Guardiola praises Tottenham’s style of football ahead of Etihad clash

The big league match up this weekend is, of course, Tottenham Hotspur’s trip to Manchester City. And while it seems unlikely that Spurs can stop the runaway train that is the Citizens, having won an astounding 15 matches in a row, they are not being overlooked by City’s manager. Pep Guardiola praised Tottenham (and Chelsea) as being the best team in terms of style of football in the Premier League.

Probably not including his team, of course.

“Tottenham, with Chelsea, is the best team in the way to play football. They don’t expect the other ones, they want to make their own game. It is another amazing test for us.

“It is every three days, after Tottenham it is Leicester in the Carabao Cup, so there is not too much time to recover. But we are ready to face them and try to keep that level we have shown in the last period.”

As others have noted, Pep’s comments notably omit Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United from the teams that play good football. But that’s none of my business.

Pep’s right in that Spurs are much less likely to sit back and bunker. However, Pochettino is a canny tactician, and he has opted to play on the counter against what he thinks is superior opposition, most notably in the Champions League against Dortmund at Wembley Stadium and the draw against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. It’s not at all out of the question that Spurs will opt for something similar at the Etihad on Saturday.

Still, thanks for the nice words, Pep.