Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on City fitness latest, Real Madrid and Luton challenge
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00:00 Good afternoon, guys.
00:07 Same process as ever, with mics on either side.
00:09 If you raise your hands, let us know you'd like to ask a question, please.
00:11 We'll come to as many of you as we can.
00:13 We'll set an embargo part way through for 10.30pm this evening.
00:16 So, where to start, please?
00:18 Is that with Stuart there?
00:20 Afternoon, Pep.
00:22 I wonder if we could just start with team news.
00:24 If you have any players struggling after Madrid,
00:27 particularly the likes of Foden, De Bruyne,
00:29 and how Karl Walker is?
00:31 We are training this afternoon,
00:33 and we will know better how they feel.
00:36 The challenge of Luton couldn't be more different
00:41 than the challenge of Real Madrid next week.
00:44 Is it difficult to concentrate solely on the Luton?
00:48 We have to.
00:50 The Premier League is so important,
00:52 and I expect a game more similar to what happened in the Premier League,
00:56 when we won 2-1 at the end.
00:58 Then the FA Cup, and we have to be ready.
01:02 It's 11 months, 10 months, fighting for the title.
01:06 We know the position that we are in,
01:08 and we cannot drop points.
01:10 In the title races, is it sometimes an advantage to play first
01:14 with Arsenal and Liverpool, not playing until Sunday?
01:17 It doesn't matter. We have to do the same job.
01:20 In the title races in the past, we played sometimes before, sometimes later.
01:25 We have to win a new game.
01:28 Sam?
01:29 After the game on Tuesday, Robbery said he felt as though he needed a rest.
01:37 First of all, is he likely to get that rest?
01:40 I know you've spoken about the demands on players before,
01:45 but if you beat Real Madrid, you won't get a midweek off now
01:49 until the end of the season, then there's the Euros,
01:52 then next season there's obviously a bigger Champions League and the Club World Cup.
01:57 What do you feel about players getting rest?
02:01 And for Robbery in particular, what's his physical state?
02:06 I didn't speak with him. If he needs rest, he will have rest.
02:11 Or not. I don't know.
02:14 I had the feeling that the game is tired, like we saw at Palace in Madrid.
02:21 The second half was better than the first half.
02:23 We ran more and were more precise in the second half than the first.
02:27 It depends on the team.
02:28 But more the physicality is the question.
02:31 Spend mental energy, playing every three days, three days, three days.
02:35 Of course it's tired, playing a lot of minutes is so important for us.
02:38 We'll decide tomorrow what we have to do.
02:41 You have players injured, a lot of other clubs have had a lot of injuries as well.
02:47 Do you think this is going to be a growing problem because the calendar is not reducing?
02:53 Absolutely.
02:55 Completely right.
02:58 It's getting worse and worse and worse.
03:07 The teams that play in European competitions will be getting worse and worse.
03:16 Can I just check on Ederson? Is he physically ready?
03:21 Is he about physicality or is Ortega the first choice?
03:25 No.
03:27 Ed is the first choice.
03:30 Is he ready to play tomorrow?
03:32 He was ready to play against Madrid, yes.
03:35 He's ready to play tomorrow, he's going to play the next game.
03:38 And we'll take the decision for many reasons.
03:44 Obviously you're used to Haaland being in a debate every match he plays,
03:49 especially when he doesn't score, which is rare.
03:52 But anyway, it's something that caught people's attention.
03:56 Do you think he needs to improve what he does outside of the box?
04:03 Do you think against Madrid it was more the case that the team didn't get close to him enough, like against Arsenal?
04:11 He's a young player, he has some departments in the game he has to improve.
04:15 A player who is 33 years old can have margins to improve.
04:20 But it's more about the team than him.
04:25 So do you think he was a bit too isolated in Bernabeu?
04:31 He scored three goals.
04:33 But he wasn't involved, was he?
04:37 I had two central defenders close to him, but really close to him is not easy.
04:41 It's the most difficult position on the pitch, the most difficult position is the striker.
04:46 Every player has one player, the easiest one is the central defender.
04:51 I have two and one striker.
04:53 But he has two players, and they were so tight, and really good defenders.
04:58 Madrid and most of the team.
05:00 It's the most difficult position.
05:05 The suggestion from Jamie Carragher on Haaland was about if he wants to win a Ballon d'Or and be the best player in the world overall,
05:13 then it's improving areas of his game.
05:16 I know you say players have to improve, but you've worked with players like Messi who have won the Ballon d'Or,
05:20 who are the best player in the world.
05:22 So specifically, how far is Haaland from that in his general game?
05:25 What areas do you think he needs to improve to get to that Ballon d'Or level?
05:29 Play more minutes, learn what you have to do.
05:34 The game plan.
05:35 But I don't know, the target is not winning the Ballon d'Or.
05:39 The target is winning the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup.
05:45 And he did it.
05:48 And without him it would not be possible.
05:51 We won last season five titles, without him, no chance.
05:55 Impossible.
05:56 And he's a key player for us.
05:58 And he improved because of his age, his desire, more games, more experience.
06:04 Arrived at the last stages of the competition, never happened in his career.
06:07 So this is his future.
06:11 But the same, it's not about Erling, it's about any player.
06:14 Even with 33 years old, you can be better.
06:19 Until you retire, you can be better.
06:22 I know you've not had training yet, but obviously when we last saw you in Madrid,
06:27 Phil Foden, you said he was hopefully OK.
06:30 What was the issue?
06:31 Was it a dead leg?
06:32 Was it an impact injury?
06:33 I would like to tell you, but I didn't see the team, I didn't speak with the doctors.
06:37 We trained this afternoon and now when we finish the press conference,
06:42 I will make a meeting and we will see how they feel.
06:44 Can I ask one final one on Kyle Walker?
06:47 I think you were hopeful given that his powers of recovery seem to be quite remarkable,
06:52 that he may be back for Real Madrid.
06:54 Is there a chance he might be back this weekend?
06:56 It's the same, I don't know right now.
06:57 You don't know?
06:59 I don't know right now.
07:00 Honestly.
07:01 I would tell you.
07:02 It's the same as I said, they are out, out and Josco was dubbed.
07:05 At the end, we had an incredible job, our physios, and he could play.
07:10 It's the same, so I don't know.
07:11 If he's ready, I would tell you, he's ready.
07:13 He can play.
07:14 Hi Pep, when a player like Rodri comes to you and says they're too tired,
07:19 they need a rest, how easy is it to say yes or do you have to ever say no to a player
07:23 and tell them they have to play?
07:25 If you play, they don't want to play, he's not going to play.
07:30 It's simple, another one is going to play.
07:32 If he's tired, if he's exhausted, it can happen.
07:35 Another player is going to play.
07:36 Is it a case of managing all these players in this really tight schedule?
07:42 Will you have to give Rodri a rest at some point?
07:44 No, I'm not just ready.
07:46 I would love to have a rest central defender, but we don't have one.
07:50 So for friendly games, injuries, we are in a bit of trouble.
07:58 So we cannot rest.
08:00 Hi Pep, why is Rodri so important in your game plan?
08:07 We just take a look at our games and you realise it's so important for the quality he gives us.
08:20 He needs to improve.
08:23 Him?
08:25 Yes, Rodri.
08:26 Everyone can improve.