Guardiola on importance of champions league football for Manchester City as they head to Fulham

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Guardiola on importance of champions league football for Manchester City as they head to Fulham  23/05/2025  CGA, Manchester, UK

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00:00Hello Pat, how much does it help you and your team this weekend that you've got the clarity

00:26of knowing that if you win you qualify for the Champions League and achieve the the target that you reset?

00:33Well it's better arriving in the in the last games like it depends on you of course in Fulham as well

00:40but it depends on us yeah it's better. You've obviously got a lot of experience of getting the

00:45job done on the final day maybe not in terms of finishing in the top four but what what's the

00:50secret to it do you pay attention to anything else do you look at any other scores keep across it or

00:55do you just focus on yourselves? We have to look at ourselves look at ourselves we need one point to

01:02to go the Champions League next season and you have to go to win against a top side. Can I ask about

01:09Rodri obviously he made his comeback the other night what's the reaction to that being amongst everyone

01:13and him physically as well is he okay to feature again if needed? Yeah we're really pleased as back

01:21uh really pleased for the reaction for our people to him I'm pretty sure he's so pleased in that

01:28uh but it's a long way still to be what Rodri was and I guess will be next season so when we'll start to be

01:37uh the Rodri not in the the way like we have seen it before the injured like I played 70 games I play every

01:47three days I think we'll take even longer for that because the experience in this time of surgery is

01:53always you have to be careful otherwise you have muscular problems and

01:58um and this kind of stuff but it's the first step so for his mind for his knee but still

02:07still is not it's not you know to see Rodri what do we know him is everyone fit

02:14uh yeah except I think so except John the rest is fit yeah thank you

02:21Hi Pat um given the importance that you put on the Champions League each year

02:27is Fulham therefore now the biggest and the most important game of the season? By far yeah

02:33we have to do we have to deal like a game prepare well and but of course it's really really important

02:39first because it's an exceptional team so when I saw it yesterday and today I said wow it will be a

02:45a real tough game you have a good build-up well organized so they have everything everything the

02:52team has done could not be differently when the season the best uh season they have done in the

02:58Premier League in history and Marco is working with the team from long long time they know exactly what

03:04they have to do they have a good central defenders fullbacks good keeper long balls Jimenez is a

03:11winner guy and the pace with Iwobi with Adama with uh the other quality in smaller spaces they are top top

03:18side what's what's the cost if you don't get in the Champions League I would tell you after the game

03:24it doesn't happen why we don't think we're going to do it the guys asked me about uh the day before

03:30against Bournemouth is going to win or going to lose so why always you ask me about what happened

03:35if we are not it will happen we are right so we'll see and does the experience of all those final days

03:41that you've had in the past do you think that'll help your squad on Sunday no no every game every

03:46competition every players and every situation is completely different hey Pep good afternoon um obviously

03:54for um for Kevin it's a significant day the the last day in a Manchester City shirt what about the

04:01rest of the squad do you know now in your own mind how this squad's going to change this summer

04:06but we'll see now I'm completely just focusing on Sunday and after the club we take the decisions

04:14we have to take but do you know how many players for example no are likely to go no you've not given that

04:21any thought at all listen if I would know it I'm pretty sure I admire you a lot I will not tell you

04:27so that's for sure can I ask you about Phil do you do you do you expecting I'm going to tell you

04:31there is four or five players I'm going to tell you the names are going to leave and the signs are going

04:35to come do you think you expect I'm going to tell you this today now we're playing that just a rough idea

04:41on numbers no no honestly do you think in the question I'm going to answer you after how many years

04:46we are together here I'm going to tell you how many players going to leave in a massive important

04:50game before of us and I'm going to tell you I'm going to meet the 22 players at in the squad

04:55come on it's not going to happen that you should know it can I ask you about Phil because there's a

05:00lot of talk of Phil's um mental tiredness physical tiredness how concerned are you about

05:06Phil because he was such a big star for you last year that's true uh Phil Phil said that and

05:13of course has not been but not for him for all of us but you know his family for him is a he's a baby

05:21baby baby boy he's in the academy is becoming wanna start with us and all I want we want to help him so

05:29that is the most important thing I thought he needs rest and it's going to happen now after Sunday and

05:35and step by step he's going to come back is what we want I just wanna wanna wanna help him that is what just

05:41we want on him I don't I don't care about his performance on the pitch I want to feel good

05:48feel good and after the rest will come in an easy way hi Pep after the Bournemouth game you said

05:57if you've still got a big squad here you will quit next season how serious were you being with that

06:02or is it just a joke for yourself I was laughing when I said that I'm not going to uh but the expression

06:11is the same so I don't want that you know have players at home with families when the team is

06:16playing everyone has to have the chance to play become you know compete each other to you know the

06:22best of all of us so that is the most important thing that's why when you have a lot a lot of of

06:28of course there are interest during the season but if it happened the season will be a problem

06:32but always we expect next season will become a little bit different you know knowing they have

06:36a lot of games no rest in the summertime this kind of stuff but the last I don't know three weeks a

