Hello, Pep.
Raheem Sterling has admitted he is considering
leaving the club to get more game time.
What have you made of that revelation?
Uh, I didn't know it so and I think the club neither so,
uh, Raheem is our player, has been, is and hopefully will be an important player for us.
So I don't know if he wants to play game time, more like Riyad when
he doesn't play and he complains, like Joao doesn't play he complains.
There was some players.
Yeah, complain,
want to play all the time, but, uh, I cannot assure them so they know it.
I spoke many times over them.
I cannot assure
how many minutes everybody is going to play, so,
and always they have to speak on, on the grass on the pitch,
that is the best, the best, the best moment.
Not Raheem, all of them.
So and they have opportunity because they know they're going to play minutes.
So I'm not a guy who only plays 11 players and that's all.
So all of them are involved in the moment, it's there!
So what's going to happen?
What I want from Raheem,
for everyone to be happy. They have to be satisfied to be here.
They have to be delighted to be in this club.
It is not the case.
They are free to take a decision for the best
for him, for the players, for their families, for all the people who love them.
So this is the most important thing.
They have to be happy, get more time,
I understand completely.
I was a football player and all the time I want to play.
So I'm not.
It's not an exception so but not Raheem.
All of them want to play every game, 90 minutes, but I cannot give them.
I cannot assure them, so they have to prove every training
session and on the pitch and trying to be happy there.
So it's only I can say, but I didn't know it.
He has 18 months remaining on his contract.
How confident are you that he will stay beyond that?
I'm not involved in the contracts, since day one.
So it's a club who decide these kind of things.
And can I ask you finally, about the Newcastle takeover?
They've surpassed your club to become the Premier League's richest.
Juergen Klopp has questioned the takeover.
He's worried it will create a super-team, guaranteed
Champions League football.
Do you agree with that?
Are you worried?
Looks like the Newcastle fans
what I saw they were
happy.
So there's a business like, uh,
people took over a club and and the people what
I saw Newcastle is happy because of that.
I'm far away from, from the reason why the decision was made.
Afternoon Pep.
Hi.
Could you give us some injury news
updates, please?
What's the situation exactly
with Ferran Torres? Will be out two months a half, three months.
Uh, the rest, Uh, Zinchenko is back and Gundogan is back.
And everybody's, uh except except Ferran, the rest
I think it's, they are
Okay.
And what's the injury
exactly that Ferran has sustained? Bone for the
feet. For metatarsal.
Okay.
And Gundogan and Zinchenko back in contention for tomorrow?
Yeah, trained this week, and, Gundogan as
well, uh, and we are happy and delighted
they are back.
I know you were just saying there that all of your players would like to play,
and you can't assure them that, but looking at John Stones situation, um, you
only made two changes in your back for since the start of this season.
He has yet to play a minute for City in the league. With his performance midweek
for England and some crucial games in the Champions League coming up.
Do you think tomorrow is maybe one of the better
games to get him back in the league action?
Sure.
Yeah, maybe.
I don't know.
We're going to decide this afternoon or, um, what is going to happen?
Johnston was so important player for us last season because
they were playing incredibly well alongside to Ruben.
And Aymeric played a lot of minutes, but not quite regularly.
But the start of the season,
Aymeric played incredible well alongside to Ruben and and it's fair to let him play.
So when John like, it's an exceptional guy, like always knows
the situation in the same situation is fighting.
So I delighted for the good performance he has done with national team and is
it will be because that's why we extend the contract of the club, extend the contract
to join for the next next year's and and will be so important.
So, at the end Aymeric won
the minutes on the pitch is the only way they can,
they can do it. So always
I give opportunities to the players all the time, all the time.
So they play,
they play, some players
more minutes than the other one's, is normal, but they play.
That is the moment to show how good they are.
So, I would love to give them all of them minutes and minutes and minutes.
But I don't have an alternative.
Just play 11 players, no more than that.
So, if they are not for many reasons, they want more, so I cannot.
I cannot assure them anyone else no John, No Ruben, No Kevin, no Phil Foden.
Everyone has to try to do it on the pitch
the moment, they start the game.
The rest is not important.
Honestly, it's not important.
And Raheem in that case and the other one is so important for us, so important.
But he compete with Jack
Grealish, with Phil Foden, with Ferran, with Gabriel, with Riyad, with Bernardo.
So this is the reality.
The top clubs it's the reality.
And sometimes it's difficult for me to take a decision,
not give one player to play, it's so difficult.
But it is what it is.
There's no alternative.
The way is train harder, harder and to the moment is going to play,
that is going to happen, now
show
you were right.
To
don't be so,
don't select me.
This is the only thing I knew as a football player,
I know as a manager, how you have to react to situations.
Hi Pep, If I can just wind back, when you were
a player, what were you like when you got left out?
If you got left out, did you go to the manager and bang on his door.
Or did you just accept it?
Look, Simon, I was an exceptional player.
I was never in the bench.
Always.
I was playing.
I'm sorry.
So I cannot answer this question.
You are so young.
You don't remember.
I remember you didn't see me, so I was so good.
So I'm sorry.
So when that happened. So the football educate me so well in the beginning
to understand and football educate for the fact to say when I don't
play is for the reason why I have to do it better.
I have to fight more.
I have to, when I make a defeat, or
I suffered defeat as a football player
I understand the other was better,
I have to accept, to shake hands and move forward. When the manager
select another and maybe because I was not selected
I understand because he had another thoughts and I have to
work harder to convince them I have to play. Always
I was so respectful for the other ones.
