Saturday 17 December 2016 07:21, UK
Pep Guardiola has urged Manchester City fans and his critics to look at the bigger picture, and admits it could take longer than his previous jobs to make it click at the Etihad.
The Spaniard arrived in the Premier League in the summer following hugely successful stints at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but sees his City side seven points behind leaders Chelsea after 16 games.
In a frank interview with Sky Sports' Thierry Henry, whom he managed at Barcelona, Guardiola said he is adapting to the Premier League, but will not change his philosophy, and insists a successful season would be seeing City playing the way he wants.
Asked what 'success' would be for City in 2016-17, Guardiola told Henry: "For managers it is to win titles. It will be tough, it will be really difficult. Of course we are going to see in February how our position is, and we'll see after that if we can challenge or not.
"Jurgen Klopp, who I admire a lot for his passion and ideas, I read some time that he said: 'I don't just want my team to win, I want to enjoy seeing the team play how I want to play.'
"It's simple. I would like to finish the season with the team playing how I want. Always I am there, on the bench, and we are spectators. When I am sitting there, I want to stand up, looking at my team, and what I see is what I want.
"The biggest frustration would be finishing a period here at City and the team didn't play the way you wanted."
Two defeats on the trot - at home to leaders Chelsea and away at champions Leicester - sparked criticism upon Guardiola's tactics after a successful opening two months in the English top flight, before a 2-0 win over Watford in midweek.
Guardiola, whose side face Arsenal on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1, says the physicality of the Premier League is different to anywhere else, and admits he may need more time to succeed than he has had in previous jobs in Spain and Germany.
"That unpredictable game here in England, that makes it so fascinating for the fans, because you never know what will happen. It's always there's a last chance for one team, which makes it so beautiful, but to try to control it is a bit more difficult and we will need more time.
"To adapt to the specific quality of this league. I try to play in one way all my career and here, for example with high pressing, when they have the ball we go to pick them up, but it is not allowed, because it is not allowed.
"Many times the ball is more in the air than the grass, and I have to adapt. I was in Munich and spoke with Xabi Alonso, and he said: 'You have to adapt, it's the second ball, the second ball!'
"But really, you have to adapt to the second ball, and the third ball, and the fourth! I never before was focused on that, because in Barcelona or in Spain, more or less the players try to play for the culture.
"That's why they won World Cups, and they won the Euros, won the Champions Leagues, the Europa Leagues, all the time, all of the years, Spanish teams are in the latter stages, all of the teams.
"In Germany it was more physical, but not like here. Here it is all the teams, except maybe Chelsea because Antonio is playing really well and having them build up [with the ball], but the other teams are taller, stronger, physical, and you have to adapt and build from that."
Regarding the squad he has at his disposal, Guardiola admitted to Henry that if the players do not get his message, it is the coach's problem.
Nevertheless, the 45-year-old predicts that all of the information he has placed upon his players will reach a crescendo and will become successful.
"When they don't get the message, don't understand the message, it's the coaches problem, my problem.
"All the managers in the world, it doesn't matter how good you are, if your players don't understand what you are looking for or what you want, it makes no sense.
"I think, in the end, all that information is going to come up, get out, and is going to happen."
Watch more of Thierry Henry's exclusive interview with Pep Guardiola in the build-up to Manchester City v Arsenal, from 3.30pm on Sky Sports 1 HD.
