The Week in Words: Pep, Klopp and Ribéry's potty mouth | OneFootball

The last seven days provided us with the biggest Premier League fixture of the season so far, plenty of talking points and some memorable soundbites.

Here’s the week in words …

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

On potentially becoming the permanent Manchester United boss

“You’re always ambitious of course, but as I’ve told Ed [Woodward, United chief executive] and the owners, I’m here to do as well as I can and, if in May you decide someone else will be coming in, then fantastic, and if you decide it’s me, I’m sure we will agree.”

Manuel Neuer

On his year of hell

“One more setback before the World Cup could have possibly ended my whole career.

“But now I can do everything again, nothing hurts anymore. I really appreciate now that I’m still fit.

“I still feel very hungry and still have the great need to be playing at a high level for both club and country.”

Jérôme Boateng

On his year of hell

“For me personally, it was a very difficult year. I’ll probably never feel good about it and I certainly do not like to remember it.”

Gianluigi Buffon

On claims he joined PSG for money

“The first rule is not to be conditioned by the judgements and ideas of others. I will never prostitute my ideals and dreams for money. If I was going to then I’d have done it long before now.

“Money is important, it’s a means to live better, but I’m not venal.

“They thought I was a madman, or a statue only missing the pigeons. My enthusiasm makes me young though, and if I want to continue I can’t be like an old grandpa.

“Sometimes I’m more ‘stupid’ than someone who is 20 and people don’t realise my age.”

Robert Lewandowski

On Bayern Munich’s transfer strategy

“We need players who really make us better, that take us to another level.

“I think it would help us more to sign one or two top players, rather than signing five good players.”

Jesse Lingard

On Paul Pogba

“I can definitely, definitely, see the Paul I used to know. I have seen him playing through the ranks and he is back to that player, the player we know.

“Paul’s enjoying his football. He’s playing in the role he likes to play in just inside, off the left. He has the freedom to make things happen. He has always got forward in that position and scored goals.

“Ole has helped him 100 per cent. He has given him the confidence and licence to be free, to play his game and do what we know he can.”

Samir Nasri

On signing for West Ham

“I had some really tough moments when I was really down. Mentally I’m really strong, but for maybe the first time in my life, I cried about my career because I thought it was over.

“I’m 31 years old now and I’m more mature. If it was five years ago, maybe I would have some problem with it or talk too much about it.

“When you’ve been out for a year and you think it’s over, you think completely differently after that. I was just looking on TV and I wasn’t able to train, and in the meantime, I had a son.

“A lot of things have changed in my life, and for the best. I’m really happy about it. I’m just blessed. I’m lucky to have a second chance.”

Cristiano Ronaldo

On accusations of individualism

“I’m not obsessed with individual prizes.

“The important thing is helping the team, always, and therefore the rest arrives naturally.

“I don’t hide that I’m happy when I win but it’s not the end of the world if it can’t happen.”

Claudio Ranieri

On how he dealt with Fulham penalty rebel Aboubakar Kamara

“For me it’s finished. I hold no grudge. I killed him, but softly!”

“He apologised immediately, to me, his team-mates and the club. It’s finished there.

“I need all my players. I kill [them], but after I give the oxygen to them.”

Ernesto Valverde

On Lionel Messi

“What he does is not only difficult, but he does it again and again … That takes enormous mental strength.

“I have never known anyone with such an amazing competitive spirit.”

Christian Pulisic

On signing for Chelsea

“In summer I move on to Chelsea and to a new competition, the English Premier League.

“It’s a privilege to have signed for such a legendary club and I look forward to working hard towards being a contributor to their team of world-class players.”

Andrés Iniesta

On who will win the Champions League

“It’s difficult to think that someday they [City and PSG] won’t come close in the Champions League.

“The teams they have, their squads, the investments, the coaches… they should be fighting for the trophy.

“I also want to add Liverpool, who are looking good this year.

“The problem with the Champions League is that it’s a really tough tournament. One bad day can knock you out.”

Jürgen Klopp

On Liverpool’s watershed moment

“I think we got rid finally of the backpack when we reached Champions League final.

“We didn’t win it, yes, but 20 teams [18 in the Champions League era] reached the Champions League final so that was the moment when we did something really special.

“We didn’t win it but the ride there was unbelievable, the journey was unbelievable. Since then it feels different.”

Brazilian legend Zico

On the greatest player of all-time

“Messi is close to Maradona.

“That means, in my opinion, he can’t be compared to Pele. I still consider Maradona in front of Messi. With Pele, no. Pele has all the qualities and characteristic that a football player has to have.

“When God created him [Pele], he put every quality a footballer needs; speed, strength, impulse, technique, kicking ability, heading, dribbling – all of it, everything that a player might have.

“Few people could jump like him for a header. He is 170 centimetres tall. His foundations are perfect, [he had] mastery of the ball, [and mastery of] headers. He improved in every way. Everything you can imagine from a player, Pele has done it.”

Maurizio Sarri

On Chelsea signing Christian Pulisic

“I didn’t know anything about Pulisic yesterday [Tuesday].

“The club asked my opinion about him about one month ago. My opinion was positive. Today I have known that the deal is done, but I didn’t know anything.”

Pep Guardiola

On Virgil van Dijk

“He’s an exceptional player. When a player costs whatever it costs and it works, it is well worth it.

“When you pay less and it doesn’t work, it is so expensive. If he can play every three days with no injuries and plays consistently, it is well worth it.”

Vincent Kompany

On Manchester City’s win over Liverpool

“The performance was beyond anything I’ve ever witnessed.

“It came from our guts, a desire you can’t describe. We are a better team when we play with emotions.”

Jürgen Klopp

On Vincent Kompany’s tackle on Mo Salah

“I really like Vincent Kompany, but how on Earth is that not a red card?

“He is the last man and he goes in. If he hits Mo [Salah] more, he is out for the season. It is not easy for the ref and he may not see it how I see it.”

Pep Guardiola

On Bernardo Silva

“I haven’t see a performance like he did, in all terms, in a long time, and not just with the ball because he’s precise, he’ clean, he’s clever.

“He fought with [Virgil] Van Dijk in the air, making his duel uncomfortable. He was incredible.”

Jürgen Klopp

On the Premier League title race

“If someone had told me after both games against Man City that we were four points clear, I would have paid money for it, you cannot believe.”

Former Real Madrid striker Predrag Mijatovic

On Gareth Bale

“It’s a shame about Bale. I like him, but he is nowhere near being a leader at a team like Real Madrid after Cristiano’s exit. It is worrying that he injures himself so often.”

Gianluigi Buffon

On Fiorentina’s Federico Chiesa

“When I faced him, at first I was disoriented.

“It was the first time I was playing against the son of a former friend of mine. I thought it was time to stop.”

Franck Ribéry

On his critics

“For 2019, let’s dot the i’s and cross the t’s… Let’s start with the jealous, the haters, those only born because a condom had a hole in: fuck your mothers, your grandmothers and even your family tree. I owe you nothing.

“My success is, above all, thanks to God, me, and my loved ones who believed in me. For the others, you’re nothing but pebbles in my socks!”