The Manchester City manager spoke to the press ahead of Tuesday's Champions League game against RB Leipzig.
Pep Guardiola addressed the media on Monday ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League clash against RB Leipzig this week.
The European champions have won all four group-games so far this season and need just a point against the German side to secure top spot. City should feel confident ahead of the encounter and have scored 13 goals across two previous home games against Leipzig, including the 7-0 win in March en route to winning the competition.
Guardiola implied after Saturday’s draw against Liverpool that City would rotate their team in the midst of a busy period of the season, but on Monday the 52-year underlined the importance of gaining top spot in the group.
The City boss also gave a touching tribute to former Barcelona manager Terry Venables following his sad passing on Sunday. Guardiola was a ball-boy at the Nou Camp during Venables' time in Catalonia and was asked about his memories of the former England manager.
Elsewhere, Guardiola gave an update on the latest team news and reacted to Kevin De Bruyne revealing that he will back in January following a long-term hamstring injury.
Guardiola also gave his view on Josko Gvardiol's development as a defender, whether he'd consider signing a new contract at City, and his thoughts on the emergence of new fans at the Etihad.
Here are the main bits from Guardiola’s pre-match press conference…
Guardiola implied after Saturday’s draw against Liverpool that City would rotate their team in the midst of a busy period of the season, but on Monday the 52-year underlined the importance of gaining top spot in the group.
5. De Bruyne returning in January
"He said this? If he said January, it will be January. I would have loved to have him all this season but now he has tough injury and surgery and he has to recover well. He said end of December or happy new year, so it will be a happy new year for everyone. “I think he would have preferred to be with us but football is a lot of years already, Kevin is not 21 anymore, time runs and unfortunately he had this injury. He has to recover and make a step back again. Recover well, prepare well and I’m not suspecting after one week that he will be perfect, but he needs time. From the beginning or one the bench he always is a good weapon for us. I am not going to discover the quality from Kevin.”
6. Gvardiol development
“Yeah, of course he can play as a central defender but we make a build-up with three. He can play in the position of Ruben [Dias] but having Nathan [Ake] or Josko in the left side as a build-up like a central defender. It is more full-back because in the past I discovered him against Leipzig two or three years ago playing full-back and he was really good."
7. On signing a new deal
"I have energy, I’m okay. I'm not going to answer. One year and a half is a lot of time in football. I arrived here with long hair and look what happened - eight years ago. I would have loved the team that won 100 points to stay eternally. All the clubs happen, time runs. When one player arrived, accept that position and then don't in two or three years. Players come from behind and push and after drop a little bit and sometimes players stay, sometimes they move. Even for myself. It's normal for everyone. But of course we have players and it’s fresh to listen to new things. But I can stay, I can leave."
8. New fans at Liverpool game
"The stadium is all the time full and we have to play as best as possible and create as much as possible to energise and make our people with us. I have the feel the team is playing really good. I reviewed a few moments, not all the game, against Liverpool to take some clips and use them for the game we are going to play tomorrow. Many things they’ve done really, really well. These guys, what they have done for many, many years, we love doing it together. The games last season, semi-finals, quarter-finals, important games like against Arsenal when we play for the Premier League, they were there like animals and we need that. In my humble opinion, to be successful we need our fans – all the time. Being here, thank you for coming because without that it is impossible. After together we are stronger. For them, be part of our game and it is much better for ourselves to feel that they are there. We play better. We have to do the first steps all the time, the first gesture, we have to do it. Tomorrow, hopefully they can come and enjoy the game here."
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.