The Manchester City coach believes his team “won't come back” even if they beat Arne Slot's side at Anfield on Sunday.
After five games without a win, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola is facing the worst crisis of his coaching career. And it comes just before a crucial Premier League match against Liverpool at Anfield, a match that could leave them 11 points behind the Reds. “I never thought that if we won and won, it would be forever. I also knew that this moment would come: 'This too shall pass,'” he told British broadcaster Sky Sports in an astonishing interview.
Pep on stress: “You can't imagine how much I get paid!”
Speaking about the pressure on his shoulders and the self-inflicted wounds to his head during the match against Feyenoord after blowing a 3-0 lead in the 75th minute, he said: “You can't imagine how much I get paid! It's part of my salary. If I don't want that pressure, I'll quit my job, go home and not have this weight on my shoulders anymore. All managers have that.
He continued, “Don't you want to be criticized? It's unfair? My friend, it is what it is. If you don't win, people will laugh at you, people will make fun of you. Even more so because 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, is it over or tired? Then I go home.
City “won't come back” after beating Liverpool
As for the upcoming match against Liverpool, Guardiola tried to play down its importance: “I would like to say that we are going to win at Anfield and then 20 games. But in the situation we are in, we will not come back. The only chance we get back is if John Stones gets back – he's injured and that won't be for a long time. If Ruben Dias comes back after a month of absence and everyone is fit again, then we will come back. To keep it up every three days, we can't do it.
“Now I tell my reflection: what are you asking? 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 is needed to solve City's problems: “If I believe Kevin de Bruyne could be a full-back, I would! I would praise, analyze or judge how much overthinking I was at that moment, or how stupid I was – because I believe that was best at that moment, because I know my players.
“Listen, I played the Champions League final against Chelsea without Rodri. What have you done Pep? Why didn't you play it? But do you remember what Rodri was like at that moment? Except for that moment, he wasn't playing badly.
'Do you think Rodri wouldn't play now? Of course he would play. But I get paid for making those decisions. But at that moment I thought: I need these certain players, more control, more passing, Gundogan did more than him,” he explained.
But the trophies he has won during his career, the former Barcelona coach believes they are not all down to him alone: ”Do you know what I thought when we won the treble? It was written in the stars. We really played well that season of course, otherwise you can't do it – but it was written. And sometimes we have to experience this.
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