Manchester City F.C.
·22 November 2024
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Yahoo sportsManchester City F.C.
·22 November 2024
Pep Guardiola says he feels loved at Manchester City and that our success was achieved by everyone involved with the Club.
The City boss signed a new contract on Thursday that will keep him at the Club for more than a decade.
Fans at the Etihad Stadium made it clear that they wanted him to continue his reign at the Blues when they unveiled a banner in his native Catalan stating: "Pep Guardiola, we want you to stay" ahead of the victory over the Fulham last month.
The gesture was greatly appreciated by the boss and he says he felt loved from his first day and that he wants to keep on winning.
“It’s not only the reason why [I'm staying], but I appreciated it,” he said in his press conference when asked about the importance of City supporters around the world.
“I said to them ‘thank you so much’. I feel love. Not just for the fact. I am long service here because we won. I didn’t win. We won a lot. We lose four games in a row this season but we won four Premier Leagues in a row. We won it all together.
“This all happens, there are momentums. So I am here because we won. So the people maybe ‘we like Pep’ because we won a lot. And start to lose bad, bad, bad, people say what is the reason why I stayed here. That is normal, everywhere.
“Managers that win everything and next season start really well and the people start to say ‘you have to sack him, it’s not the same’. It’s normal.
“But apart from that, from day one, I felt incredible love and respect to do our job all together with my assistants and coaches that I had in this period here.
“It’s normal. Of course, if I didn’t have that feeling I would not be here. I said for many years that I would not be a problem for that club.
“I would be the first one if I feel it’s not right because I lose the team or I’m tired for the situation or we expect the next two years to be amazing and after it’s not going well, I would call my boss and say I think you need to think another thing. I think always that’s the best way to live in these positions.”
After winning an historic fourth Premier League title in a row, the challenge of adding silverware is harder than ever.
City come back off the international break after four defeats in all competitions, which began away to Spurs in the Carabao Cup.
Guardiola says it’s always a difficult clash against Ange Postecoglu’s side who are the visitors to the Etihad on Saturday at 17:30 (UK) but his hopeful that several key players will be available after injury.
“Four defeats? Listen when you are eight or nine years as a manager in one club, you live all the scenarios and all the situations,” he said.
“You are able to lose four games in a row and at the same time you are able to win four Premier Leagues in a row.
“The difference is that most of the time, most teams are able to lose four games in three different competitions but only one team won four Premier Leagues in a row.
“It’s happened. In one season in eight or nine years, both sides of the coin will happen."