Stefan Ortega and Pep Guardiola on Champions League progress and Red Star
Stefan Ortega and Pep Guardiola on Champions League progress and Red Star
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00:00 Stefan, Stefan, headset if you need it, if there's any Serbian.
00:04 Good evening guys, hope you're well. I can see mics on either side of the room,
00:08 so if you can just put your hand up so there's no lights, ask a question.
00:10 We'll take questions from English-speaking media first, please,
00:13 and then from anything in Serbian.
00:15 We'll start with Stefan, please, so if we could take questions for Stefan Ortega,
00:19 and then we'll take questions for the manager after that.
00:21 Somewhere to start, please?
00:23 Martin? Just here, please, at the front.
00:27 Hi, Stefan, the squad list has come out and Ederson's not here,
00:32 so are you expecting to play tomorrow?
00:34 I think so, yes.
00:36 Nice for you to get a game.
00:39 Again, sorry?
00:40 Nice for you to get a game in the Champions League.
00:43 Of course, I'm happy for every game I get here,
00:47 and tomorrow could be the next chance for me to show my best version.
00:53 Yeah, of course.
00:55 How easy or difficult is it to come into a team when you're not playing all the time,
01:00 especially in your position as a goalkeeper?
01:02 How do you keep yourself mentally and physically up for it?
01:07 First of all, we have a lot of quality in this team,
01:11 so every training session is on a high level,
01:14 and then it's like I'm not in the beginning of my 20s,
01:18 so I have a lot of experience now to handle it.
01:23 And yes, it's just about being ready every time,
01:27 because you never know.
01:29 This is my key, to be ready, and then it's not so difficult to be ready.
01:35 Arman Abelian, Fast Media.
01:41 Stefan, we know your passing abilities are fantastic since your time in Armenia,
01:46 and that helps you in Manchester City.
01:49 What other special qualities should a goalkeeper have to be able to play for Manchester City?
01:56 Good question. I think first of all, he has to be a good shot-stopper,
02:02 because this is our main target as a goalkeeper, to save the balls.
02:06 And then, of course, you have to be good with the feets.
02:13 I think to play here for Manchester City, you need the full package of a keeper.
02:22 It means the build-up, control the space behind the last line,
02:27 and of course control the box and be a really, really good shot-stopper.
02:35 Just here at the front, please, in white.
02:38 Hi, Stefan. Last season couldn't have gone any better for the squad, really, winning the treble.
02:48 A few players have said it's been difficult to come on the back of that and get motivated again.
02:54 Others think it's been OK for them. How's it been for you?
02:59 It's been like last season. It's the second season for me here now,
03:06 before I played for the small average club in Germany.
03:10 I think I can't lose my head here or think it's normal what I've got here now.
03:19 For me it's easy, do the same like last season, be there every day, every training,
03:25 and if I play I try to play my best game.
03:30 Any more questions for Stefan?
03:35 Are we happy? Lovely.
03:37 Stefan, if you want to, Harry will take you.
03:40 Thank you, mate.
03:42 Same again, please, guys, if we can take a show of hands, we'll take questions to the manager.
03:53 Someone start, Jamie?
03:55 Hi, Pep. Kevin De Bruyne is hopefully back quite soon.
04:00 Recently you've had this dip in form.
04:02 Does that show how much you're looking forward to having him back?
04:05 You might have made the difference in these games.
04:07 Is that what you're hoping as the season goes on?
04:10 He can be a bit of an X-factor maybe for you?
04:12 Of course I prefer Kevin is with us and all other players.
04:21 I'm not going to discover the quality of Kevin, so of course we need him.
04:27 But since he's not coming back, you have to handle the situation with the players we have at our disposal.
04:36 You're very good at reading your team and how they're playing and the performances.
04:40 Have you generally been happy with your team's performance, even though the results weren't so good?
04:44 Did you still feel you were playing how you would like?
04:48 Yes, generally I'm happy. It could be better. It could be worse.
04:54 It's just a question of having no good results.
05:00 Take the positives as we think and the good results as we can.
05:05 Analyse, you know, we can do better.
