Guardiola laughs off mind games
PEP GUARDIOLA is happy to roll with the punches after Jurgen Klopp sparked the Premier League title race mind games.
The Manchester City manager laughed off his Liverpool counterpart’s claim that, despite their massive spending spree, the Merseyside club are still underdogs.
Klopp likened Liverpool to challenger Rocky Bilbao and City to champion Ivan Drago from Rocky IV.
But the Spaniard says that, after years of being top dog at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, he is used to the favourites tag and can cope with the pressure and scrutiny that comes with it.
“Thank you, Jurgen!” he said. “But for nine years I’ve lived with that situation, it’s no problem. For nine years, except perhaps the first year when I arrived and people in Barcelona didn’t like it that I was a manager.
“Since then, we won the Double or Treble every season and were the favourites. So we’re the favourites again. Thank you, Jurgen, you’re so kind.”
Guardiola has the relaxed air of a man who knows providing his team perform, it does not matter what the other contenders do – even Liverpool, who proved City’s nemesis last season by beating them in three of four encounters.
Last Sunday’s performance in the Community Shield convinced Guardiola that his players have the hunger to become the first team to win back-to-back Premier League titles since Manchester United in 2009. They have bought one player only – £60million record signing Riyad
Mahrez – but because of their £420m investment in the previous four transfer windows the squad has been revamped with young, gifted and improving players. Mahrez will not need any time to settle, having been in the Premier League for several years. Defender Aymeric Laporte, bought in January for £57m, will be better for six months in the English game. Benjamin Mendy will be like a new signing after missing nearly all of last season through injury, while homegrown youngster Phil Foden gives City even more exciting creativity at the front of the pitch. John Stones, Kyle Walker and Raheem Sterling should benefit from their World Cup experience while leading scorer Sergio Aguero could be even sharper after surgery to clear up a niggling knee injury. Crucially, after two seasons in charge, the City players know exactly what Guardiola demands of them on and off the pitch. In turn, he likes and trusts them. “They have shown me in the last two seasons – the last one especially – we can trust them, that we have a good squad,” he said. “I don’t think too much about back-to-back titles. The main thing is to improve individually and collectively and then we’ll see. It is a big mistake to think about last season or think we’re going to win again. The best way is to concentrate on the next training session, the next game and then the next one.”
Asked what his own motivation is, he said: “My job – and to be with these players. Winning is the best motivation, to try to achieve what we did last season. We were so happy, so why not try it again?”
Kevin De Bruyne and Sterling are both fit and ready to start City’s title defence at Arsenal tomorrow despite returning to training from their post-World Cup breaks only five days ago.
Guardiola said: “Raz and Kevin arrived back in good shape and are available. Three weeks off is not too much time but they arrived in the perfect way.
“Sterling needs only four or five days’ [training] because his condition is easy. Kevin arrived perfect too. He’s going to be a father for the second time so he must look after his wife!”
The game pitches Guardiola against his old La Liga rival Unai Emery.
Emery never beat Guardiola in his Sevilla days – he had four draws and six defeats in 10 games – but proved he was for real by winning the Europa League three times in a row and Guardiola believes he will be a great addition. “What he did at Sevilla was excellent. It’s good that he’s here,” said Guardiola.
If Emery proves half as good as Guardiola, then the Gunners will surely be happy.