In the 34th round of the Premier League, Manchester City will face Burnley away. Before the game, Manchester City coach Guardiola attended a press conference and answered questions from the media.
Hello, Pep. By tonight, Arsenal will have been at the top of the Premier League table for 200 consecutive days. You have a chance to regain the lead tomorrow night, what does that mean to you?
It shows how good they are and how stable they have performed. In tomorrow's game we will try to catch up with them in points.
Obviously, this game is very close to Sunday's game. Facing Burnley is a completely different challenge than facing Arsenal. How do you make sure everyone can readjust after the high emotions on Sunday and be ready for the next game?
Yes, we communicated immediately in the locker room after the game on Sunday. Don't lose focus, the focus now is that Arsenal is the top team in the league. At that moment we will become champions, of course, the recovery time now is much less than in the past two weeks, only three days. So you have to observe the players' recovery, not just the recovery after that extremely demanding game emotionally and physically. At the same time, we have six games left, and we know very well what will happen if we get the result or if we don't.
Can I ask about Rodri's situation? You said after the game that he would have to be checked. Do you know the severity of his groin injury now?
I don't think he will be ready tomorrow. We have to look at the next game, the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, or the game against Everton in 12 or 13 days.
Will Ruben Dias be able to participate in this game?
Not yet.
Hi, Pep. If you beat Burnley tomorrow and overtake the team (Arsenal) you described as the strongest, how much will the title situation change psychologically?
Most teams know, just like Arsenal and Liverpool have experienced in the past few years, both sides know that we cannot lose or drop points. It is difficult to have a breather in our schedule now, and the requirements are very high. Of course, after these three days, especially the game against Everton, the opponents are very, very tough.
In this tight race, does the pressure shift? Is it more free for the pursuer or...?
It is more difficult psychologically and physically. After the game against Arsenal, we are going to Burnley and showing the level we should be. We have to adjust some details for the performance against Arsenal, and then go to win the game, because that's what we need.
Pep, I watched the analysis of the weekend's game last night, and mentioned the performance of Rodri and Bernardo Silva, thinking it was one of the top midfield partnerships I've ever seen. What do you think about this? And the courage they showed at certain moments?
Yes, the last few games have been very important. They are both very experienced, but have very unique personalities in the team. For example, when facing man-to-man defense, some players can pull left and right. His calmness with and without the ball, his physical confrontation, and many other aspects. They are no longer young people, they are experienced players who have played many games of this type and know how to play. They performed very well.
But not just those few games, we can't forget that we spent 16 or 17 months without Rodri. So a large part of the team's success depends on the players you have and the fact that you are not injured. When the players are mentally ready, we can compete. So I am very satisfied with everything we have done without Rodri. Last season was not perfect, but we reached the FA Cup final and eventually finished third, which was not a mess. But of course, if you have him, or partner with Kovacic... because we also have an incredible player like Kovacic, who has also been absent for a year. When injuries happen, it becomes more difficult to maintain continuity and improve tactical coordination. That being said, for example, Nico Gonzalez gave us huge help during Rodri's absence, and they helped us get to where we are now.
Pep, how would you describe this mentality? Because sometimes it seems that even if a player makes a mistake, they can react immediately. For example, we saw Bernardo early in the game, as well as Donnarumma. But they still played a huge role in that game and helped you get through.
Listen, I completely agree that this body language has been maintained for many months. Every mistake, the players feel it is their own fault. Everyone tries to continue. This happens for young lineups. But I know what I'm talking about, because whenever we win this kind of game, we always talk about mentality. Just like I said after my last press conference, if we didn't defend the cross in the last few minutes and conceded a goal, what would be said about our mentality? I know very well what will be said at that time: they are not calm enough and have no experience. But it's actually the same. People say "Ah, they hit two posts", but we also hit two posts. The opportunities are equal. The game is very tight, and details define many, many things.
Pep, there have been recent announcements about Bernardo Silva leaving the team, is there any clear news about John Stones' future at the club?
No, the only thing I can say is that he has been back in team training for two or three weeks since Monday and is training with us, which is the best news.
OK. Regarding the defense, Vitor Reis made some comments this week, saying that he hopes to return to the club next season. He has obviously been selected for the Brazilian national team. What do you think of his growth and his future?
For me, his performance at Girona is incredible. The reason he gets playing time there is that at that age, there may not be many opportunities here. He has grown as a player. In the end, he is facing the top strikers in Spain, which is not easy to deal with. He has grown a lot, and the people at Girona are very satisfied with him. We will make a decision about the future at the end of the season.