Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on their shock 2-0 defeat to Juventus which leaves their UEFA Champions League qualification hopes in the balance
Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy
Courtesy of UEFA
Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy
Courtesy of UEFA
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SportsTranscript
00:00Good evening, guys. Same process as yesterday evening for those that were here.
00:07Please, we'll take a show of hands.
00:09Tell us when you'd like to ask a question.
00:10We'll come to English-speaking media first and then Italian-speaking media after that, please.
00:15So, where to start? In English? Joe, just here at the front, please.
00:20Thank you. Hi Pep.
00:24How frustrating is it that it was defensive mistakes again that cost you?
00:31No, I don't think it was defensive mistakes much.
00:35So, that wasn't the reason today. Other games, yeah, not today, no.
00:37We missed the last pass when arriving the six-yard box in a penalty spot many times
00:42and had the composer or specially shoot or make the good movement and assist.
00:48So, that was the difference today, but we are the best.
00:53I love my team, the way we play, and the result is not going to convince me the opposite.
00:59I think Ilkay Gundogan has said that he does feel there is a confidence issue in the team
01:04and maybe a mental one as well. Did you see any of that today?
01:06I know yesterday you were saying that there's no confidence.
01:08I'm not agree with Ilkay. I think, of course, it's tough when you do, you prove it.
01:14And, you know, except one or two games in this period that was not good,
01:18the rest we play quite similar. I give credit to Juventus.
01:22Congratulations for the way they defend, for the transitions they did it.
01:27But we were incredible, aggressive in our high pressing.
01:30We won the long balls. The back four was really, really good.
01:34Of course, it's a cross and Vlavić is strong in that position.
01:38But the way we played, I'm really pleased.
01:42Pep, are you questioning yourself now?
01:45Because it's 70 feet since we're sitting here wondering what's happened.
01:48How this is happening to Man City. Do you question yourself?
01:51Because this has never happened to you before.
01:54Do you look into yourself thinking, how is this happening from your own perspective?
01:59Yeah, of course.
02:00What do you say? What's the answer?
02:02I have my thoughts. I said the game I played really good. I analysed.
02:05You said what happened in the results is one question.
02:09I am asking here, what do we play today? We played really good.
02:12And, of course, I question myself in the good moments and the bad moments.
02:15I was stable in the good moments and I'm stable in the bad moments.
02:18Of course, I tried to find a way and do it, but the game was there.
02:24I'm incredibly honest about knowing when we don't play good or don't play good.
02:30Always the game will save us for the results.
02:32The confidence gives us results, gives us a good boost.
02:36And, okay, we can do it.
02:37But today we conceded few, few, few chances.
02:42Comparing, for example, Nottingham Forest that we won and some Premier League games.
02:47It's because we're making the right tempo.
02:49But at the end, we need the moment in the last moment.
02:53And then we are going to miss, but we're going to insist.
02:56But from your perspective, is this the biggest challenge of managing your career?
03:00My biggest challenge is when they give me an opportunity to be a manager
03:03and get results to continue to work.
03:05If I would miss the big challenge in the first season, the second season, I would not be here.
03:10So what happened in that is life.
03:13It happened.
03:14So we have to accept it like a normality that sometimes you have a bad period in the results.
03:20And I'm going to insist, insist, insist until the end.
03:23Jack?
03:25Hi Pep.
03:26It looks like the top eight has now gone with the results tonight.
03:31Are you sort of looking behind you now in the table with, obviously there's only two games left,
03:37and you need to finish in the top 24 to get into that playoff.
03:40Is that...
03:41This is the target, yeah.
03:43We need one point, three points, have two games.
03:46We're going to Paris to try to do it, and the last game at home.
03:49Can I just ask about the sort of performance on the ball today?
03:52You said yesterday you wanted to play simpler football.
03:55It seemed like they heeded that message for the majority of the night.
03:59All night.
04:00Yeah.
04:01Majority all night.
04:02We played really, really good.
04:03Of course, we have the 1-0 win system.
04:06But we are the team.
04:07Like, as quicker we attack, as quicker we make the transition.
04:12You have to take a look.
04:15That's why I think we're playing the right tempo.
04:17And I would say the chances, of course, we didn't shoot.
04:21But we were so close for the final moment to do it.
04:24And one day we'll find it.
04:26But as I said, I like a lot my team.
04:31One more in English for Richard, please.
04:33Hi Pep.
04:34You've obviously got Manchester derby at the weekend.
04:37You know, clearly you would have hoped to get the defeats behind you back into a winning run.
04:42But how low are the players and how hard is it to get them up?
04:47Well, we have been this month many times.
04:49Now we are, of course, disappointed.
04:52Tomorrow we'll recover.
04:53We'll have a day off.
04:54We'll prepare the game against United with our people.
04:57And try and seize the good things we do.
05:00And improve so that we can do better.
05:02It's just that.
05:04But in terms of what was the mood in the dressing room at the final whistle?
05:07The dressing room is stable.
05:09When we win, we are happy.
05:11When we lose, we are not.
05:12And it's normal.
05:13And you have to stand up.
05:15So what can I do?
05:17Feel sorry for ourselves?
05:18So I approve it and we will go forward.
05:24Is that here in Italian, please?
05:26No?
05:27In the middle then, please.
05:28Here at the front.
05:30Good evening, Guardiola.
05:31Marco Boa, Tuttosport.
05:32A few years ago you said that facing Atalanta was like going to the dentist.
05:36Facing Juve, what does that mean?
05:38It's different.
05:41It's different.
05:42A great team, as it has always been Juventus.
05:45I wish them the best.
05:47I congratulate them on the win.
05:48The future belongs to them.
05:52Good evening.
05:53Marco Venditti, Signora Mia Calcio News.
05:55After seeing Juventus, do you have an idea of what the future of this team could be?
06:04You have been criticised for a long series of draws.
06:08Tonight you seem to have found the best times.
06:12It's a question for Thiago.
06:18Good evening, Mr. Guardiola.
06:20I wanted to ask you,
06:21don't you get the feeling that sometimes your team tries to complicate their lives a bit too much?
06:25Tonight you came to the goal a lot of times.
06:29Always the extra pass, always trying to do something exceptional and extraordinary.
06:34Sometimes you can't even do it on your own.
06:38Is it a wrong feeling?
06:40Or do you also have this feeling from time to time?
06:42You're right.
06:45What we have to do is come to that situation more often and finish the action.
06:48That's what I said before.
06:50We missed the last chance to do it.
06:52But do we want to play football?
06:54Do we know where the goal is?
06:58No, we didn't manage to do it.
06:59But do you think the players don't want to score?
07:04But there are defenders, there are aggressors.
07:06They defend very well.
07:08I also want to congratulate them on their dilemma.
07:14But I would say that the simplicity that we showed today is that.
07:18At the end, dribbling, shooting the ball,
07:21when the cross of Doku, the cross of Bernardo,
07:24everyone who came there to score, was there.
07:28It's our way of playing.
07:30And this way is the same that led us to do something extraordinary in England and I think in the world.
07:37But now we have a bad period,
07:39for the reason that we all know.
07:41We have difficulties from the beginning.
07:44The game will save us.
07:46The game will lead us to victory.
07:48We have to insist on trying.
07:50There is no defence because we play so many games that we don't win.
07:54When this happens,
07:56it's the argument that I always give you an excuse.
08:00And when I see them winning,
08:02how beautiful everything is and how well they played until the end.
08:05At the end, it is what it is.
08:07It will make us stronger.
08:09It gives us value to what we have done in the past.
08:11And when we win again,
08:13we will remember this period
08:15and it will give us more passion.