Pep Guardiola on rebuilding Manchester City, life after Kevin De Bruyne and Oasis fandom: Men in Blazers 08/19/25

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1:06I don't feel I failed. Completely the opposite. Last season was incredible demanding and at the end we achieved some, not the big silver wars, but we qualified for the Champions League, we arrived in the finals. That's why always I love to fail. I don't love to fail. Don't misunderstand me. I don't like to fail. I want to win, but if it happens, it happens.

1:29My guest today is a footballing beautiful mind, the single gent who's influenced modern English football tactics more than any other. Now entering his 10th season as Manchester City coach. He arrived here as an outsider, but has woven himself into the fabric of Manchester. It's DNA, it's history, as if he was some kind of Catalan Gallagher brother. It's a joy to welcome back Mr Pep Guardiola. Hi, Roger. Oh, Pep, it is a joy to be with you. Thank you. First question first. Was that the moustache, the biggest transfer of the season? It's gone. My daughter said it was horrible, so I should get it off.

2:05For bits here, Romano said it was the biggest transfer of the season. But I do want to talk about the most important story of the summer, the Oasis reunion. You're at Heaton Park. Noel shouted you out from the stage. It was beautiful to watch you in your city retro top and your jorts singing along to Don't Look Back in Anger. 16 years it's taken for this reunion. Can you tell us emotionally, what did it feel like for you to experience Oasis? I'm overwhelmed. So maybe it's the best band in the last 50 years after maybe Beatles or something like that. And the UK have been the best by far and have, you know, have this love for me, my family, for my family, myself.

2:46So how they care about me since I arrived. Listen, I want to confess something. when the first day I arrived here in Man City 10 years ago, the first interview was given, you know, was done by Noel. And at the moment when I finished, I said, it's impossible to know going well. So, you know, the first interview is, you know, doing by him. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a fantastic period. And it was not, you know. I did think back to that, watching it. You came as an outsider. You probably understood about half of what Noel was saying in that interview. And now you're proper Manchester. No, not proper, I would say.

3:21Sometimes I struggle to understand the guys here. But I love this city. It's something like when you are 10 years in one place, you feel comfortable. Of course, the results help, but both sides, we feel great. I want to talk about the football. Last season was one of the challenge. It was the first you didn't win silverware since your debut. You said something really interesting. You said, quote, I'm delighted to have failed. I love failures. I wonder, why do you love them? What do you learn about yourself? No, it's about yourself. We are in the society that if you post on Instagram, you know, we're in a restaurant, incredible salad or meat or fish, you pretend you are incredibly happy, you are incredibly happy.

4:02So I like when the people say, what is your opinion about any subject? So I don't know. So we pretend in our society for the kids to be perfect, to be just winners, to take the excellence, to take, you know, beat the European. Come on. So we try to do our best. You try to do the best, but sometimes you don't win. What is the problem? So I don't feel I failed. Completely the opposite. Last season was incredible demanding and I fought. And at the end, we achieved some, not the big silver wars, but we qualified for Champions League, we arrived in the finals. And I know the difficulties that we had for many reasons.

4:39And I was there. We were there. some of the players, they were there for the 24 hours. And that is a success. That is tried and tried. But sometimes the people say, I have seen unhappy people after listing a silverware because all the process was bad. There was insatisfaction. Of course, tell me one football player, one manager, one people around the world that they don't want to win. Of course they want to win. Everybody want to win. But why have to win always if you don't win? because in that tournament, the second in the Premier League until 18, until 20, they are failures. They are disasters.

5:15They are useless. They are, no, maybe the two until 20 create something beautiful for the spectators or give joy in some moments and produce something in body language that creates something, connection with the fans or with the people. That's why always I love to fail. I don't love to fail. Don't misunderstand me. I don't like to fail. I want to win. But if it happens, it happens. and nothing wrong. Next season we are here, we try it again. You're talking about journeys, about connections, about memories that are made. And it has been an off-season of transitions. The last two players who were here before you got here left, Carl Walker to Burnley, Kevin De Bruyne, gone to Napoli.

5:55In your nine years in Manchester, you have said goodbye to so many icons. Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Fernandinho, KDB. Which one was most difficult to replace Emotionally it's difficult to replace, so difficult to replace emotionally. And it's tough, it's really, really tough. Really, really, really tough. The people don't realise even the players in that moment, the agents think it doesn't matter, the club, give us everything, give me everything so that players give to our fans, our world football, something unique and it's difficult too. But the time, you know, the time, the past of the time is for everyone, so one day arrives to me, but you know, for the other ones, This is the nature of this sport and we have to accept it.

6:43You said something fascinating in a recent interview. You said, I have three different settings. Euphoric, depressed and absent. Three more than me. You said, those are my three states. So the trick is... You're always euphoric. But you said, you always try and float between those three. What's your mental state now, after the summer, ahead of this new season? The summer for the manager is always euphoric. Always? Always euphoric. The players are positive and the other one. The moment I will start at first, start 11 in the first game, we will start the problems. It's as simple as that. Like a switch?

7:19No, because that moment is everyone, you know, you're projecting the season and new concepts and the players are precision helping. At the moment you choose 11 players, you have 11 more that they are upset and grumpy. Let's talk about the switch flicking, because in your career, you have excelled at running squads that are in pursuit of perfection. Right now, you are taking a squad that is off its peak and rebuilding. Does that feel like, in your career, a new challenge for you? No, I went to Barcelona when I finished the previous season. I took over Barcelona's first team. We were in the sixth two-poil.

