Manchester City defender Josko Gwadior spoke to the Manchester Evening News after finishing his vacation and meeting up with the team in the United States. He candidly looks back at his mistakes in last season's FA Cup final, shares the process of settling in at City and is looking forward to the new season.
Speaking about that fatal error in last season's FA Cup final, Gwadior said he is still angry about it. "I tried to pass the ball back to Ortega but I didn't see him at the time and I thought he was still on the goal line. It was a real mistake, but we all need to learn from it and focus on the rest of the game." He emphasized that the loss made him even more hungry for a win and hopes to get the team off to a good start with a victory early in the new season.
The process of adapting to Manchester City has not been easy for Gwadior. The transition from Red Bull Leipzig's center-back to City's left-back has seen him undergo a 12-month-long adaptation period. He admits that his playing style has changed dramatically under Guardiola. "It's been a long process and I'm not playing in a similar position here as I was before. It took me a lot of time to find my best form, but luckily I started to excel in the last few months before the end of the season."
Guardiola is very strict with Gwadior, sometimes reminding him that defense is the priority even when he scores. Gwadior says he understands and accepts the criticism. "I know I made some stupid mistakes and I have to play simpler. Our job as defenders is to make the game as simple as possible." He revealed that towards the end of the season, he began to focus more on defense and cut down on unnecessary risk-taking, which helped him to be more consistent on the field.
Gwadior is looking forward to the new season. He said he will give his best to whatever position the coach puts him in. "I'm not a player who likes to pass through the center or long passes, I prefer to work with midfielders, play two-on-one and sometimes even get into the middle." He admits that he had lacked confidence at the start of the season but now he can't wait to start the new campaign. "I won't complain no matter what the coach arranges. I just want to help the team win more."
In addition, Gwadior talked about the mutual support with his teammates. "We support each other, even in tough times. It's great to have teammates like Stones, Walker, Kovacic around." He believes that with the joint efforts of his teammates, City will be able to achieve better results in the new season.