Pep congratulates Liverpool and talks about awful season

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola congratulates Liverpool and talks about awful season  27/04/2025  Wembley Stadium, London, UK

Transcript

00:00Well, just a moment before I start, on behalf of myself and all the club, we want to congratulate

00:07Liverpool Football Club for the Premier League victory.

00:13Well deserved, no doubt about that, fantastic team, so during one year, like it happened

00:20the last four years, they're going to retain the title and hopefully next season we can

00:23be better to compete until the end, that this season could not be possible.

00:28So, Liverpool, congratulations.

00:30After all the problems you've had this season with the team, what does it say about the group

00:37of players that you've managed to get to the final for the third year running?

00:40Yes, seven semi-finals in a row, the semi-finals speak highly, the volume is so, so high about

00:46this generation of players, this club itself, we are really pleased that we are there.

00:54I said many times the season has not been good because we define the season good or not,

00:58it's the Premier League, the consistency and always we have been that, always, but this

01:02season could not happen, but at the same time we try to avoid the damage, especially the most

01:09important thing, qualification for the Champions League, you have to be calm now, recover because

01:14it's a steady of this grass, always the fatigue is there, but you have five days against a team

01:19like Vols, like coming for five, six victories in a row and it's playing really, really good and

01:24we have a four-finals and after, of course, really, I'm very, really pleased to play against Crystal Palace

01:29that yesterday, when you saw the game, how good they are.

01:35Hi Pep, it's just me, some of the players who played today, like Lewis, O'Reilly, are we seeing a bit of the future

01:41maybe of your team going forward?

01:45They cannot do it alone, they cannot do it alone, so the young players always perform well.

01:49Yeah, both have been extraordinary, not for the goal from Rico and Nico that, you know, again, they play really, really good.

01:59Yeah, really pleased, I think Rico helped us a lot as a full-back in bird, full-back inside, but I think his

02:07perfect position is a pocket, because he moves in smaller spaces like Phil, they have the ability in smaller spaces,

02:15they have to be aggressive in the next action, so Rico, since the land arrived with us, always has been really, really good.

02:24You mentioned Phil, did you leave Phil and De Bruyne on the bench just as a selection thing, they're not injured or anything?

02:30No, no, no, I tried to make the selection, rotate a little bit, but for the way we want to do it,

02:37when I play I decide for that player and step by step, I feel we'll be back like he was, an amazing player.

02:46You talked a lot this season about control and maybe not having control of games as much as you would have liked,

02:51but today you had Kovacic, four players really in that central midfield in the first half,

02:56do you think that gave you that kind of stability that you've been looking for in control?

02:59Our process was a little bit better, they follow man-marking in the middle and they are so aggressive.

03:04With them, with this type of game, the only we miss and after that we could break, after that process,

03:10we could break the lines in the middle and have to be more aggressive and we miss that a little bit.

03:16But I didn't want to be an open game with Jose Nodoy, Lange in the second half or Woods or Gibbs-White.

03:28And of course help us, the first minute score a goal, but even with that we continue to play at that tempo,

03:33we had a chance in the final third, we were not clever enough, pretty enough, they had chances in the post,

03:38we cannot deny that, they had chances of course, we cannot deny that, but I think the game in general,

03:55apart of the actions that they had was really well played and we cannot forget.

04:01So, they have one game at hand, if they win it, they are in front of us in the Premier League,

04:05so they have done it better, so we know which opening we are facing.

04:08And the team with more clean sheets in the Premier League and we could, too, have more chances.

04:14So, yeah, really pleased to be in the final again.

04:19Hi Pep, just on Rico, when did you kind of decide that you were going to start him in midfield and how pleased are you?

04:28Yesterday or the day before, I started to see my mind two days ago and today we decided, yesterday anyway.

04:36And he's not had an easy season, he's played a lot, he's not played too much in recent weeks,

04:41but bringing him back in for a game of this importance just kind of shows how much you trust him.

04:46I don't have any doubt, there are some players, they are always, I speak to them, so they are judged or they believe,

04:52I don't appreciate them just for the fact, don't play or don't play.

04:55And Rico, I give you the hand to show his quality and he proved it, so I don't have any doubt of his quality.

05:03It's duktile, I'm playing in different positions, left back, right back, in birth,

05:08he's not a player like Mateos or maybe up and down, but he's a player who has the quality to do it,

05:12so, yeah, really pleased in that sense.

05:15Hi Pep, saying on Rico, do you think playing as number 10 is a position we can see him moving forward?

05:21No, it's a pocket, it's a pocket position, 8, 10.

05:26He moves really well in the small spaces.

05:29Sometimes when we play not good like the season, it's not necessary,

05:32but when we play really good and control and drop the opponents in the final third,

05:36players can move in the smaller spaces, it's really important.

05:41Enrico's one of the best I've ever seen, it's one of the best.

05:44His reception, his controls, his rhythm is really good.

05:48And after that, he scored a fantastic goal but had this quality,

05:51I remember we played this season two or three times in the post,

05:54and actions he missed being in the penalty spot.

05:57He's a guy in the final third after that, he likes to be there.

06:00And, yeah, he proved it today.

06:04Hi Pep.

06:05The sort of box midfield that you're playing, is that here to stay?

06:09Is that how you want to play?

06:10Sorry?

06:11The way you're playing in midfield at the moment with the two in front of us,

06:15is that here to stay?

06:16No.

06:17Today.

06:18And yesterday.

06:19But maybe tomorrow, no.

06:20But you've done it a couple of times in the last couple of weeks as well,

06:23sort of similar things.

06:24Yeah, I would do it, but it's not going to happen.

06:29If I use it a lot, a lot, a lot, the opponent is going to take it tricky.

06:32It's going to find, and after you have to do it again,

06:35you have to do something different to see where the space is more clever or more clear.

06:40But this is true, especially the build-up with these four players,

06:44help us to have more process.

06:46And just after that, you have to, at the moment we contact for the full-backs

06:51or for wingers or for that, a little bit more aggressive in that.

06:55But we will improve for the timing.

07:02Hi Pep.

07:03If you can win the FA Cup and finish in the top five and qualify for the Champions League,

07:07would that be a successful season given?

07:09No.

07:10I've said many times.

07:11You've never heard this happen.

07:12No.

07:13The season has not been good.

07:14All things considered, you know.

07:16We are a thousand million points behind Liverpool.

07:19Come on.

07:20So it's not good.

07:22The season has not been good.

07:24Champions League.

07:25Look at the Champions League.

07:27One game, two games we win.

07:30We were a machine in that.

07:32We have not been good.

07:33Of course, the damage will be meaner.

07:35So it's not going to confuse the five qualified champions to win the FA Cup,

07:39with all respect for Crystal Palace.

07:41In order to confuse it, the season has been good.

07:43No.

07:44We have to take the decision.

07:45The club has to take the decision.

07:46The right ones to the next season will be better.

07:48No.

07:49No.

07:50No, no, no.

07:51Thank you, bro.

07:54Amen.

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