He told a news conference: “I can not deny what everyone knows, Barcelona was the first – one week or 10 days ago – who announced the contact with Manchester City”.
Advertisement
Pep Guardiola admits he has been surprised how quickly Manchester City’s players have adopted his methods after a 4-1 victory over Stoke continued the Spaniard’s 100 per cent start.
Joe Hart, who has not played for City this season, will start Wednesday’s home Champions League qualifier second leg against Steaua Bucharest.
“I don’t know if this could be his last game”.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has declared his side ready for the Champions League after the Citizens beat Romania’s Steaua Bucharest 6-0 on aggregate to progress to the group stages.
This will seriously affect his chances of playing for England – new manager Sam Allardyce has already suggested that Hart needs to be playing regularly to remain as his number one – so to be at a club where he is not even on the bench most weeks could well kill off his global career. I have an excellent relationship with Joe.
“It’s not enough to receive the ball from his team mates, he has to help us in the first pressure and run a lot and help us a lot with movement”, Guardiola said. I try to be clear with my players and I was clear with him.
“I was pretty sure we would be able to do that”.
Meanwhile, Everton – which seemed a potential destination late last week – now appear to have cooled their interest, partly due to Hart’s wages, which are beyond their current structure, and the early-season form of new signing Maarten Stekelenburg.
“I spoke with Joe from the first moment we met”, added City’s new coach.
Manager Mark Hughes was left frustrated but believes City, where he spent a spell in charge from 2008-09, will be serious contenders to regain the Premier League title they last won in 2014.
Guardiola said: “Yes, he has chance to play tomorrow”. I work with them like there’s no end.
“If it goes for a longer period then it’s hard to select them, based on how they feel – never mind from a training point of view – and to known can they go and play at that level having not played for their own team for a considerable amount of time?” When we create a good build-up our forward players get the ball in a better position.
Advertisement
Guardiola’s desire to sign Bravo has cast doubt on the future of England number one Hart, who Sky sources understand is now nearly certain to leave the club before the deadline. “I am going to sit with my people and going to see which players need more training than play, which players have more minutes in their legs”.
