PEP GUARDIOLA, MARCO SILVA, TIM REAM, JULIAN ALVAREZ AND BERND LENO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON #MCIFUL.
Tim Ream
We respect everyone and we fear nobody, and we’ve approached every single match that way. We’ll approach these next games the exact same way. We’ll go there, look to play our style, look to play to our strengths, and try to exploit some of their weaknesses, and hopefully we can pick up a couple of results.
Pep Guardiola
I’m not surprised at all that [Fulham] are seventh. You have to see what they did in the Championship, what they did in the transfer window, and the manager is exceptional. With Marco last season in the FA Cup, I know exactly how we suffered. They’re a good team, it’s not a surprise. They started well, drawing against Liverpool, and have continued in that way. They have a good process and, when they are under pressure, they can use the long balls with Mitrović who can win them and the second balls. He’s a dangerous player, how many goals did he score last season? People say, ‘oh it’s the Championship,’ but he’s scoring goals in the Premier League. He’s natural, a competitor, he pushes defenders to limits and he’s clinical. In the box, he’s very good.
Marco Silva
We have top, top teams in this competition, and they are not even in the top of the table. I don’t want to be unfair with the team that is in the top right now, that is Arsenal, but of course [City] are different. They are the most difficult one to play against, in my opinion. They have the quality, but for sure some teams can compete and can beat them, and let’s hope we can. It will be really difficult for us, but it’s our obligation to try.
Julian Alvarez
All the games are important for us, especially in the Premier League. We always want to win because it’s a long tournament, we don’t want to drop points. It’s important every single week.
Bernd Leno
I have to expect a lot of work. All of us, we have to work, to run, to suffer, because probably they will have a lot of possession. We have nothing to lose. No-one expects us to beat them, because City beat everyone. That’s our big chance to get something, to surprise them, to get something. We have to prepare that [Erling Haaland] plays. He is always a threat, he is always dangerous because he can score goals out of nothing. It is not only Haaland. They have many world class players. We have to defend as a team, as a collective, against the whole Man City team. We need a perfect day from all of us.