- Nabeel
"We will travel to Newcastle with everyone ready..." – Pep Guardiola pre Newcastle Quotes
Updated: Dec 17, 2021
Pep Guardiola's press conference ahead of the game against Eddie Howe's Newcastle side this Sunday at the updated kick-off time of 14:00 GMT was cancelled due to the boss recording an inconclusive coronavirus test.
Thankfully, however, the result of his PCR test has returned negative this evening, meaning Guardiola can take training as normal tomorrow and be in the dugout at St. James' Park on Sunday.
Speaking to the club website, the Catalan provided an update on the fitness of his squad, discussed Newcastle and Eddie Howe, and praised Jack Grealish's contributions to the team since his arrival in the summer.
Pep on squad fitness:
"Everyone is fit, it’s just Ferran [Torres] missing. Joao [Cancelo] is back after [his suspension against] Leeds and we will travel to Newcastle with everyone ready to play."
Pep on Newcastle/Howe:
"It is not easy to go to Newcastle and get a result so we will need the whole team and hopefully we will be strong enough to get the points. Newcastle is a very tough opponent. People will talk about our place in the table or their place in the table but when you go to Newcastle you know what sort of game to expect. Now they have a new manager in Eddie and we know what a good manager he is.
"They have had a tough start to the season but they are a good team with good players and a top manager so we will go there and have to work hard for each other to win the game. Every game in the Premier League is tough. Whether you are playing against teams at the top of the table or the bottom. Everyone wants to win every match and at this level, you have to be prepared for this. Newcastle in their stadium with their fans behind them, they will be ready and they have the quality to hurt us if we don’t play at our best."
Pep on focus:
"What is most important is the next game. And the next one and the next one. We try not to look too much behind us because when you do that, you lose your focus. It is important not to look at our last result and think ‘we are there’. We are playing well and getting the results we want, but we have to continue this."
Pep on scoring goals:
"You need to score goals to win games, that is no secret. We have found a way to score goals from different places in different ways and Tuesday [vs. Leeds] was a good example. Scoring goals also brings confidence, for the team, for the players and that will be important in helping us to win the next game. If they know they are capable of scoring goals like this then that confidence will help us achieve our goals."
Pep on Jack Grealish:
"Jack is an outstanding player. He has so much quality and has played so well for us. It is important for every player to feel like they are contributing with goals but he has been playing well all season and we know what to expect from him. It takes time to get used to a new team, a new way of playing but Jack knows what he has to do and we will continue to see this."
Written by: @NA1907_
Follow our Twitter account for reliable, live updates on all the latest news surrounding this story and everything Manchester City in real time.