Guardiola says unhappy players can leave following Sterling’s transfer comments

Pep Guardiola’s Friday press conference was dominated by one topic: Raheem Sterling.

The Manchester City forward revealed on Thursday that he would be open to leaving the club and playing abroad due to his lack of minutes on the pitch.

While being asked about the topic ahead of the Burnley game, Guardiola also repeatedly referred back to Sterling and his squad rotation when discussing John Stones or dealing with being dropped during his playing days.

Below we’ve got all the main comments Guardiola made about Sterling in the first half of his press conference.

It’s news to us!

The former Barcelona manager admitted he wasn’t aware his No.7 was considering his future, nor he claimed, did City.

“I didn’t know it. I think the club [didn’t know] neither,” he told reporters via video link. “Raheem is our player, hopefully he will be an incredibly important player for us. I don’t know if he wants to play more. Riyad doesn’t play and [doesn’t] complain, Joao [Cancelo] doesn’t play [and complain].

“Players want to play all the time but I cannot assure them. The players know, I spoke many times with them; I cannot assure how many minutes every player is going to play. Always they have to speak on the grass and the pitch. That is the best moment. Not Raheem, all of them.

“They have the opportunity because they know they are going to play minutes. I’m not a guy who only plays 11 players and that’s all. All of them are involved. What I want from Raheem and for everyone is to be happy. Be happy, be satisfied to be here and delighted to be in this club.

“If that’s not the case they are free to make the best decision for him and his family, for all the people who love them. This is the most important thing; they have to be happy. Game time, I understand. I was a player and all the time I wanted to play.”

Can Sterling do more?

There may have been a thinly veiled message from Guardiola later on in the press conference, that the only way players can change his mind is by what they “do it on the pitch” and if they can “train harder”.

“I would love to give them all minutes, but I don’t have an alternative,” he said. “I can only pick 11 players, no more than that. For many reasons, I cannot assure anyone, not John [Stones], not Kevin [De Bruyne], not Ruben [Dias], not Phil Foden. Everyone has to try and do it on the pitch.

“Raheem in that case is so important for us. He competes with Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Ferran [Torres], Gabriel [Jesus], Riyad [Mahrez] Bernardo [Silva]. It’s the reality in the top clubs. Sometimes it’s difficult for me to take a decision to play one player, but there is no alternative. The way is to train harder.

“The moment he is going to play, now show you are right to not select me. The only thing I knew as a player and football manager, how you react in these situations.”

Players can “decide” in the transfer in window

After discussing players’ happiness, Guardiola moved the conversation on to a last solution if a squad member isn’t content: sealing a transfer move away.

“At the end there is a transfer window and you have to decide. I don’t want to see the players unhappy or a little bit upset. It is not the end of the world. There are many teams, many clubs, many managers, so you can do what you want. We don’t push barriers on that.

“Just make a phone call to the club and sort the situation. I’m not talking just for Raheem, but for all the players. You have to be there and fight and be good. After in the transfer windows, that is the moment to decide.

“When it’s finished, you have to accept my decisions. I’m the manager, I have to make the decisions for the team. I don’t make decisions that benefit the player. I’m thinking about what is the best for the team, to win games, to make happy the fans, the organisation, the bosses, the owners.”

Treating everyone equally

To round off a rather strange set of responses from Guardiola, the 50-year-old explained that he must treat all his squad members the same, whether that’s a recent academy graduate or one of the world’s top stars.

“Raheem played in the final of the Champions League, he’s so important for us,” Guardiola explained. “Many players are so important. But I have to treat Cole Palmer the same as De Bruyne.

“Why should I treat Kevin De Bruyne differently than Cole Palmer? Both have parents, girlfriends or wives or kids or friends. They are human beings. I treat the same the cooker and the team manager. Why should I treat them differently? There is no reason. Why should I treat differently an academy player to Jack Grealish? When I pick him it’s because it’s the best team to win the game. I take that decision because it is the best to win today.

“In my career, important players didn’t play in important games because I consider it and I think in this moment a player is important for many reasons I believe,” he continued. “When it’s going well everything is happy. When it’s not, the responsibility is on me. It’s just me, so that’s why I take the decisions for the best for the team, for the club, not for me.”