“Perhaps it is the greatest success of our careers”

Champion. Pep Guardiola has won the Premier League. Again. He had to suffer, because his team went 0-2 down on the scoreboard, but a fantastic reaction allowed them to turn the match around with three goals in six minutes. The party was complete at the Etihad Stadium, except for the attack of a fan on Robin Olsen with the match already over.

After lifting the trophy that accredits him as champion, Pep Guardiola attended the media at a press conference. Before answering the journalists’ questions, The Catalan coach wanted to remember the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena attack and of a Liverpool that has taken the fight for the title to the limit.

“Before we start, I would like to remember the tragic events that happened five years ago today at the Manchester Arena. We want to share it with all the families who suffered so much. I also want to congratulate Liverpool for the incredible battles of the last few seasons, especially this one. The magnitude of our successes is related to the magnitude of our rivals. I have never had a rival like Liverpool, neither as a manager nor as a player. This makes us feel more proud of our players and our club because we know how hard the task we face is. We are incredibly happy.”

What feelings do you have after this victory?

“It was very difficult. Even before we got to the stadium I knew we needed a goal. We talk a lot about big data, its importance, it’s all numbers, numbers, numbers… but what about big data if you play, like today? , with the emotion of being able to be champion. Today was the most difficult game to win. It is different from the rest, because with this game we closed all the work of the last nine or ten months. We were lucky to be able to score the second goal so quickly, and then we saw that there were still twelve or fifteen minutes left and that it was our time. Aston Villa played a brilliant game, but in the end the Premier League… I’m not saying it’s better or more important than the Champions League, but it’s the honest competition. The Premier League doesn’t lie. There are 38 games, at home and away, with many teams that give you a lot of problems. Whoever wins in the end is because they are the best”.

How did the atmosphere in the stadium help you?

“Much, it was the best since I’ve been here. It was incredible against Newcastle United and Real Madrid, but today was very special. Tomorrow we will celebrate together in the streets of Manchester with our cigars and our beers. I will take my pure, don’t worry”.

Are you satisfied with the party of yours?

“It’s always difficult when you’re down 0-2. We needed to score early, and fortunately Sterling made an incredible play and Gündogan is the best striker we have. He has that nose to get to the ball at the right time. Joao Cancelo did it very good in the first half, but he played on the left being right-footed. Zinchenko’s impact was fantastic, especially his first fifteen or twenty minutes. Raheem ran a lot inside and in the final stretch more open, with Kevin De Bruyne and Gündogan coming through the center. Phil Foden fought a lot, and with 0-2 he took responsibility and dribbled past three or four rivals. He was aggressive. Gabriel Jesus fought with two tough central defenders, ran, fought and fought. The whole team, as always. Because If the contribution is not made by the whole team, you cannot achieve what we have achieved in recent years. We have won four Premier Leagues in five years. These guys are legends. This group of players will go down in eternity at the club because what have achieved is very difficult. Only Sir Alex Ferguson has done it with Manchester United several years ago. Now I understand the magnitude of Sir Alex Ferguson, who won the Premier several times in a row. Next year we will defend the title again.”

Has it been your most difficult title to date?

“The year we won against Brighton and were champions by one point was also difficult. But this year was more exciting because of how the season ended. We won 100 points a few years ago, last season it was similar… but the year we won the league in Brighton and today was the most difficult. We felt the pressure throughout the week. The players trained and we didn’t want to put more pressure on them. We smelled it. We knew that Liverpool would beat Wolves and that we needed to win. And the Aston Villa have many weapons. With players like Watkins they have a lot of quality up front. Coutinho and Buendía are exceptional players. They organize well. We knew it would be difficult, but it’s normal. I’ve been in this situation many times, as a player and as a manager, and These types of games are always the most complicated”.

How do you explain that you were able to come back so quickly?

“Because I called Real Madrid and they gave me very good advice. That’s why. Look, there is no explanation for what happened in Madrid, and neither for what happened today. revive them in the future. I had a feeling that what happened in Madrid would help us to be stronger next season. Maybe we still need a little time, but with every second that passes, we realize how difficult it is to win four times the league in this country. It may be the biggest success of our careers. We are very proud.”

The club has published a statement after the attack on the Aston Villa goalkeeper…

“I’m very sorry. I already spoke at a press conference about the Nottingham Forest game, and what happened in Port Vale and with Everton. I’m very sorry. People’s emotions… it’s hard to understand why there are people who can’t celebrate things and be happy, why do they have to do things like that. Hopefully we can find this person and that he receives the punishment he deserves. “