Pep is back! The boss is looking forward to getting tucked into the new season at the King Power Stadium on Saturday and facing Liverpool in the Community Shield. Pep Guardiola says that he is excited and looking forward to the game and the season, as well as discussing team news, with the all important injury updates, and how long it will take our new recruits to settle to the City life.
Aymeric Laporte is injured:
"[Aymeric] Laporte is injured. He had [knee] surgery after the last few games, he made an incredible effort. He had surgery, he's doing incredibly well, you have to do careful. It's his knee, he might be out until September."
The new boys, will they need time to settle?
"Hopefully not, as soon they settle the better. In my feeling they won't take time. Stefan [Ortega Moreno] surprises us a lot in all aspects on the ball and build-up, Kalvin [Phillips] knows the Premier League perfectly. The way they settle in the few games we play, I think they will settle."
"[The Community Shield is a trophy is] not just for the new four players, for Julian [Alvarez] and Stefan [Ortega Moreno]. It's a title for all of us, to win it is better, better to start winning than losing. It's good for City."
City are targeting Marc Cucurella:
"He's a Brighton player, I cannot say anything else."
"If it's possible [to sign a left-back], yes, if it's not we stay [how we are]. Joao [Cancelo] can play there, Josh [Wilson-Esbrand], Nathan [Ake]. I never complain about the squad I have since the first season. What the club can do is the benefit for the club not me. I support the club."
A lot has happened at City this summer:
"Sometimes the transfer market dictates what you need to do. The first season we tried to loan and sell players we couldn't sell anyone. This season, we still have fourteen, fifteen days and it's already done. You want to do things, it depends on the situations and they happen quicker than you expect."
"Sometimes [change is good], but if the three players, many important academy players we sold, if they stayed we'd be incredibly happy. We know each-other, we continue to do what we have done. The intention in the market dictates your decisions, the wishes for the club or players. Sometimes the player wants something - for both sides, the other side, when this happens we make a replacement and they are here. Normally a project for six, seven years, you are not seven years with the same people. When I arrived just Kevin [De Bruyne] is still here. Important is the stability of the club. The guys who have left, not just Aleks [Zinchenko], Raheem [Sterling], Gabriel [Jesus], all the players have made incredible contribution to get us to finals."
"If you analyse what happened in the last years without these important players would be difficult to imagine. The influence on and off the pitch. Today in world football this situation happens. We wish them the best. The right people, I feel they settle quickly, they are accepted and down to earth, humble people. We try for Manchester City, we try to be competitive."
Big game coming up:
"Tomorrow we try for the first title, it's an honour to be here, it's a big success to be there. We know the opponent quite well, it will dictate how well our moment is after three weeks of pre-season, it's too short. I saw many good things in this period how we played, the guys we have we move forward."
(Not so mystic) Pep:
"I don't know [who will challenge for the Premier League title], I promise you, if I was able to predict the future I'd let you know. Normally in Premier League there are many teams and you expect that. Always before I repeat the same, I expect a lot of clubs involved, the quality they all have in terms of managers, players, history. I don't know."
England women's take on Germany in the Euro final on Sunday:
"I think they deserve all the credit, [women's] football around the world how they rise and do incredibly good. They deserve what they are getting. Four years ago there was not media or following like this. It happens because they do incredible things with the way, the style. I saw in England and Germany the good football, I hope they can do a good final, it's a big success for both nations. It's an incredible scenario at Wembley, a full crowd, hopefully they can enjoy it. Congratulations, it's so nice for England to arrive in a final."
Written by: @coIgcra
Some quotes as quoted by Manchester Evening News and Manchester City.
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