Guardiola’s astonishing interview before Liverpool - City: “I would love to lose the Premier League”

After five games without a win, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola is facing the worst crisis of his coaching career. And it comes right before a crucial Premier League clash against Liverpool at Anfield, a game that could leave them 11 points behind the Reds. “I never thought that when we were winning and winning that it would be eternal. I also knew this moment would come: ‘This too shall pass,’” he told British broadcaster Sky Sports in an astonishing interview.

Pep on stress: “You cannot imagine how much I get paid!”

Regarding the pressure on his shoulders and the self-inflicted wounds seen on his head during the Feyenoord match after squandering a 3-0 lead in the 75th minute, he said, “You cannot imagine how much I get paid! It comes with my salary. If I don’t want that pressure, I resign, go home and I don’t have this weight on my shoulders. All the managers have that.

He continued, “You don’t want to be criticised? It’s unfair? My friend, it is what it is. If you don’t win, the people will laugh at you, people will take the piss out of you. Even more for the fact that we won a lot. If you don’t want it? Go home. The players must be guided, I am responsible for that. But I want to do it. The moment I feel: don’t follow me, it’s over or tired? After that I’ll go home.

City “will not be back” with win over Liverpool

As for the upcoming game against Liverpool, Guardiola sought to play down its importance: “I would love to say we are going to win at Anfield and then 20 games. But in the situation we are in, we will not be back. The only chance we come back is if John Stones is back - he is injured and he will be a long time, if Ruben Dias has come back after one month out and everyone is a bit fit again, then we will be back. To sustain it every three days, we cannot do it.

“Now I tell my reflection: what do you ask for? Just give me the players back! All I want is that! The rest? I don’t care. I would love to lose the Premier League with the players."

Guardiola: “Gündogan better than Rodri”

Guardiola was also asked about tactics and whether one radical change could be all that’s required to ‘fix’ City’s issues: “If I believe that Kevin de Bruyne could be a wing-back, I would do it! I would praise or analyse or judge how much over-thinking I was in that moment, or how stupid I was - because I believe in that moment that was the best, because I know my players.

“Listen, I played the final of the Champions League against Chelsea without Rodri. What have you done Pep? Why didn’t you play him? But do you remember how Rodri was in that moment? He was not playing bad, beyond in that moment.

“Do you think Rodri would not play now? Of course he would play. But I’m getting paid for taking those decisions. But in that moment I thought: I need these certain players, more control, more passes, Gundogan did more than him”, he explained.

But for the trophies he has won during his career, the former Barcelona coach believes not all of them have been down to him alone: "Do you know what I thought when we won the treble? It was written in the stars. We played really well that season, of course, otherwise you cannot do it - but it was written. And it happens. Sometimes, we need to live this.

Original article written by Xavi Heras, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Roddy Cons.

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