00:01Same process as before, please guys. Please raise your hand if you have a question.
00:05We'll take questions from English Media first, followed by any questions from Greek Media.
00:09We'll start with Mark, thank you.
00:11Hi Mark, it's been a pretty full-on eight days with Liverpool PSG and then Ipswich with those 12 added
00:18minutes as well on Saturday.
00:19You've played every minute. How testing has that been for everyone?
00:23It's been good. It's been enjoyable, to be honest. Not to train, to be honest. Just playing games, which is
00:32fun.
00:33But like you say, loads of games at the moment. I'm grateful that we're able to get some results and
00:39hopefully it continues.
00:40In your last three home games, obviously you've been winning games but you've been conceding goals as well.
00:45I think nine in the last three at the Etihad. As one of the leaders at the back, how much
00:48of a concern is that for you at this stage of the season?
00:51I wouldn't say a concern. Obviously, there's many different things that we have to consider.
00:55New manager, getting used to playing together in this system in the way that the manager wants us to.
01:02Hopefully, as time goes by, we learn, improve, move forward and hopefully concede less goals.
01:09And you played against Erling Haaland a lot before you joined City.
01:12What's it like to have him as a teammate and have you ever seen a goal scorer like him?
01:18No, I don't think so. I think the only one that comes to mind that I've played with is Harry.
01:24But Erling is unbelievable. It's nice to just watch from where I am, to be honest.
01:30Fantastic leader, fantastic player and I'm grateful that we have him on our team.
01:36Hi Mark. I'm just wondering, obviously, we all know what's happening off the field at the moment.
01:42How has it been in the changing room as a senior player?
01:45It's been nice. It's been good. I get to see a lot of togetherness, to be honest.
01:51The team spirit has been really fantastic from every single person, every single player, especially the staff and the fans
01:59that are backing us.
02:00So, to be honest, it's been great to see.
02:04Obviously, it's not the only changing room you're part of.
02:07How was it with England when all this came out and was it a discussion point amongst the players then?
02:13No, not at the time. To be fair, the club notified everyone straight away, so we were pretty calm.
02:22There's a lot of relaxed faces, to be honest, because we have a lot of trust and belief in the
02:26football club and what's been going on here.
02:28The most important thing for us was just to focus on England, focus on the games at the time.
02:33You sound like you're kind of proud of the reaction of the team. Is that fair?
02:37Yeah, I mean, it can be very easy to listen to the noise and to be affected by everything going
02:43on.
02:43But like I said, I'm so happy to see the team spirit, the team bonding, everyone taking to what's happening
02:50and just focusing on the football.
02:53Mark, you joke then about not much training with so many games.
02:58What does your training schedule look like when you have as many games as this and is it more meetings
03:02rather than things out on the pitch?
03:05Yeah, like you say, a lot of meetings, a lot of reviewing clips inside when we can.
03:10Obviously, we try and do what we can on the pitch to go through a few things and tactics before
03:14the games.
03:15But yeah, it's just a lot of recovery, sleep, make sure the board is right for the next game.
03:20And quite a few players kind of went off on Saturday with issues and a lot of those players have
03:25had long seasons like yourself with the World Cup and City as well.
03:29How do you look after yourself and do you feel like it's a strain on you when you're playing so
03:35often without a rest?
03:36No, not strain. No, I'm grateful to be fit and healthy. Like you say, it's not easy to be fit
03:44and healthy, especially at this level with all the games.
03:46So try to do the best that you can, the most that you can and just enjoy the moment to
03:51be honest.
03:53Hi, Mark. You were talking there about the trust that you've got in the football club.
03:56So it's easy to just kind of, I don't know, compartmentalise it and maybe move on.
04:00But you haven't been here so long. It was easy to understand players who were maybe here.
04:05Like, would it have been Ruben with the Champions League ban or going further back?
04:10But a lot of those guys have left and a lot of the players are new. So how have you
04:14managed to come to trust the club so quickly?
04:17What is it that they convey to you in your time at the club that you think, yeah, this is
04:21going to be OK?
04:23I mean, ever since I got to the club, the club has been nothing but fantastic with me.