05:09 Managers have to be within the average, in the balance.
05:12 Don't be so excited and at the same time don't be so depressed.
05:17 It's so long, so we're happy to be here.
05:21 We've already qualified against a historical club that won the Champions League with incredible generation of players years ago.
05:30 I remember I was a kid and I said, "How good they are."
05:34 Puskineski, Mihajlovic and Pandev, incredible, incredible players.
05:38 We're happy to be here to defend our prestige and try to finish well this group of stages.
05:45 Pep, Erling Haaland didn't train today and hasn't travelled. Is there any update on his fitness at all?
05:53 No, he will be back Thursday, the day after tomorrow.
05:58 We'll see how he feels.
06:01 Do you think he could play on Saturday against Palace?
06:04 I cannot answer you, I don't know right now.
06:07 At the next press conference I could be more precise about his conditions.
06:12 You've got a chance, Pep, to be at a perfect group stage and win all six games.
06:17 I think only one English team has ever done that before. Is that something that motivates you?
06:23 Normally when you think about this kind of thing, nobody has done it.
06:26 Normally you don't do it either.
06:28 It's a question of trying to do the game, trying to perform well.
06:36 And of course we prepare the game to win it.
06:42 You've been without Kevin for all of this season, Gundu left in summer and Rodri's been missing for a few games.
06:52 How much of a challenge has it been to have an entirely new midfield this season?
06:58 Yes, many times when you have unstable positions with many players.
07:03 Last season, the core of the team was with these players that you mentioned.
07:10 In this new season, of course, the word is not 'miss something'.
07:15 It's just to change something and you have to maybe give a little bit more time to adapt.
07:20 But I have the feeling so far it was good.
07:23 I don't have the feeling that we drop a lot, I don't want to weigh you playing or whatever.
07:28 But you are a standard, so we lost one game in the last six or seven and it's a big disaster.
07:35 So we just lost one game.
07:37 In the other ones we drew it but we performed really, really well.
07:41 But that is what we want in the past.
07:45 We used to, the people used ourselves to not happen much.
07:50 But that is the point.
07:53 Not for the fact that we won in Luton, OK, everything is solved.
08:01 But not even when we were not able to win four games, that it was absolutely over.
08:08 So balance and prepare tomorrow.
08:11 Start with the Crystal Palace, that was a home we struggled in the last years.
08:15 And after travel to Middle East to try to win one title that this club don't have.
08:22 And give a lot of prestige to this institution.
08:25 Is tomorrow a chance maybe for someone like Mateus to come in in a game where there is a bit less pressure on him?
08:32 The pressure has to be there for ourselves.
08:36 But of course when you come here to take the points to qualify it's completely different.
08:40 I don't like the last chance, the last joker, the last chance to go away to play.
08:47 So if you start not really well you have to find a way to qualify, I prefer at home.
08:53 But fortunately we did our job, we won our games at home.
08:57 Especially we won two, but one is enough when you won all the games at home.
09:03 And we are lucky to come here and already qualify.
09:06 As you just said, you've already qualified, you've topped the group.
09:10 Is tomorrow a chance to maybe experiment with something a bit different?
09:13 No experiment, I don't know what we have to do.
09:15 We prepare the game, analyse the opponent to try to win the game.
09:18 Of course we are going to rotate some players.
09:24 But because we have three days, travel five, six hours, three days, three days, semi-final, potential, final.
09:30 So I'm very pleased tomorrow to see many players that didn't play lately be involved in the team.
09:39 Absolutely I'm very pleased.
09:43 Arman Abdelhamid, Fast Media.
09:45 Mister, I'm from Armenia and if possible I want to ask you about last season's Champions League final.
09:51 Inter Milan had a big absence in that game because a key midfielder, Herik Mkhitaryan,
09:57 wasn't ready to start the game and he played just some minutes.
10:01 How did that affect on the game?
10:03 And because you know Mkhitaryan also from Bundesliga, from Premier League,
10:08 how do you rate him as a midfielder? Thank you.
10:11 He's an excellent player. How did that affect the game on Inter Milan?
10:14 You have to ask Zimone.
