Guardiola on Burnley win and title race
Guardiola on Burnley win and title race
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00:00 [SIDE CONVERSATION]
00:26 Can I ask you, I mean, such a good night for you tonight in terms of players back from injury,
00:31 Alvarez scoring two goals, three more points. How happy are you tonight?
00:35 Well, the game was not over until the end, this is my feeling.
00:40 So we found the goals because I think for the quality of the players that we have,
00:44 but not because we control the game.
00:45 Being in the midfield is difficult for the way they defend, it was not easy to do it.
00:49 But the attitude and the willingness to do what you have to do, I've been there and today was there.
01:00 And yeah, we could have scored more goals, but at the end, yeah, it's fine.
01:08 So of course we are really pleased that everybody is back and has the whole squad ready.
01:13 And this is important for what is coming.
01:17 Can you tell us the story of the second goal? Because there seemed to be a lot of celebrations on the bench.
01:22 No, today the modern football set-pieces are really important.
01:25 We won the FA Cup against Sport with a corner and today we prepared Carlos and Jack.
01:32 So I'm not involved in anything about the set-pieces because I'm not good, or the other ones are better.
01:42 I don't have time, I would say.
01:47 But we are preparing things in the corners sometimes, like every team does.
01:52 So it's not because we are different than the other ones, but especially we prepared this free-kick and it works.
02:00 Of course Kevin had to make the perfect pass and Julian had to make the movement, the good finishing for Julian.
02:08 But at the end, someone had to say 'OK, we are going to do this'.
02:12 And all credit for Carlos and Jack.
02:15 And Arsenal won this week, Liverpool have won tonight.
02:18 How do you relish the challenge now? It's looking like a three-horse title race.
02:23 How would you relish that?
02:26 So I don't know, we are there. It's important that we are there.
02:30 So I know now in the first part of the season there are a lot of games.
02:35 Now we are discounting games and we know the redraw points, the quality that Arsenal and Liverpool have.
02:42 And maybe another one.
02:45 But we did our job, now we recover and on Monday we go to our place.
02:49 Like last season we could not win just even one point.
02:52 It has been really, really tough.
02:55 And yeah, one game at a time and we'll see what happens.
03:00 Simon? Your team is winning regularly, again.
03:06 You've got De Bruyne back, you've got Haaland back.
03:11 Does the fact that you've been down this road before, you've won titles, you've won all these trophies,
03:17 does that help you into February and March when the matches get harder and the importance of them goes up?
03:28 So I don't know. I'm a big fan of what happened in the past, it's going to happen in the present, it's going to happen in the future.
03:36 The reality is when we won 18 games in a row, 14 or 15 to win the titles, never thought to win 14, 15 or 18.
03:43 So we were there thinking, OK, we won this one.
03:46 We know if we lose that game we will be in trouble.
03:49 We have to win it, one step at a time, one game at a time.
03:53 And we did it and I think we're going to do it again.
03:55 So now we are up, looks like in February, no, we said in February, a lot of games.
04:00 I know that in the Premier League, again, especially this Liverpool that everybody knows,
04:06 it's the same Liverpool we faced during seven, eight years, and Arsenal.
04:10 So since Miquel, the first season settled the squad and now he's there.
04:17 So I don't have the feeling that they're going to drop much points.
04:21 And that's why we have to win as many games as possible, one at a time,
04:28 and at the end we'll see what happens.
04:31 Frank?
04:32 Pep, on Haaland, is there a plan in place in terms of minutes or how long?
04:38 Is it like day-to-day kind of decision?
04:42 If today was 7-0 at half-time, maybe we would have played more minutes.
04:46 With 1-0 maybe we would have played no real one minute, I don't know.
04:50 So I don't have many plans before the game.
04:53 But with 3-0 and playing 25 at first, I saw him sharp.
04:59 So the feeling that he was there, you have clear chances,
05:04 but a 3-0-4 that the control or the pass from Jeremy didn't see him,
05:09 or whatever it is, can't score.
05:12 This is the quality for an Erling, you cannot imagine.
