What is left to achieve, and are you better than Sir Alex Ferguson? – Every word from part two of Pep Guardiola’s pre-Wolves press conference | OneFootball

Manchester City return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon following the second international break of the season, with a visit to Wolves on the agenda.

Pep Guardiola and his players come into the contest against the division’s bottom-placed side standing as the only remaining unbeaten club so far this season, following on from Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth.

Wolves on the other hand could not have had a more contrasting run of form, coming into the meeting with arguably European football’s best side having not recorded a single win across their opening seven matches this season.

Guardiola and his coaching staff have been boosted by the returns of Nathan Ake and Kevin De Bruyne to first-team training this week, but neither player is likely to play a significant role this weekend, and may not even travel with the squad.

Amongst the talking points for the Manchester City manager during his embargoed press conference on Friday afternoon were his legacy within English football, and whether there is anything left to achieve at the Etihad Stadium.

Ahead of the weekend’s return to action for Manchester City in the Premier League, here is every single word from Pep Guardiola in part two of his pre-match press conference!

On whether he is more laid back now than when he first arrived at Manchester City in 2016

“I would say in many I’m quite the same, but of course I change, people change from their experiences – I’m not an exception. But always when I react like this it’s because I’m an emotional man.

“When I move my arms and my hands in this way it’s because it’s emotion and it is what it is. When I was a football player, and I see some clips it was quite similar. Football must be lived, I think, in that way.

“Respect your opponents, respect absolutely your players, and so on, but everyone is who it is. It cannot be changed that.”

On whether he has always been the same person

“No, I’m not so proud sometimes by how I react, honestly. Afterwards I say, ‘What have I done? This Pep, why?’ I don’t like it! Many, many times, especially I like finishing the game and going inside and sometimes go outside, but I feel it in that moment.

“Sometimes it’s something I don’t even realise. I don’t like it many, many times, but it is what it is. I’m not perfect, and I don’t want to be, and sometimes I make mistakes and I accept it, and I apologise and I do apologise and it’s not a problem.”

On when it gets like that that he knows it’s time to step away from a situation

“Yeah, of course. But it’s who I am; my mum and dad made me in that way. So what can I do?”

On whether there is anything else left that he feels is still left to achieve at Manchester City

“I like my job. I’ve said many times that I love what I do. In terms of numbers or titles, it’s done, yeah… I would say a long time ago! I didn’t ever, ever expect when we arrived – and I don’t speak on behalf of Txiki (Begiristain) but I think Txiki and myself – we never thought we’d do it in the way that we have done it.

“But still I like coming here every morning to work, I LOVE it. Thinking about Wolves, and what are the messages that I have to tell them, the images I have to see, the training sessions I have to prepare – still I like it. And this is the main reason that I’m a manager.

“When I don’t feel this, it’s not just leaving Man City, I would not be a manager, I would not train, that’s for sure!”

On whether he is the best Premier League manager ever if he continues winning for an even longer period – ahead of Sir Alex Ferguson

“No (it doesn’t motivate him), not at all! I want to be happy every day when I come, I don’t do it to… Of course, winning titles gives you the chance to have a job, it’s the only thing it gives to you. But it’s not the pleasure, honestly.

“In that country, and I think all around the world, Sir Alex Ferguson is the best! For the time, for the changed teams and look at his cabinet of trophies. Being close to one of the most important managers of all time is not enough, it’s more, more than enough!

“It’s an incredible honour, for me, for all the staff, all the assistants I’ve had, all the players I’ve had, for me it’s an honour. It’s not just for me. When people say, ‘Pep is one of the best’, that is for the players I’ve had, for the managers, the assistant coaches we’ve had all together and I’ve had many, and all of them create that sense that we are good and this is enough!

“I don’t fight for… I like because I want to win balls desperately, I want to prepare well and I want to win, but I live better and I make my people happy and our fans of course, and our people who believe in you.

“When you lose you think you disappoint the people who trust you, who believe in you, and that I don’t like that feeling. That’s why I want to win to still be proud and enjoy the moments in the canteen, on the training pitch, and wherever, the very best.

“And this is the only thing I’m concerned. I’m never, and you have to understand me, never, ever in my life I could think for one second that we could get or achieve what we have achieved for many, many years as a manager. As a football player even, but as a manager – IMPOSSIBLE!

