Guardiola defends Haaland temperament after defender fouls and arsenal dark arts
31/01/2025
CFGA, MANCHESTER, UK
31/01/2025
CFGA, MANCHESTER, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00an intense battle between Erling and Gabriel and there was an incident at the end of the game and
00:06Gabriel mentioned he couldn't wait for the next game at the Etihad.
00:10Erling then said a few words to Mikel as well to kind of add extra spice to the flare-up.
00:17But is it important that Erling does not become distracted with that and does what he does best?
00:23Because it was quite unusual for him to lose his field.
00:25It was, again, emotional for Erling. It's not easy when you're 90 minutes
00:29and there's no Gabriel. The central defenders push him and hug him and hug him and kiss him
00:34and these kind of things. At the end, Zingambino has to react. Arsenal is a physical team
00:43in a good way in many aspects and at the end, what happened at the end for the motions,
00:47it happened. So it's absolutely done.
00:51No worries about Erling because he's usually quite a disciplined player in those terms?
00:57Listen, we cannot blame discipline on Erling.
01:02Come on. It's the defenders that push Erling. Erling doesn't push the defenders.
01:07It's the defenders that create problems for Erling. He's a striker.
01:12Come on, now we're going to say that Erling is the guy who makes physical contact for
01:18the central defenders. All central defenders in the Premier League go against him,
01:21not him, to push them against them. Come on.
01:29In Spain this week, it's been reported that after the injury, you had a word with Busquets
01:38about the possibility of coming to City. Was that ever a possibility?
01:44No, because he's so happy in Miami. You know the weather there. He's so delighted.
01:51I speak with Sergio not for that issue, but for many, many times, quite often.
01:58We have the same agent, so I'm in touch for many years. That's the point.
02:05Is Rodri's position, is it the hardest position to recruit for a team,
02:13for any team, that defensive midfield?
02:16No, there are players that can do it, but we believe they don't sell. They are so expensive.
02:24We cannot do it. Of course, we thought about that because Kovac and Gündoğ are helping us,
02:30but they are not proper, proper just holding midfielder. We know that.
02:35And they are making incredible efforts. I'm grateful for that. I said many times,
02:39in the tough period, I know perfectly the players that make a step up,
02:43to try to solve our weaknesses that sometimes we have for commitment and effort.
02:50That's why I'm so grateful for a few of them.
02:56Is that a temporary thing because of injuries,
02:58or do you think he could have a career there for the next few years?
03:04Well, it could be temporary, but of course, for the problems that we have,
03:06the play, they have something, a pace that we don't have.
03:11It's not a natural position, but as a player, he's tried to make it a lot.
03:16He helped us offensively and defensively as well.
03:18In some departments, he's helping us and learning a lot.
03:22And yeah, it's a potential. He's paced the hat, he can play in the sides, absolutely can do it.
03:28It's quite courageous for him to do that, because obviously, he's up against fantastic players.
03:34I would say that Mateusz, with all the players, will want to play.
03:38It doesn't matter which position, but of course,
03:40every player has his own position and feels more comfortable, but I'm not complaining on that.
03:46Hi Pep, how has Kusanov been this week after his debut?
03:49He said when he arrived, he was really looking forward to working with you.
03:51Have you had to test your skills with him?
03:55Obviously, you don't speak the same language. How have you dealt with him this week?
03:58Good. The training was good, he's so focused and it's new for everyone. Yeah, good.
04:07Do you think he's recovered from a difficult start?
04:09Of course. Do you know how many central defenders make a mistake that has done
04:14Kusanov this season? No central defenders?
04:18And the defenders that are proper, everybody needs a high level. Do you know how many?
04:23Quite a few.
04:24Quite. So I'm not going to blame Kusanov for something. It's more I have to blame myself,
04:28how I still, with the mistakes in the central defenders, I have to improve. But absolutely not.
04:35I didn't do, you know, blame publicly and even in the group personally,
04:43that what happened in the past with that. I'm not going to do with the players that
04:47arrived in just one training session and with us and make an effort because we don't have
04:51players to play against Chelsea. Come on. So it must be help. I would like big help.
04:56If I'm Kusanov in the first debut, arrive in a new country, in a Premier League, a new team,
05:00the language, how many things I never listened before and play against Cole,
05:04Jackson and so on. I would like big help, honestly. And this is what you have to do.
05:09And the teams have done it. I love the reaction that the players had when that happened,
05:14you know, to him immediately.
05:19Just going back to what Simon was saying about Erling and the stick he gets and whatnot.
05:24Does it not say, what does it say about Erling's power to control his emotions?
05:29Because it's every single week. It's not just Arsenal. Every week,
05:33he's the one that they were trying to be kicking and pinching and whatnot.
05:36And your automatic reaction would be if someone's doing that, it's just to banjo them.
05:40But every time he keeps a lid on his emotions, what's that say about him?
05:44I'm surprised.
05:45You're surprised that he can do it?
05:47I'm surprised how he controls his emotions.
05:50Do you know that in every action he's been pulling and pulling,
05:53the referee play on, play on, how many times it happened?
05:57They never complain.
05:59Ah, when he pushes forward, that's for sure, 100 percent.
06:03So, and he controls himself.
06:05And you're telling me the emotion, one day reaction is not with Gabriel.
06:08I'm not asking to say, sorry, Gabriel Erling.
06:11I'm not asking what Erling has done for one day.
06:14That means that is where he's in.
06:17What he is, how he behaves.
06:18No.
06:21He's behaving, cry a while and stand up and no complain with the talk.
06:24You know it's going to happen.
06:25The Premier League is in that way.
06:26You have to stand up and continue, continue, continue.
06:28Defend your position.
06:30It's always he has, always.
06:32For one day, now I'm going to adjudicate what Erling has done.
06:35No, come on.
06:36I don't buy it.
06:37I don't buy it.
06:39You've played in teams with and managed teams that have contained
06:42some great, great centre-forwards over the years.
06:47Is Erling as good as any?
06:48I'm not going to make comparisons about goal scoring and whatnot.
06:51But in terms of keeping the lid on emotions,
06:53because they will always have been the one that defenders will have tried to
06:57use dark arts to keep quiet as much as possible.
07:01No, I'm not saying dark arts.
07:02I never, listen, I never used that word in a meeting.
07:06No, no.
07:07I never used it.
07:08Everyone can, listen, everyone can do whatever they want in the team.
07:11There is a referee who has to intervene when it's not fair.
07:14That's why the referee.
07:16When we were in the school, in the square, to play like boys in Asia,
07:21we played six against six, seven against seven.
07:23Never, never without a referee.
07:24We decide what is falling apart between each other.
07:26Today, as a referee, we have to decide.
07:29And everyone can decide to do whatever they want.
07:32Of course, I do whatever I want on my team.
07:34On my team, we do whatever we want.
07:37But I think we are an incredibly, incredibly fair-play team.
07:42Sometimes too much.
07:43But this is what it is.
07:44We had success in that way.
07:46And we continue.
07:47As much as I'm in my team, in our team,
07:49I want to defend our position.
07:51But I want to defend my players, because I know my players, how they behave.
07:54And if they behave properly, I'm going to defend.
07:56Now, the situation is when the referee decides what they have to do.
07:58This is not my humanism.
08:00First, of course, I complain, and I can give my opinion.
08:04But I think we have been so, so, so, so incredibly well-behaved here, in the media,
08:10and before and after the game, with the opponents, with the referees, with the statements,
08:14with the Premier League, and so on.
08:17There's no doubt about that.
08:19Thank you, guys.
08:20OK, thank you.