Guardiola: ‘Hopefully’ Juventus give time to Motta, Man City must play ‘simple’

Pep Guardiola hopes the Juventus board gives time to Thiago Motta and insists Manchester City must play ‘simple’ but Mateo Kovacic and Phil Foden won’t be available in Turin.

Manchester City have travelled to Turin for a Champions League match against Juventus.

It kicks off on Wednesday at 21:00 CET.

Kovacic and Foden trained with the rest of the team this morning and travelled to Turin, but, surprisingly, they won’t be involved against Juventus.

“I don’t think so, but having them back here with the team and in the training session is nice,” Guardiola said at a pre-match press conference attended by Football Italia.

The Premier League giants have won just one game from the last five games and have collected a 2-2 away draw at Crystal Palace in the latest league match.

“We can do better in terms of results; we need to find something inside us to get the results, but I am not the person to say bad words about the team; it’s important to perform well,” said Guardiola.

“We are not in a position to talk about winning games in the plural. We need to win the next game. We have to take points to qualify.”

Man City have collected nine points in the opening five Champions League games, one more than Juventus.

“Juve is Juve. In Italy, they are the best team. Historical team,” continued Pep.

“They are accustomed to playing with a lot of pressure. You see what Thiago is trying to do. He did an incredible job in Bologna. All the managers need time. Hopefully, Juventus board can give it to him this time to create what he wants to do.

“We must play this game. We know their potential and who we are. If I were a player, I’d only focus on my team. I have great respect for Juventus, but we must focus on ourselves because that’s the only way to get out of this situation.”

Guardiola understandably answered several questions on the team’s poor form.

“After eight or nine years up there, having some down is understandable. We are judged in every game, but I know my people,” he said.

“I won’t comment on Juve. I am far away. I watched the last two or three games and I think they are on the right path. It’s not easy to get to a new club, add something new, and experience the pressure that Juve, Inter, Milan, and Napoli have. I didn’t win in my first season here, but they gave me time and the rest is history.

“These things happen. It’s extraordinary to win 11 titles in 14 years. I’ve said many times in England that this would happen sooner or later,” he added.

“These things can happen in England sooner or later. Hopefully, the sun will come out in Turin tomorrow, but what’s happening is normal. Winning the treble every year would be exceptional, but this is not the case.

“It’s not a mental thing. It’s about doing things better.

“The team is good. We have a few injuries in central defence, but the team is good. We have to do better with the players we have. We missed a lot of things that didn’t get us results.

“What saves us is the way we play. We have to play simple, so simple. Our strength is the ball. Let them run, and don’t create trouble. We have conceded a lot of transitions lately, so we must do better and get confidence from the simple things.”