Pep Guardiola watched PSG beat Bayern 5-4 in a Champions League semifinal classic — but only after catching a League One match at Stockport first. His explanation was vintage Guardiola: deadpan, self-aware, and just sharp enough to cut.
"The day before, I saw PSG vs Bayern and thought, what a disaster game. The managers aren't good, Luis Enrique and Vincent Kompany, really, really shit players," he said, grinning. "I love English soccer, so I went to Stockport. Then I watched PSG-Bayern afterward with a glass of wine, already knowing the result."
He's not in the Champions League this season. He's making peace with that — glass of wine and all.
Rodri's return is still a wait-and-see situation
Behind the quips, there's genuine news coming out of City's press conference. Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and Rodri are all improving from their respective issues, but Guardiola was careful not to over-promise on the midfielder. "He still hasn't trained with us, so we'll see in the next few days. Will he be ready for Everton? I always have confidence."
That's not a confirmation. Rodri missing Monday's game against Everton would matter — City have been navigating the back end of the season without their most important defensive midfielder, and any slip in the title race gets costlier the closer Arsenal come to the top. Arsenal face Fulham on Saturday and could extend their lead before City even kick off. Guardiola's response to that? A shrug. "At this stage of the season, it doesn't change anything. You know exactly what you have to do."
He also went out of his way to kill the fixture-congestion narrative, taking a swipe at clubs that complain about scheduling. "If you don't like it, go coach in France or Portugal." He's said versions of this for fifteen years. He means it.
John Stones, and a farewell that's coming
Guardiola spoke at length about John Stones, expected to leave the club this summer, and the warmth was genuine rather than performative. "He was one of my first signings. I remember traveling to London to meet him at my brother's house. He was so young."
He singled out Stones' performance in the 2023 Champions League final in Istanbul as his peak — "by far the best player in the final" — which is a striking claim given the company on that pitch. A defender who remade himself into a midfield hybrid under Guardiola, then suffered injuries that cost him two full seasons of momentum. Now fit again, he leaves having won everything there is to win in English football.
On Everton, Guardiola reserved genuine respect for David Moyes — "he has that passion since he was born" — and acknowledged the challenge of Everton's new stadium. "It was a great, very British stadium. I loved going there. But I'm excited to see the new one." Everton have been in form. It's another game City simply cannot afford to drop.
