Pep Guardiola: Our rivals want us wiped off the face of the earth

Man City manager insists he will ‘always want to defend his club’ as they face financial fair play charges

Pep Guardiola has claimed that Manchester City’s critics want to see the reigning Premier League champions “disappear off the face of the earth” as they face 115 Premier League charges.
The manager, who is aiming for a fifth consecutive Premier League title and City’s seventh in eight years, has insisted he will battle to defend their reputation.
Guardiola will lead his team into Sunday afternoon’s clash against Arsenal with the chance to move five points clear of the rival who has pushed them closest in the last two campaigns.
Off the field, meanwhile, the independent commission has started looking into the 115 Premier League charges which have been levelled against City and relate to alleged breaches of the league’s financial rules.
City deny any wrongdoing but Guardiola believes his club has already been found guilty in the court of public opinion. Ahead of their biggest game of the season to date, the City manager was in a combative mood.
“I am sorry to say that I always want to defend my club – especially in these modern days,” said Guardiola. “It’s like everyone doesn’t expect us to be not just relegated, they want us to disappear off the face of the earth.
“I would say we have had many better days than our opponents – and that’s why we win a lot. It’s not complicated.”
Nine years have passed since Arsenal last won away at Man City ⏳Will they break that run tomorrow? pic.twitter.com/dpSXksMpUC
While Guardiola was on the defensive, at least in terms of City’s public reputation, the manager claimed that he will never adopt that approach on the field.
After Inter Milan ground out a dull goalless draw at the Etihad on Wednesday, many expect Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to adopt a similar negative approach.
The two meetings between the pair produced just one goal last season – in Arsenal’s win at the Emirates.
It was a far cry from the free-flowing football some might expect from a Guardiola-led side, but on this the manager said: “We are so pragmatic as a team; all the time. Look at the results.
“People say we have a lot of passes, good build-up. Pragmatic? We are the best team in the world being pragmatic.
“We won a lot. What does pragmatic mean? It’s related to results, right? Not how beautiful the football is and this kind of stuff. We believe that in the way we play we are unbelievably pragmatic. The best, I would say. I’m sorry, that’s the truth.
“For 95 minutes the opponent has to defend in their box, this is what I want. Do you know why? Because the ball is far, far, far away from Ederson, Steffen [Ortega] and Scotty [Carson]; from our keeper.
“When the ball is closer to my goal, now I am trembling. And we concede a counter-attack? Yeah, it can happen, but I prefer for the ball to be there [far away], for me that is being pragmatic.
“That’s what I completely believe. When I defend deeper, deeper because of long balls … What can I say? We have to defend deep, we have to. I don’t want it but we have to.
“So then it’s uncomfortable but you have to do it. But when the people say Pep just talks about how beautiful [football is]… no, no, no, not even in my period in Barcelona, not at all.”
The goalless draw between the teams at the Etihad in March – which ended up delivering the title to City – was a poor game in terms of entertainment, and Arteta was criticised for a negative approach. Guardiola defended his protégé from that charge and admitted even he has sometimes been happy with a nil-nil draw.
“Sometimes, yes. If you play s—, then zero-zero is a good result. When the opponent is better then it’s good,” he said.
“There are very few managers at the top level, in the first six or seven, who go to the game thinking ‘go for zero-zero’.
“Mikel knows I’m not going to play for zero-zero and I know that he’s not going to play for zero-zero.
“But sometimes they defend deep because you are better and sometimes they create a lot of chances because they are better. You accept it. It’s a good way for a team and a club to grow up.”
City will give Kevin De Bruyne as long as possible to try to recover from a muscle injury he collected against Inter before naming their side.