Manchester City star Fernandinho had a chat with the Brazilian media this week.
Speaking to Globo Esporte, the player was interviewed by former striker Caio Ribeiro and had a conversation about his time at the Premier League side and working under Pep Guardiola.
Fernandinho may be 35 years old already, but it doesn’t mean he needs more time to rest. The player was used by the Catalan manager in 39 matches this season, captaining his side in several games.
Regarding the trust he gets from Guardiola, the defender talked about the pleasure of listening to his instructions every week.
“It’s quite intense, in the sense of the amount of information we receive. It’s really big. It makes us learn and grow a lot. All the players who had the privilege to work with him noticed this difference. The moment you start working with him and then stop, the difference of what you learn is a very cool thing, it makes you think and fall in love with football again, of wanting to learn more and more.”
For years now, there are suggestions in Brazil saying Pep Guardiola should take charge of the national team. Fernandinho revealed he’s spoken to him about it, but doesn’t really believe it’s likely to happen anytime soon.
“We once talked about it, but in a very informal way, more in an informal chat. But mainly because of the news that came out in Brazil which said he’d said he’d like to train Brazil. But I believe it’s a bit impossible. He said he thinks Brazil and Argentina should always have Brazilian and Argentine coaches. We produce so many players, we have the capacity to produce great coaches. Within the more informal conversation I believe it’s difficult, but in football there is no certainty of anything.”
The Brazilian also talked about Manchester City’s Champions League clash against Real Madrid, and expects his side to be fully focused on getting qualification to the quarter-finals.
“We have to think only and exclusively about Real Madrid, there’s no way to think ahead. We know the quality of Real Madrid, especially when it comes to the Champions League. We have to be cautious, prepare well. The 90 minutes we’ll have in Manchester will be very complicated.”