But it was me.
So the other ones I can understand so and everyone so in the players, there are
players, except more like John for example, John periods don't play,
or, training good.
Always come to the teams.
There are players, they suffer more.
And happened ,here happened in all the clubs around the world, not just in the Premier
League, in the championship, in the lower divisions, happened and everywhere.
And I understand and I say many times, in that you have to fight and at the end
there is a transfer windows and after that you have to decide.
What do you want to do?
You have to decide.
I don't want to see you.
I don't want to see the players unhappy, a little bit upset or whatever.
So, here is not the end of the world.
So there are many clubs.
There are many managers.
There are many teams.
You can do whatever you want, so we don't push barriers on that.
Just you have to make you know, phone call to the club and solve the situation.
But not I'm not talking for this specific,
say for the comments for him, I think, for in general idea for all the place
but this this is what I'm saying, I said many,
many, many, many, many times to the players.
So we have to be there and fight and try to play good every day and after
when it's a summer transfer window, transfer window in wintertime
and summertime, now is the moment to decide when it's finished.
You have to accept my decisions.
I'm the manager.
Have to decide what is the best for the team because
I don't take the decisions in benefit for the players.
Never, ever, never take the benefit of players. I am thinking about
what is the best for the team, for the team to win games.
That's the reason why we're here, to make happy hour fans, our organisation,
our bosses, our owners or whatever to be proud
what do. It is the only solution
what you have to move forward.
Does he does he ever get easier telling top players that they're not playing?
But, of course, it's not easy, but Raheem played the final Champions League,
so it's so important player for us, many player's so important.
But I have to treat Cole Palmer the same like Kevin De Bruyne.
Why should I treat Kevin de Bruyne differently than Cole Palmer.
Both have parents and father and mother.
They have maybe one girlfriend.
Have wife and kids, the other one, not because they're so young.
They have friends.
He's a human being.
I treat the same the cooker than the team manager.
Why should I treat differently?
Honestly, there's no reason why.
What you have done?
Yeah, you have done.
You have the you know you have your benefits, what you have done.
But today, Do you have to treat the same one?
Why one played in the academy
I have to treat different for Jack Grealish tell me.
What is the reason why I have to treat them differently?
when I think Jack is playing it?
Because I consider this player in that moment.
today is better for the team to win that game.
This is the only thing, they believe it's personal, it's not personal.
It's absolutely so.
I take that decision, it's is because it's the best to win tomorrow
the game we're going to play.
I'm not, in my career, important players in important games
didn't play because I consider it in that moment
this player is more important for many, many reasons for
the reasons I believe, because when It's going well,
everything is happy. When I'm going.
not going well, the responsibility is just me.
It's just me.
So that's why I take the decision's, consequences for what is the best for the team.
For the club, not for the players, not for me.
Hi Pep, just on team news.
Is there any chance of Ederson and Gabriel featuring against Burnley?
Mhm.
They play in Brazil yesterday,
they cannot fly back.
So Ederson is definitely out.
Will they be available for Champions League?
Maybe?
I don't know yet.
And?
And can you just ask about Ferran Torres?
Uh, his injury.
There's a suggestion he might of picked it up in the semi
final against Italy and then play edwith it against France.
Do you have any concerns about your players when they go away
on international duty, some of the care they get Or is it simply
down to players wanting to play these big matches?
Mhm, Yeah, dangers, dangers can happen here at home and the national team.
So it happened.
I know, because I know perfectly the manager from Spain, Luis Enrique.
I know he treat Ferran and all the players as best as possible.
He doesn't want to get injuries. He doesn't get one, get Ferran to get injured.
And, uh and they tried to take care.
Sometimes it happens.
It happened with Belgium with Kevin.
It happened with Phil with the England.
It happened with Ferran now.
It would be better to happen, but unfortunately it
happened. A lot of games and thats all.
So move forward and send him to spend a few weeks and after come back and recover
and in two months, two months and a half, three months try to be ready back.
Hi, Pep!
Pep!
If I could talk about the game itself against Burnley, the last four times
you played Burnley at the Etihad, you've won by five goals to nil.
Do you have a specific way that you play against
Burnley or is it still always difficult?
I don't know.
I don't remember.
The past is the past.
I forget.
I forget immediately when we win a game or we lose a game.
What?
What happened in the past.
Only I can assure you it's because in this position Burnley was in
this position in the last years many times and always survive.
And always go up.
Why?
Because I never give up.
Never. That was Shaun Dyche is an excellent manager in conducting the
team. He plays in a certain way, and he's a machine doing that.
What he does? I'm a big fan for the way, uh, how he
stick, how he commits in his principles.
That's why you always stay in the Premier League from long, long time ago.
That's why he extend the contract
I think three or four more years. And it's because never, never,
ever give up, even beating the bottom in the league.
Last year's was there many, many parts of the seasons,
but always it doesn't matter what happened.
Go Anfield and able to win, go to Emirates, able to win.
And they have the heart, the passion, the character that I'm pretty
sure that Shaun Dyche and their staff bring to to the players.
This is the most important thing.
Some teams, when you start to go down, go down, go definitely down
They don't they stay there and they fight, fight every single week.
That's why Burnley,
it's always, I paid more attention.
Maybe we had a good results because I was careful.
I was.
I pay a lot of attention about their skills and what they have to
come, they're going to complicate it. And this is a message I give to the players
today and hopefully they can understand it for tomorrow.