“Not even in my best dreams. I’ve not got anything to ask more right now, ‘No I have to do this’. I want to win balls because it’s a process, and after if I will not lift another trophy, that’s fine. We want it? Yeah, of course we want another Premier League!

“And do we want to arrive in the last stages of the Champions League and try to win it again? Of course we want! But I know the difficulty, I know the many things are completely different when you never won the things you won, and I have to handle it.

“And that’s why still we are here.”

On whether he has a best manager he tries to emulate or a name that he still looks up to

“No! It’s not a name, absolutely not. What is considered the best? Because they won more trophies than another one? (It’s a personal thing) That’s the point. He said perfectly; for the United fans, always it will be Sir Alex. Absolutely, fine!

“People say, ‘No it’s my best club because they win titles!’ There are clubs that never win, and for people it’s the best club in the world because they feel it, they love it. When this team, Manchester City, was in Maine Road and they didn’t win what we’ve won in the last 15, 20 years, the people loved Man City unconditionally, and they love that club.

“You don’t need to win trophies to love one club. There are incredible managers that didn’t win because they didn’t have big clubs, big hierarchies, big positions that help you to win. I’m not saying I’m a bad manager otherwise I could not be here for a long time, and being successful, but to be the best or not the best, believe me that’s not important.

“Just to say (Novak) Djokovic is better than (Rafael) Nadal, Nadal than (Roger) Federer, Federer than Djokovic – all three are EXCEPTIONAL! They make tennis, tennis as a sport… watch their finals! It was wow, oh my god, during three or four hours was unbelievable.

“Every shot you have the heart like, oh it’s going to explode. They bring all of their limits. For other ones it would be Djokovic, for other ones it would be Rafael, for other ones it would be Federer. All of them are better, it’s the same.

“My contender as a manager, Jurgen Klopp, made me better as a manager. Jose Mourinho made me better as a manager. Mikel Arteta now is making me better as a manager. We need that! To be the very best, this is what I think, honestly, it’s not the point.”

On whether he would ever consider being a sporting director

“No! (Pundit, groundsman, referee?) I would criticise my manager a lot! I can’t! I like the grass, honestly, I like the green there. To be there with a tie, I don’t like.”

On whether we might see a Premier League with no English managers and whether it would matter anyway

“I hope not! I understand completely the people when they relate that you can only manage the national team being British, it’s normal. And in every country it’s the same. It’s just, and in my advice, take the opportunity to learn, like we learned from them, they can learn from the foreign, German, or Spanish, or Catalan, or Italian, or whatever. That is life.

“Everyone learns from everyone. In London, they don’t live just British people there. In New York, they don’t live just American people there. There are millions, millions of people abroad that live there to contribute to the country getting better, to make businesses, or live lives or whatever. This is what it’s all about.

“We live in community all around the world today, before it was more difficult for the fact people could not fly but now it’s not… everyone is everyone. And as much as you are open, because the culture is back and forth, and have the opportunity to not just learn, but to see, maybe you like or not like people from other countries, that is what culture is all about.

“That is what makes us better, absolutely. You travel to Germany, or Qatar, or now here, and I feel better, as a person, I feel better. I’m more patient, I have more understanding, empathy, understanding your culture, understand why you have done this, why you have done that, and I do what I feel, and if the people like it, it’s fine.

“But what I like? Of course I would like to be British people in the league, it’s normal. And I understand completely, but at the same time, now it’s Thomas (Tuchel) there (as England manager), OK why should you not support him?

“Why should you not – OK, he is the manager, let’s go! And if Thomas wins it will be good, and if he doesn’t win he will be criticised, it doesn’t matter – it happens everywhere. But once the Federation has decided, me in my aside position, I will support him like I supported Gareth (Southgate) because I want the very best, because just for the fact that I was living here almost one decade. So it’s simple.

On whether there might need protection for English managers in the Premier League, such as home-grown quotas for clubs

“I would say I don’t know the reason why, because at the end of course the owners, some of them… Txiki, (Begiristain) at the end, appointed me because he knew me from Barcelona, right? If the sporting directors are British and the other one.

“I spoke with my players, how is Lee Carsley for example, how is Gareth (Southgate), and they spoke highly! They spoke highly of them! It’s really, really good! But the decisions, I don’t know the reason why. Maybe you can know it better than me, so I don’t know.”