10:16 So I don't know. Of course he's an excellent player.
10:19 I remember when I was in Munich, he played in Dortmund with Thomas Tuchel and the impact was really good.
10:25 And after Borussia Dortmund, Man United and now Inter Milan, so top clubs.
10:33 I met him twice in Manchester restaurant and I know he's a lovely, lovely guy.
10:42 Quality is there. But the impact in the final, I don't know.
10:47 Just advice.
10:49 Respect to mister...
10:51 I'm sorry.
10:53 Respect to mister Gavrtiola.
10:57 Dusan Ušcević from Serbia, Portal Telegraph.
11:02 You talked about Serbia, Serbian football, Serbian hospitality, fans.
11:09 What's your plan to feel Serbian hospitality here in Belgrade, with friends,
11:17 to visit maybe a restaurant with Serbian music or something like that after the game?
11:22 If you have time.
11:25 We don't have time.
11:27 We cannot travel.
11:29 We cannot go to the restaurants and music and dance like you say.
11:33 Right after the game I have to come back to Manchester.
11:39 But maybe in summer time I have the opportunity to come here.
11:42 I will speak in English, it's okay.
11:50 Mister Gavrtiola, as you're probably familiar with the atmosphere here on the stadium,
11:55 in terms of that, what do you expect?
11:57 And my second question will be, as you probably know,
12:01 this is the last time that a group stage in Champions League will be played.
12:05 Next year will be the other format.
12:08 Will you miss this format and what do you think about the upcoming change?
12:13 Thank you.
12:14 So I don't know.
12:16 We'll see if we'll adapt.
12:20 Hopefully we can be there, because we have to fight a lot to be there next season.
12:26 So I will let you know how is the feeling in that format.
12:30 And I expect incredible atmosphere, always is here.
12:35 And the players always enjoy the manage as well to live this kind of atmosphere.
12:41 So it's much better than empty stadiums or silent stadiums.
12:45 So I know for many years I came here with Barcelona to play a game
12:51 and I know it was always really, really, really nice.
12:55 Miloš Simanović from Serbia.
13:01 I have two questions for coach Gavrtiola.
13:05 First, great Stefan Kosarke, great friend of Svetoslav Pešić,
13:11 did you keep in touch with him after the period in Bayern?
13:16 And second question, how do you remember your games here with Barcelona in 1996?
13:24 And the atmosphere, do you expect similar atmosphere and ambience?
13:28 Before you call, yeah, absolutely I expect a nice atmosphere.
13:37 It's incredible, like Pešić still is there with this energy.
13:42 So he gave the first Champions League trophy to Barcelona basketball.
13:47 So that's why in Barcelona I have incredible memories about him.
13:51 After we were more in touch when we were in Munich,
13:53 we both were managers football and basketball there.
13:56 And now it's a long time I don't in touch with him,
14:00 but if he can see this press conference or see it,
14:04 I send him an incredible hug, wish him all the best for him, his son.
14:09 I met him in Munich and I know he made an incredible Euro basket the last time.
14:16 And when I saw him, I saw his games, special semifinals,
14:20 and still there, so it's incredible how his age has his incredible energy,
14:26 you know, to shout to the players and put pressure.
14:34 So yeah, it's an incredible legend.
14:37 So how many years and doing really well in many different teams,
14:41 in national teams, so yeah, really good.
14:44 Last question there, please.
14:46 Masha Vukovic, Ona TV, welcome to Belgrade.
14:49 I will speak in English.
14:51 Welcome to Belgrade, it's a huge honor to have you here.
14:54 My question is how do you prepare for the games like this
14:57 when practically everything is over?
14:59 You're first in this group, where do you find the motivation?
15:02 In the same way.
15:04 The men to the players they have to perform,
15:07 because the big clubs they find in the bad moments and the good ones and everything.
15:12 So prepare the game like we have done the first game in Manchester,
15:15 the same, the same way.
15:17 This morning we prepared really well, we traveled,
15:20 we have the meetings and I hope we can do a good game.
15:24 Thank you, guys.
15:26 Good night, thank you.
15:27 [BLANK_AUDIO]