When the first answer to the first question is “next question”, the prospects of learning too much from a Pep Guardiola news conference do not look too good.
That was exactly the case on the eve of the Premier League champions’ clash with Norwich City, with Guardiola moving to shut down an enquiry over whether he would like to bring in Bayern Munich superstar Robert Lewandowski.
City’s striker search lurked on the margins of the Friday lunchtime conversation from that point, with a potentially worrying injury update taking the headlines once we’d deciphered exactly who Pep was talking about.
Here, we take a look at some of the major talking points from Pep’s briefing and what they might mean.
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‘Absolutely more than happy’
The words “Harry” and “Kane” did not cross anyone’s lips here. Within the press conference setting, there is an acceptance on all sides that there is nothing more to be gleaned.
How the longest and most over-wrought game of poker since Casino Royale plays out will be settled elsewhere.
Guardiola uncharacteristically expressed his interest in Kane publicly before the Community Shield, but that will almost certainly be his final contribution to the saga until – ideally – the England captain is photographed proudly brandishing City’s bizarre third kit.
The Lewandowski query showed he was not about to be led down the garden path in a similar way. Then, in a moment to echo his famous “more than you believe, so happy – happy new year” interview from his first season in Manchester, Guardiola offered a clipped response to whether he would be satisfied if there are no new additions before the transfer window closes.
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski reportedly wants to change clubs before he reaches 35-years-old.
(Image: Lars Baron/Getty Images.)
“Absolutely more than happy. It’s the same team apart from Sergio [Aguero] for Jack Grealish that we had last season,” he said.
Actions, namely the Kane pursuit, obviously speak louder than words and, later on, Guardiola again showed he is often more likely to show his true feelings a little longer after the event.
Things to work on from Spurs
“I always have the feeling we are good when we play here but we cannot get the results,” he said after Sunday’s 1-0 loss at Tottenham on the Premier League’s opening weekend.
Five days on, Guardiola was not too keen to paint a picture of unlucky losers.
“I would like to see the team better in many aspects than against Spurs,” he explained, before expanding when asked how.
“The distances between lines, our accuracy in not losing simple balls, the physical condition, in the final third, defend the set pieces better.
“There are a thousand things you cannot work on in just one week, but we spoke today and we will see if we can do better.”
Sounds like a busy week on the training ground, then. Certainly not a week to be without your midfield talisman on the eve of a match.
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De Bruyne disturbance
Questions about injuries seem to alternately amuse or hugely irritate Guardiola.
A few years ago, he suggested to one journalist he should give him the club doctor’s phone number – a contact that would be heartily welcomed but one unlikely to be forthcoming from the press office or anywhere else.
Even now, the most routine enquiries about fitness can catch Pep off guard.
Kevin De Bruyne suffered a disturbance in training and is a doubt for the weekend
Take, for example, when he said everyone had trained. Oh, hang on, Kevin De Bruyne didn’t.
Or did he? Was it actually Ilkay Gundogan who missed the session on account of his shoulder knock versus Tottenham?
Eventually we clarified De Bruyne had a “disturbance” relating to the ankle ligament damage he sustained during Euro 2020, while Gundogan was in training.
That was the story Guardiola was sticking to, anyway. He later spoke of how fond he is of Norwich boss Daniel Farke. Perhaps he was just winding his mate up and concocting the updates as he went along.
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