Pep Guardiola’s Pre-Match Comments on Grealish, Team Performance, and Brighton

Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, addressed the media ahead of Saturday’s Premier League match against Brighton, scheduled for a 17:30 GMT kick-off. The following are the main points from his press conference: Jack Grealish will not be available for the upcoming Saturday game, even though interim manager Lee Carsley selected him for the England squad. Regarding the decision to call up Grealish for international duty despite his fitness status, Guardiola stated: “That is the question for the manager of England.” Guardiola confirmed he would not be traveling to Abu Dhabi during the break for discussions regarding his contract with the club’s owners. Providing an update on the team’s status, he remarked: “No good news. The same, I think, as Lisbon.” Addressing the team’s recent run of three consecutive losses, Guardiola commented: “20 minutes against Fulham were not good and against Bournemouth we were not good, but the rest of the games we were good. We are good. We will see what happens.” Guardiola disputed the perception that Bernardo Silva seemed dejected after the defeat to Sporting. He further added: “Of course, we are not used to losing three games in three different competitions -but it is football and it has happened.” Elaborating on the team’s recent performances, Guardiola stated: “We know the reason why we struggle but we are looking forward to this game and, after the international break, a few players will be back and recovered. All the little problems we have with players will be solved. I hope.” Regarding their upcoming opponents, Brighton, and their manager Fabian Hurzeler, Guardiola expressed: “I’m really impressed with the way they play. They had to make a lot of signings and he is doing an incredible job. They were outstanding against Liverpool but didn’t get the result. They played really good. They always have been tough away or at home, since Graham Potter, and this will be no exception.”