Pep Guardiola says he won’t be talking about Manchester City while still coach of Bayern Munich and insists he can easily combine his duties at the German champions with Premier League planning.
Asked yesterday for his reasons for choosing City, Guardiola said: “I won’t speak about Manchester City until May, June. I will speak about Manchester City in England. I cannot say something every week about it. It is another four months and for me it is not a problem. Newspapers can continue attacking and I will continue doing my job.”
At his first news conference since the announcement this week he would be succeeding Manuel Pellegrini at City from next season, Guardiola said it would not be a problem focusing on Bayern and also planning with his new club.
“I have already told you why I am going to England,” he said.
“You’ve got to trust me. I can’t come here every day and talk about it. I am like a woman, I can multi-task. I can control both situations. I can think about both situations. It’s not a problem. I have a big talent for this,” Guardiola added.
The 45-year-old Spaniard also used the news conference to criticise the media for what he called a lack of respect for coaches. “For our job there is no respect today. It doesn’t matter what we say,” he said.
“I don’t know why people don’t trust what I say,” he added in comments which also follow German media reports of dissatisfaction in the squad and disciplinary problems.
Guardiola was referring to widespread reports alleging internal discontent in the squad about the way he handled his decision to leave Bayern.
The club rejected such reports as well as allegations of weight and discipline problems with midfielder Arturo Vidal during their winter training camp in Qatar. “He is very strong and has trained very well. I fully trust him,” Guardiola said in support of the Chilean.
The Spaniard can still leave on a high and clinch a treble in his final season at Munich, matching the 2013 campaign under his predecessor Jupp Heynckes.
“Coaches get little respect these days,” he said.
“It is everywhere like that. In Madrid, Barcelona, Germany, England. It does not matter what we say.”
“There are respectable papers here that have not asked me a single question on football in these three years. But that comes with the job. I do not understand it but I can live with it.”
Guardiola confirmed that new signing Serdar Tasci is unavailable for today’s Bundesliga visit to Bayer Leverkusen after the central defender suffered light concussion in his first training session after arriving on loan from Spartak Moscow. Joshua Kimmich, who played the full 90 minutes against Hoffenheim last Sunday, is set to retain his place.
Guardiola described Leverkusen as “one of the best teams in Germany” with Bayern at the start of a “very important” week of three away games—Leverkusen followed by second-division Bochum in the cup on Wednesday and next weekend’s Bavarian derby at Augsburg.
Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt, meanwhile, said the reports of discord at Bayern would not have any effect on the game. “In every club and in every team there are problems occasionally,” he said. “You shouldn’t read too much into these things. We won’t be thinking Bayern can’t play football any more.”
Fourth-placed Leverkusen are without still-injured captain Lars Bender but are otherwise at full strength for opponents who have only won once at the BayArena in the last six meetings.
Bayern go into the game having won both their opening games following the league’s winter break and have an eight-point lead over Borussia Dortmund (44 points), who visit third-placed Hertha Berlin (34) Saturday. Leverkusen are three points adrift of Hertha.
“It will be a big challenge,” Schmidt said. “We will need a super day and will have to play with courage, that’s clear.”
Pep Guardiola