04:27The support that I've had, even tough times on the pitch and off the pitch.
04:33You know, I'm aware already of the success that the club has already had in the past.
04:37And I just want to be someone that is part of the future of success.
04:41But you just get the sense from everyone at the football club that, you know, it's a family football club.
04:47People love one another and just want to do the best for each other.
04:50So, yes, I can only talk from my experience, from what I've experienced at the moment.
04:54Do they give you any details when they spoke to you about how things are going to progress?
04:59Or do they just say, it's going to be fine, carry on?
05:03No, nothing's been said about that.
05:05The only thing that's been said is just, you know, focus on the football, which is at the moment all
05:09the time.
05:12Hi, Mark.
05:13You said, you know, there's not much training, but at the same time you're learning a new coach's methods.
05:18Are you literally sort of learning on the job on the pitch about how he wants him, you know, how
05:23he wants you to defend?
05:27Like I said, it's more the clips that we go through, things that we can do better.
05:31For example, last game, I know I can do better, but that's just football.
05:35You know, you're glad that you've got teammates to help you out at the other end as well.
05:40Yeah, it's as much learning as you can do, whether it is on the pitch or off the field with
05:44the clips that you're watching.
05:45We try to do it in the small amount of time that we have.
05:49Can you talk to me sort of as a debrief after the weekend where, as you say, you could have
05:53done better.
05:54How does that go about?
05:55Is it individual or is it sort of a communal thing that, you know, it's not an individual fault?
06:00It's numerous factors that come into those goals at the weekend.
06:04Yeah, there's obviously work that we can do as a team because there's things that happened before.
06:09But when I look at those goals at the weekend, that is down to me.
06:13That's for me to look at, for me to improve and try to put it right in the next game.
06:17And just in terms of defending, how difficult is it to go from Premier League to Europe as well?
06:22You know, very different styles at times.
06:24You know, how do you find that sort of change?
06:26It can be challenging.
06:28But again, it's part of our job.
06:30We have to try and adapt as quickly as possible.
06:31Maybe in the Premier League you can have a bit more aggression, whereas in Europe, not so much
06:35because the referees are a bit more on it with the fouls.
06:37So I think it's just trying to be very detailed of how you play the game, but adapting as quickly
06:43as possible.
06:44Hi, Mark.
06:46It was the no room for racism at the weekend from the Premier League.
06:50So what your view was on the taking of the knee after kind of five years of it?
06:59What's your view on it?
07:04I'm not sure, to be honest.
07:05I feel like the campaign is still there, which is great.
07:11The message is still there, which is great.
07:14However, more can be done.
07:16More can always be done.
07:19So I think we just have to see how we can move the campaign along.
07:23I don't think it's necessarily a football issue.
07:26I think it's a wider societal issue and football is just that beacon of, you know,
07:32I guess hope to try and get the message out.
07:37But whether more can be done, we'll try.
07:40Hopefully with the PFA, with the league, to see what can be done.
07:44Because I think yourself and some others didn't take the knee at the weekend.
07:49Do you think, I mean, you're obviously an NFL fan and it started there.
07:54Do you think over the time it may have lost its meaning in Premier League football?
08:00Maybe, maybe.
08:01I haven't been taking the knee for a while now, to be honest.
08:05I'd always clap just because of what that actually signifies.
08:14But in terms of if something can be done, hopefully.
08:17I hope we can do a bit more.
08:19But we'll just see.
08:20Hopefully the message is still getting out there, which is the most important.
08:23I'll take some questions from Greek Media in the room.
08:50We're obviously a very good team.
08:51They won their first game.
08:53And all good attackers like Jovic and John Mario.
08:56So players that have a lot of experience in attack and can definitely cause problems.
09:00So we'll definitely have to be aware and mindful of that.
09:05We're sure that they're going to try and come here and make the game difficult and potentially
09:08try to hit us in the counter-attack.
09:09So again, another aspect for us in the game to focus on.
09:14Hopefully we can do well and get the three points in this game.
09:20Okay, great.
09:21Leave it there.
09:21Thanks, everyone.
09:22Bye.
09:22Bye.
09:22You
