Gaël Clichy recalls final day v QPR & admits Pep Guardiola regret

I can remember going to get the ball for a throw-in, and seeing people in the crowd crying. I just thought 'wow, what have we done?'

• "The last kick of the game against QPR, or rather the last kick from Sergio Aguero is the moment which, of course, will always stand out - not just to me, but to every City supporter."
• [At 2-1 down v QPR] "I can remember going to get the ball for a throw-in, and seeing people in the crowd crying. I just thought 'wow, what have we done?'"
• "As a young manager now, I look back to my year with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and wish I'd have approached that time differently."
• "I can clearly remember how eager I was to show everyone at the club that I could still perform at that level, but it meant that I didn't really appreciate the experience of what it took to train under Pep."
• "The moment I made the decision to sign for Basaksehir, which is a young club where Emmanuel Adebayor played, everything stopped, because it's a new club without a massive fanbase. It's probably the one club in Turkey where you can actually work with calm."
• "Turkish people are very hot and cold; on a Monday they will love you to death, and on a Tuesday they will hate you to death! It's literally like that."
  

I became a father in Manchester - my time with that club was so special. The title I won, with Man City, was the one I could really relate to, because I was a real part of it. With Arsenal, in the invincible season, I was behind Ashley Cole, and I only played a few games. But, at City, I became the player that I wanted to become. 

Winning the title in 2012 was an important moment for me because at the end of that season, I went to the Euros with France and finished the tournament in the starting line-up. 

The last kick of the game against QPR, or rather the last kick from Sergio Aguero is the moment which, of course, will always stand out - not just to me, but to every City supporter. Maybe this year, we'll see something similar, because the title is going to be decided on the last day now. But the way we did it in 2012, and that scenario, and that whole day, with Man United finishing their game before us and half-celebrating, everything about it will be remembered forever. It's definitely the highest moment of my career. 

When we're 2-1 down, and there's still 20 minutes to go, 15 minutes to go, 10 minutes to go, I still thought we'd go and win the game. Now, if I was to tell you I thought the same with two minutes left, with us needing two goals to win the title, I'd be lying.

I can remember going to get the ball for a throw-in, and seeing people in the crowd crying. I just thought 'wow, what have we done?' 

At the point where we make it 2-2, for a minute there, I'm thinking 'I can't believe we've thrown it away like this'. Before that end, I was confident we were going to win it, when there was still so much time left, but yes, when it's 2-1 to QPR and before Edin Dzeko gets the equaliser, I'm just thinking 'how did we do this?'

But this is what special players do; special players take you to a place, out of nowhere, where they do something completely exceptional to turn things around. 

As a young manager now, I look back to my year with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and wish I'd have approached that time differently. I could clearly see, like everyone, how special he was, but I was still a fierce competitor in the last year of my contract. The desire I had to show that I was still capable of playing for the club, didn't allow me to see the full picture of Pep as a coach. 

If I'd have known that I wasn't going to sign another contract with City, then maybe I'd have tried to learn more from him as a coach. I'd have watched, more carefully, what it means to be a top manager. I can clearly remember how eager I was to show everyone at the club that I could still perform at that level, but it meant that I didn't really appreciate the experience of what it took to train under Pep. 

Now, after a few years, I think I could've been calmer in accepting the fact that I wasn't going to play many games, and used that time to learn more from one of the best managers in the world.

Some players will say they don't like him, because of this, or because of that, but - for me - even when you put aside everything he's won in his career, his attention to detail is second to none. Details in every aspect, on and off the pitch; the communication, the relationship with his staff... it's fascinating to see, and you can only really, truly understand if you've played or worked with him. 

It's funny because Galatasaray and Fenerbahce were interested in signing me when I left Man City, and so before the move I had so many messages from people all over Turkey, reaching out to me. But the moment I made the decision to sign for Basaksehir, which is a young club where Emmanuel Adebayor played, everything stopped, because it's a new club without a massive fanbase. It's probably the one club in Turkey where you can actually work with calm. There's no pressure, there's no craziness about the club. But I could see it with my friends who were playing at different clubs in Turkey, and when I was playing away, Turkish people are very hot and cold; on a Monday they will love you to death, and on a Tuesday they will hate you to death! It's literally like that. 

Turkey is a country which has everything in place to do well, if the people can control their emotions, because they pretty much live on emotions. It's a huge country with plenty of quality all over the land, but it comes down to the way you run things; a long-term vision is what gets you places. You know, if you don't have that, it's very difficult to sustain success out, and that's the main problem out in Turkey. 

 But for me, that move was perfect at that time in my career. The manager was one of the best in the league, and I was really close with him, so that's where my transition into coaching started. Basaksehir was the club where I felt a lot of responsibility, because I became a player who people would look up to, rather than being just a member of the squad, like I was at Arsenal and Man City. I discovered a new way of playing football, I learned how to correct certain things within teammates, I learned how to show them, and teach them things, and I got to see the results first-hand. 

I was lucky because we did progress year after year, and eventually we won the league in my final year, which was a big moment for me, and for where I am today. After that, I decided to move to Switzerland, where I took the same mindset, as a player and a coach to my teammates, and I'd say Turkey really helped me a lot.