06:43month four or five players four or five players six players at home and that is not healthy for any

06:49any of us for them especially for the club for me for everyone so that's why the club knows it the club

06:56is completely agree with me so and we're going to find the best way for all of us

07:01phil phil said that he has had an issue with his ankle uh was that a conversation that took place

07:07between the club and England about leaving him out or was it tooko's decision no no i don't know about

07:13the England national team but it's true that the long time is struggling with uh with the anchor yeah

07:17but what happened in the national team belong to to thomas and erling hasn't scored for the last

07:24three games since returning from injury is he just feeling his way back or is it to do with the

07:28service or what every game is going to play is getting better and on sunday is going to help us

07:33to qualify for the champions league next season thank you uh hi pep you're obviously without

07:39matteo kovacic on sunday listening to what you're saying about rodri earlier does that mean it's a bit

07:46too soon for him to start or given the magnitude can you can you start him no it's not going to start

07:51it's not ready to start and in terms of as you say having too many players at the moment does that

07:58mean that you're going to you're obviously not going to tell us the names and the numbers of

08:02people you might want to get rid of but does that mean you're going to have some awkward conversations

08:07with players after the season's finished that maybe some of them never never never is awkward when

08:12he's honest the conversations never ever so but we'll take in listen is belong to the club the club

08:19who take the conversations with the agents the players for the players maybe come or maybe leave

08:24because now everything is completely sometimes with the club when i talk to me i said don't talk to me

08:29now so do what you have to do because i'm enough concern about the teams about bournemouth about the

08:35crystal palace before and so santa before now fulham this is only i'm concerned

08:43will phil go with you to america or does he need that time to rest his

08:48and in principle we come to america yeah and and for players who might be might be leaving the club

08:56during the summer will they be traveling as well or will they i don't know i don't know yet i don't

09:00know and every single player i'm not involved i don't know when the club and after monday we'll

09:08see it and we start to talk about what do you have to do

09:10all right but just just on from that um is there a possibility that kyle might go to america with

09:17you sorry is there a possibility that kyle might go to america with you kyle walker no definitely not

09:22no and can i just talk about the the fulham game obviously it's been a different season for your

09:28for your team usually in sort of high pressure moments we expect always expect your team to get

09:32over the line and make sure they win that game there's no concern i presume from your part that in

09:36a pressure moment at fulham when you need a result that they they won't be able to to deliver in the

09:41way they have done in the past it's a really tough game away always have been you know the games we

09:50we play against fulham recently last year it's always two one three two so tight they have the

09:54incredible momentums and there we won but always in a tight game we play there to win the premier leagues

10:00because it was at the end of the season every time and i remember perfectly how tough we'd be

10:06tomorrow winning session but it's the solution is clear so we want to play in the champions league

10:09you have to take a result there so and that is the what we're going to do so and and yeah we see

10:18today tomorrow trainings how the people they are feed that we are going to play and in different

10:24shapes and different ways and see how the players are more fit and and focus and and go to london

10:32today the result we need hi pep um i know you've had a lot of injuries this season a heck of a lot

10:37i know as rob just said your captain left in january so is it too simplistic to say that if rodri

10:43had stayed fit you would have challenged for the title is that just too too easy to sort of say that

10:48many things happen not just about brother really will have been better than sure but there was many

10:53other challenges not just from brother and with regard to the club world cup if he grows

10:57into that tournament if you know if he can get back to fitness this is rodri yeah but that gives

11:02you a sort of really good chance of maybe winning it with him if he's back to his best world cup yeah

11:07the club world cup i don't know i don't know the competition is new listen what happened this year

11:13in the champions league and other competitions so step by step so so i'm sorry to tell you but i'm not

11:21really one second focus about the world cup you know it's been a real tough season and the last

11:27month have been really really tough winning really important games and i knew you know i said maybe here

11:34in the the team in the squad so i knew that this season arrived in the last moment 95 minutes fulham

11:42will be decided you know decide if we're playing champions league next season or not and i was not

11:46wrong so i knew it that arrived until until the end in the last corner and and you have to be ready

11:54hi pep i'm afraid i've got another club world cup question um james mcatee said he would have to maybe

11:59decide on playing at the club world cup or the the under 21 euros i think rico lewis has been left out of

12:05the senior england squad as well has a decision been taken on either of those two players

12:09uh not yet uh it normally happen when when go to the world cup or european cup what happened when

12:19when uh i would say we are running holidays so that's why they go but now is the situation is here

12:26they have to talk i don't know if now make a joke joke joke i'm so funny guys so i don't know who's

12:33going to pay the salary in these months it's a national teams or the club when they decide to go to

12:38under 21 so i don't know who's going to to pay it but uh he's going to decide i would say

12:47uh the players with the club they have to talk with the sport director and they have to decide

12:52what they want to do do you have any input in that in terms of would you like i know i know then

12:58the the lead the manager for under 21 asked to the club both players to go to under 21 you know to

13:05the euro but i don't know the resolution right now

13:15you

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