- Colin Cranmer
"Nathan Ake is much better, but..." - Pep Guardiola pre Everton Press Conference
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola talked to the media ahead of the trip to Goodison Park to take on Sean Dyche's Everton this Sunday in the Premier League; the boss spoke on the scheduling of the game, the latest on Nathan Ake, how the City squad are facing up to the high demands at this stage of the season, and Erling Haaland winning the FWA Footballer of the Year.
Erling Haaland, PL POTM and FWA FOTY:
"I think it's well deserved. Congratulations to him of course. Sometimes players click quicker and he did it quicker."
Why is Everton away so difficult?
And talk on the fixture scheduling:
"Because we've got two Champions League games. Since I've been here it's always been so difficult [at Everton], because of the environment. With Sean Dyche they're a front-foot team. The end of the season, it is really a final, so our focus is on this game. My thought is just Everton. No more than that. Eleven months working for the Premier League, I don't want to be distracted by Real because we have time - not much time because we play Sunday, thank you so much... - but the Goodison Park game is a priority."
"We play for all competitions. We have to switch. Adapt. Four games left in the Premier League and it's important to us to be there, to keep what we play for in our hands. We train tomorrow and we have to prepare as well as possible."
"I can't understand it [the scheduling] but I'm not going to fight it anymore. I don't understand it but we have to adapt. The schedules, it is what it is. It's not frustrating it is what it is, how many times can I comment on that?"
"I'm sure the Premier League want to help teams [as well as La Liga], they don't want to make us uncomfortable, the problem is the schedule, this amount of competitions, this amount of games. I think we cannot play on Saturday because there is Eurovision and we do not enough police or the capability to handle so many people."
Nathan Ake update:
"I think he's much better, but I don't know [for sure]. Finally, we had a day off - now we have training in a few hours and we will see."
More on Everton:
"There was big results in the Premier League [throughout the season], but we thought in the last games everyone plays for something and will be tough. It can happen [5-1 vs Brighton]. They scored the first goal in the first minute, a surprise for the two early goals, the physicality Everton have is really really good. Anything can happen."
"[I like to visit Goodison Park] a lot, typical British stadium. I like it."
Team selections:
"Every player is ready. Every player is ready to play and give his own contribution. I thought a lot about the last minutes [against Real Madrid] to do a substitute but I decide for the fact that the players on the bench are so dynamic in their movements, Phil, Julian, and even Riyad, but in that moment we didn't need that. To not increase our rhythm to make our other players on the pitch raise their movements to a high level. Everyone will be important with so many games."
"We will see [how the players are]. We have five days now after just four days. We will see the team tomorrow, speak with the physios and staff and decide. A lot of games to choose, not to choose maybe people don't believe me but I rely on all of them a lot, but there are players in certain moments that are so important to us."
"People ask me before Leeds they are tired and the game after was so demanding, when you play so many competitions it's normal. When you play just one it's different but now it is what it is."
"Definitely [everyone wants to play] but not just now all the season. They want to play in September, they don't like me when they don't play. We are sure going to play until June third, you have to deserve to win a game to play for one more week. We have potential six games, potential seven, it's not too much, go for it!"
Can Haaland play another ninety?
"He has a really intense game in Madrid, he could not have done if tired. I can see in his body language. I would say yeah, he can go a while, I think it's fine."
Mental strength > physical strength:
"I think winning helps you to be better. You win, the mental recovery is better. Always I believe the human body has incredible resources to go forward. When you think you're exhausted and can't go on any more, you can. When you lose competitions, you go and you have to refresh. You can be tired, that's normal but at the same time if your desire mentally is in the right position you can have incredible energy."
Arsenal:
"I think definitely they are going to win their three games, I would like them to drop points to be honest. but I think they will get nine points."
Written by: @colgeogcra
Some quotes as quoted by Manchester Evening News and Manchester City.
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