Pep Guardiola has warned Manchester City’s players that each match is the “most important 90 minutes of their lives” and that he will leave them out if there is any drop in level.
Guardiola takes City to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in a game that features his Premier League leaders against Mauricio Pochettino’s second-placed side.
City drew 3-3 at Celtic in Wednesday’s Champions League group game to end their run of victories at 10. Afterwards Fernandinho said Guardiola’s insistence on a high intensity in training and matches meant “sometimes we go a little bit down, sometimes we are up”, though he added that squad and coach were working to attain the requisite level.
The Brazilian’s comments regarding the dip in quality were put to Guardiola and he was asked if this was acceptable. “No. I don’t accept that,” the 45-year-old said. “I wouldn’t be happy. I want it to be the principle in all of our games.
“That’s why the player has to take care of themselves in their private life, sleep well, eat well, because the way we play is so demanding. People cannot escape; [if they do not take care] another one has to be there. The way I want to play is that way and it’s much more simple to improve. But for the 90 minutes the players have to put in absolutely everything on the field. That’s the most important moment in their lives. Training is a part of it but the most important thing is the referee’s whistle and you start to play.”
Guardiola was proud of his players’ effort at Parkhead. “The fans for Man City were disappointed because they didn’t win but were happy with what they saw,” he said. “They saw until the last moment they tried to win. That is what I am after – until the last minute try to win the games; it doesn’t matter what happened. At the end I went to the locker room and I think the players were tired, they were exhausted, so much so that they couldn’t talk and that is what I want from my players because in the end all our fans know that and that is why I cannot be disappointed in our performance in Glasgow.”
Guardiola is an admirer of Pochettino and the high-pressing football Spurs play. “What I saw with Tottenham is one who, along with Liverpool, one of the best teams at the moment playing in the Premier League,” he said. “We need a good performance to win there. We cannot achieve points if we are not making a good performance. If you are so-so, no chance.
“What I like is the teams who are active and you see that when they play. They want the ball, want to keep it, are so aggressive without the ball. I like to see that and Tottenham and Liverpool are both teams in that way.”
Despite winning all previous six league matches Guardiola remains guarded. “We won most of our games because of our enthusiasm,” he said. “At the start a new coach wins a lot of games but to create something stable, more controlled, you need more time. In my first year in Barcelona we won six titles [trophies] in a row but by my fourth year we were better than my first year.
“In my third year in Munich we were better than my first year. You see the teams and the way we play. I am pretty sure that in my second and third year here we will be better than we are now. The results are almost perfect now but the performances will improve more over time. Now we won six games in a row and people say we are going to win four titles in the first season.
“How many clubs have done that in their first season? How many? Zero. It is so difficult. We are going to try to win the game but in my last period here the football will be better. I am sure of that.”
Guardiola is conscious that by the second year the initial enthusiasm that players show for a coach wanes, making it important to have laid solid foundations regarding the ethos.
“Pochettino is better now than when he arrived because he had time and we need time but we sometimes don’t get time. That is the big problem we have. That is why the enthusiasm is so important. In the second year the enthusiasm is gone, it disappears, that is going to happen. I am tired of the players, they are tired of me.”
Guardiola has a three-year contract and indicated when he may decide to stay longer. “When I decided to say goodbye to Barcelona and Bayern Munich I decided in the last year,” he said. “I said: ‘OK, it’s enough.’”
