After the 8-0 thrashing, Guardiola was particularly pleased with the fact that: “we played a good game and made a big effort, which meant that the fans had a great time again. That’s like going to the cinema, the theatre or a meal… in the end, this is entertainment”.

Praise for Osasuna’s bravery

Guardiola also had words of praise for Osasuna’s tactics: “they are a team I know well and I have a lot of admiration for their coach. There aren’t many teams in the middle of the table who would be brave enough to come along and look to take us on. I like coaches like that and I’ve learnt a lot from them”. He also explained that his own tactics were based on the idea that: “we wanted to go out differently than we did in other games, looking for security in the control of the game and putting a lot of players in the middle to try and build moves”.

Asked whether he’d told his players to take their foot off the gas at half time, Guardiola was insistent that he’d done no such thing: “the best way to show respect for your opponents is to take the job in hand seriously”.

Cesc

Guardiola also spoke of Cesc Fabregas’ contribution, stressing: “he is a player who we have been following for years. He’s a top level player and his anarchy works well within the order we have. He’s free to move where he wants, he’s physically strong, reads the game well, can make the killer pass, can score, he works hard….He now has to work at adapting himself to a more static role and get to cover even more ground than Xavi”.

Guardiola was also asked if he had been angry before the game, but he made it clear: “you want me to be angry, but you haven’t achieved that yet. These players haven’t given me any reason to get angry. I am a privileged person whose job is to get the most out of these fantastic players. When we play badly, I will come here and say so. We have to accept that it’s a part of sport that you don’t always win”.