Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola spoke to the media ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League match against Fulham at the Etihad (kick-off 19:30 GMT).
Here are the main points of his press conference:
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Guardiola has revealed defender Abdukodir Khusanov will be “able to play” after being substituted with concussion in the win over Liverpool.
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He spoke more about Khusanov: “I admit he doesn’t talk like William Shakespeare but it’s getting better and better. He understands what we want. He’s so smart. People have the impression that because he’s so physical and strong and so fast he can’t think, and that’s not the case. He always makes good decisions.”
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He added: “Normally when a player has this physique he doesn’t know how to use his (head) but he has both. I think he can improve because he is open-minded. Man City have had a central defender for many years.”
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Other team news: “I haven’t trained with them, but John (Stones) is back, Sav (Savinho), I would say yeah. Everyone is fine.”
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Against Fulham: “Every season is better. The movements they make… they are really good. The patterns and the quality they have, the composure of the game, the speed they have.”
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On Fulham manager Marco Silva: “Marco is one of the best managers I’ve faced. He’s destined to be one of the best in a few years, that’s for sure.”
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On former City player Oscar Bobb: “Oscar will have no doubts about his potential. It’s about him and what he wants to achieve. If he wants to be a top player, he will be a top player.”
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Asked if he had closed the gap to Arsenal to three points by beating Fulham: “Every time in the last few weeks and months when I go before the game for an interview, always if you lose you lose everything and are going to disappear from planet Earth and all that. So what I say is what do you have to do to beat Fulham?”
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He added: “I understand how nice it is to (talk about) three, four (points gap), that kind of thing. It’s OK but it’s not winning titles or in the final stages trying to be close to winning titles.”
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