7:55It was 18 points behind Barcelona. We made a previous qualification for the Champions League. So I took teams in that moment and I took it in Bayern Munich after the travel with Jürgen Kass. So I handled both situations. I'm not concerned about that the season was not the perfect. It's learn, learn, take it there, and how you prepare the new one. Let's look at some of those. De Bruyne, the hole, you brought in a number of new players. Fascinated by Ryan Cherky coming in from Lyon. He's capable of outside the boot assist. He's got a puffed out chest. He sees space like very few other footballers.

8:33What about Cherky's play when you look at it? It makes him seem like a Pete Pep Guardiola player. No, he's an incredible talent player. So he used the both feet. He's top. And of course, we know him a little bit from Lyon, but now we have to start to know each other. Now he knows exactly what we want, what do you have to do. And I have the feeling, the mindset that I want to transcend. I had the feeling I want to become a good player for us and a good player for the Premier League. and always when we sign one player that is what I'm looking for, his desire, his passion. It's something like when you are six, seven, eight, nine years in one place, after winning, winning, you drop a little bit inevitably.

9:12So that is not the question. So we need the players that want to continue the legacy that these, you know, all names that you named before can continue, you know, for that club. They want to continue to be up there. Last week you broke the news that Roderick was going to be sidelined until September it's devastating you no Roddy as I said will be really really start to be yeah after international break but we are going to try I don't know how many minutes but try to make him play a few minutes in the next game do you feel you're any closer to filling that vacuum when he's not able to be on the pitch I think we'll be better we'll be better we miss him a lot last season we know when you are the best player in the world we still will not be missed absolutely but We miss the role of the central defender.

9:59We miss our Kai Walker. We miss the wingers' engine who was injured early many, many times. So we had not just Roddy had a lot of problems in that, but Roddy had to teach him anything. It's just his body language is fit. When he will be fit, he will be back. Can I talk to you about the position of goalkeeper? Because you reinvented it. You brought in Edison, gave you your first title, 2017-18, the playmaker who is at the back. How has that position evolved from you? And what do you want? What do you need? What do you demand from your number one? Well, I think the football, what Delmora Wolf, since I was football player, is the position of the goalkeeper, especially for the trainers, the mythology, how they train the keepers is outstanding.

10:38And now, before the keeper was saving and now it's safe and had to play. It's a play with him, 11 players. So there are teams that use him more. There are teams to use to make long balls, but it's part of the team. Look, it's difficult for me to find one keeper that is not brave with a fit. It's so difficult to find because now I'm not saying be like Ederson, have the ability to put the ball 60 yards in the pockets and whatever, have an incredible ability to do it. Like a Stefan Ortega, for example, have this ability as well. So I'm not saying that, but all of them have had to be a minimum to play.

11:20Can we talk about your own energy levels? You've talked about a herniated disc. You've experienced real moments of anxiety. You said recently that when your time at Manchester City draws to a close, you want to take a break. I loved your quote. You said, I'm going to stop and watch the cows go by. How will you know, Pat, when it's time to stop and take the break? What do you believe the signs will be? I have two more years. So I may extend two more years. So the question is when I will stop seeing this year, then in two years or in four years, I will take a break. but now I feel I feel fine I would say they gave me the team giving good vibes start from World Cup in the United States there we create something I saw something that I like it I like it like we missed it last season and just a feeling that you can't put it into words can't you put it into words yeah in the training session the body languages the details arriving time the back words how do you find the throw-ins and stupid things that you realise the team is there.

12:25And that helps to say, OK, that will help us to be, I think, maybe I will swallow my words. Like I said, they don't win one game this season. Maybe it's going to happen. But I had the feeling that will be more consistent than last season. Last question for you. Last time we spoke, you said your greatest motivation is the competition. You said not the trophies, not the chasing records. This season looms in front of us. 283 days, 380 games. I said at the top, you've already transformed English football tactically, more than any other human being. You've won 18 trophies. Pep, if you never win another title, is it enough?

13:04Or inside, is that fire there? Do you need to win that again? I would like to tell you I want to win all the trophies. It will be nice. And I will come to New York to celebrate with you if that's happened. But it's not about that. No, honestly, it's not about that. I cannot ask for more. The world of football has been too much generous to me. when I was a little boy being a supporter fan from my Barcelona team and I was a player there 11 years I was in the academy 11 players I was a captain I've been a manager for one of the best teams ever so after experiencing Bayern Munich I cannot ask for more if tomorrow I finish oh my God I don't believe much in God but I should say something to someone to say thank you for what I live but once we are here and to eat the training session and prepare it and review.

13:53Now we're reviewing the training session and prepare for tomorrow. Imagine balls, balls, balls in your head. That is going to make you alive. Of course you're doing well. Of course you want to win. You don't want to disappoint your people. Your people is your friends, your bosses, your players, your staff. You want to do it well. But every person, that's what I said before finishing the first question. I didn't know one person in any subject in this profession that they love to do, don't know really well. They don't know really well. You want to be more followers and subscribers and viewers. It's normal.

14:27You want to do the best, the best as possible. But sometimes it doesn't happen. Why? Maybe the others are better. What is the problem? The others are better. Okay, that is a motivation to do it again, to do it again. But when the people say, no, this was a disaster, you put your frustration in my shoulders. It's your problem, not mine. It's true. It's your problem. It's not mine. Pep, to you, to your team, to your family, to your club, to the moustache coming back maybe one day. Listen, if I shave this part of my birth, I will have moustache. Yeah. It's all what happened. Do it. It looks so good.

15:03You look like Catalanji. No, it's my daughter. My daughter said, Pep, please stop. Do it that. Do the normal one. See you. Health, happiness.