Pep Guardiola says he 'loves and admires' players who stepped up in Manchester City's hour of need - Exclusive
Updated 22/01/2025 at 12:30 GMT
Manchester City appear to be over the hump after suffering through a horrendous run of form between October and December. However, they now need to rectify the damage that has been done, with their UEFA Champions League hopes hanging by a thread ahead of Wednesday night's clash with PSG, live on TNT Sports and discovery+. Pep Guardiola thanked his players for their hard work ahead of the match.
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Pep Guardiola insists he will always hold a special place in his heart for the players who stood up to be counted when Manchester City were suffering through their recent run of diabolical form.
City's 6-0 victory over Ipswich on Sunday seemed to signal that Guardiola's side had turned a corner after winning just one game in 13 across all competitions between October and December.
The Spaniard spoke ahead of a crucial week for his side, who are set to face PSG in the UEFA Champions League – live on TNT Sports and discovery+ – before facing Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Premier League champions have now won four of their last five matches, and Guardiola believes he owes an unnamed group of players a thank you for helping City through a tough end to 2024.
"That is why I never ever forget those players that were there, never, and they know who they are," he told TNT Sports in an exclusive interview.
"In the team, the circumstances were horrible, playing in positions where they could not compete with the other one.
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"I know the names, they will remain in my heart, they will define that [poor run of results].
"How the people with injuries made the effort to play, players that were really, really tired and would say we can't compete, we can't win games, but they were able to do it.
"When they were there, the day after, they were always sad. On the second day they would say, 'OK, let's try again'.
"It may not work, but they want to try again and try again.
"I love it, I love who they are, and I love and will always admire them.
"I will appreciate them for the rest of my period here."
Guardiola has publicly stated in the past that he likes to work with a small squad, preferring to sign players who can be deployed in several different positions.
However, that decision backfired this term, with several key players getting injured or losing form at the worst possible moment for City.
With the club now expecting to fight on at least four fronts each and every season, Guardiola believes it may be time to rethink his small squad strategy.
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"The way that modern football is, is the way that Bournemouth play, the way that Brighton play, that Newcastle play, like we were [playing], that is modern football," he said.
"Today, modern football is not positional, you have to ride the rhythm, it is unbelievable, and we could not, simply we could not because we did not have the players.
"It happens to all the teams; Arsenal now, Madrid had it, all the teams have a lot of injuries when you play every three days.
"The teams that are playing once a week, it is another story and that doesn't count, it counts when you are playing every three or four days.
"Injuries happen, but not this amount in certain positions and this amount of important players, it has never happened before.
"It made me reflect that in the future, it may need to have a longer squad."
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City need a win in their Champions League clash against PSG on Wednesday to ensure they remain in the league phase playoff places.
Guardiola believes his side may not deserve to reach the next stage of the Champions League after failing to win any of their last three games in the competition.
"It is not a problem to play two more games to qualify for the last 16, maybe we deserve it [to not qualify for the playoffs or the last 16], for the results we had," he added.
"It is like the Premier League, we do not deserve to win the Premier League.
"To win the Premier League you have to do good things, and we have not done it."
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