for you?

08:47It is, of course it is.

08:50The central defenders, it is.

08:51Every position is important, they perform well,

08:54and of course we have to replace Rodri this time with the two players,

09:01they are not proper, proper holding midfielders for many reasons,

09:04but yeah, we'll see in the future what we have to do.

09:11Hi coach, a couple of years ago you played Bruges,

09:14you won 5-1 and 4-1 here at home,

09:17when the outside world looks at the game, Manchester City, Club Bruges,

09:21maybe they expect the same, do you expect a stronger Bruges than back then?

09:26Yeah.

09:29It's different in the World Cup stage, now it's a final for both of us,

09:32especially for us of course, but yeah, it will be different.

09:36You told every team has weaknesses, what are the weaknesses of Bruges for you?

09:41I will tell to my players, I will not tell to you.

09:43Hi coach, you told us that Bruges has taken some steps compared to three years ago,

09:49what steps did they take, in your opinion?

09:54Mainly for example I remember Lange, the left winger in Bruges years ago,

09:58he was not strong defensively, he would get punished in that side,

10:03in that time now I don't see any player with the commitment that they have defensively.

10:08I think the patterns are really, really good,

10:11I think the patterns are really, really good,

10:13especially with the whole Dimitrij Ovtcharov, he's number 30,

10:18he can move in different positions, create overlaps in a position,

10:22over players in a certain position when he is,

10:26and of course Maneken is an exceptional player,

10:29for long balls, for link with them and fast players in there,

10:36and of course you have to be focused,

10:38especially the way we have to attack and the position that they are marking,

10:43because I don't know which the shape,

10:46I would say what they are going to do,

10:50you know which player is going to jump,

10:51which player is going to do it,

10:52you have to read perfectly what you have to do to create the spaces to attack them.

10:59Just a very short question about Kevin De Bruyne,

11:02how is he doing, he played against PSG,

11:05a little bit against Chelsea,

11:07is he fit to play?

11:09Yeah, he's fit, really well.

11:10He will play tomorrow?

11:12I will tell my players first.

11:15Thank you, guys.

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