05:16 He's really good the last two months without him, but with him, we are a better team.
05:22 We are really pleased that he's back.
05:25 Is Julian making it hard for himself to drop out?
05:29 They can play together. Julian is an exceptional player, they can play together.
05:35 Now he's really pleased, maybe it's a little more headache for me,
05:41 you know, to select him, but it's good that we had to compete,
05:46 between each other, to get a better position.
05:49 When you were talking there about having the feeling that Arsenal and Liverpool
05:53 aren't going to drop many points, is that when you feel like your players are at their best?
05:57 When they know they've got to win every game?
05:59 After winning what they won, we need that pressure.
06:03 It's a benzine to be active.
06:08 When you are flat against those teams, I don't have the feeling I had in the past.
06:14 When we won a lot of games in a row, we had the feeling that Liverpool were not dropping points.
06:19 Now we have that feeling. You see the way they win games.
06:23 Most of them are not comfortable, but winning, they deserve to win.
06:31 We know that, we have to be ready, the players know it.
06:37 It's what has happened in these many years.
06:39 We push each other every time, and until the end I think we'll try to do the same.
06:45 I know you can't guarantee that you are going to win loads of games in a row,
06:48 but are you at least confident now that the players will at this point approach it in the right way?
06:53 They're always going to have the right mentality at this stage of the season,
06:56 whatever happens on the pitch.
06:57 I would say the right mentality is there.
07:00 I don't have any doubts about it, but I'm saying that right mentality will lose the game.
07:05 They have no right mentality, they have no consistency.
07:08 They are like a year this season.
07:13 It's not that. I think we're going to try, but knowing that we're going to travel.
07:21 Brentford didn't win one point, and in the past we won always with 1-0, 2-1.
07:26 Always with results so, so tight.
07:28 I know it's difficult, but this is the only way I'm concerned.
07:30 Tomorrow we relax, and on Monday we have two days to prepare and focus on that.
07:35 And after we'll see.
07:37 The important thing is that my feeling is that we're still there, and this is nice.
07:41 This is really, really nice after where we came from.
07:44 Obviously, Julian Alves is already a very good footballer,
07:49 but do you see in him the potential to be in that next bracket above,
07:53 to be considered one of the best players in the world, do you think, eventually?
07:56 Julian, for his age, for the numbers in the Premier League,
07:59 who is involved, not just scoring goals, what he gives to all the teams,
08:03 is unbelievable. He's world champion.
08:06 So play Alonso Messi, Di Maria, Enzo Fernandez, all the top players from Argentina.
08:14 He's playing. If you are not good, you cannot play in that team.
08:18 You cannot.
08:20 You can play in three different positions, have an incredible sense,
08:25 help us with the intensity to run.
08:27 That's really good.
08:29 You said that you don't expect Arsenal and Liverpool to drop many points
08:34 since your time in England. You've never really had a three-horse title race.
08:38 How does that change? How do you think about it?
08:41 The thing is, it's not just three.
08:44 I don't know what they are, but Tottenham are still there,
08:47 and Aston Villa is still there.
08:52 Yeah, apparently, but it can't change anything.
08:55 My feeling when I see Arsenal playing is they control many aspects of the game.
08:59 When you see Liverpool, it's quite similar, all three.
09:03 When you see the games, every game they are better than the other.
09:06 You can lose games, yeah, of course, but in terms of they are better.
09:10 And I know how strong they are, but still we are there, and we want to continue.
09:16 Last one, Richard, please, guys.
09:18 I think last season you had a go at your players for not defending Rico Lewis enough,
09:22 I think it was at Tottenham.
09:24 Today, when he got pushed by Connor Roberts, they all ran over and defended him.
09:28 Does that make you proud? Does that show you how together this team is?
09:32 Yeah, we improve. We are a better team.
09:36 It does make you feel alive, yeah, of course.
09:39 Our season was flat in that period, so that is better.
09:43 We have to defend ourselves, nobody is going to defend us, that's for sure.
09:48 Thank you, good night.
09:51 Good night.
09:54 [BLANK_AUDIO]