Match of the day fixture 7 preview: Tottenham Hotspur-Manchester City
Manchester City will try to stay perfect in the Premier League by winning a seventh consecutive game. It is the most anticipated clash in the early season against the first and second team in the table. Tottenham can close the gap on City to a single point with a win while City could extend further its lead… Do not go anywhere on Sunday!
THFC coach Mauricio Pochettino previews the battle:
I think it’s a very important game for us and for them, but it’s only a game. We are at the beginning of the season, it’s true that we’re playing against Manchester City who are unbeaten in the Premier League, it’s first against second in the table, I think it will be a very tough, very important game for both teams but it’s very early to start saying that it’s an important game to prove something.
Our ambition is to be one of the biggest clubs in the world but for that you need time and a process. I think that balance is the most important thing in football. We have an unbelievable academy, people who work very hard to try to provide the first team with very good players and then we need to bring in players who can settle quickly into our philosophy.
For me, I think it’s only the beginning (of the season). The three points are very important, it’s important to reduce the gap but be sure that my speech if we win will be the same as if we don’t get the three points. The most important thing is to be solid, to show that we believe in the way that we play. It’s too early to start to speak about aims at the end of the season but I agree that it’s a very important and exciting game.”
MCFC coach Pep Guardiola knows the quality of his opponent:
“I played against Pochettino as a player and then as a coach. I think he’s one of the best managers in the world – I enjoy watching Tottenham.
He’s doing an amazing job in London at Spurs. The way they play I like a lot – they’re aggressive and have a lot of quality. The basis of the team is the national team with Alli, Walker, Kane – they have a lot of quality. Last season they were there until the last couple of games for the Championship.
This year they’re playing at a high level – they’re in second position so it will be a tough game and I’m looking forward to going to White Hart Lane for the first time in my life. We will try and do our job.”
After six games what I saw of Tottenham, with Liverpool, they are one of the best teams in the Premier League in this moment. We need a good performance to get anything – if we are so-so? No chance.
Maybe the fans were not happy that we didn’t win [v Celtic] but they were happy that we tried to the last minute to try to win.
The players after the game were so exhausted that they couldn’t talk and that is what I want. I want our fans to know that. I cannot be disappointed in our performance in Glasgow. There were mistakes of course but maybe in some games we won we made more mistakes.”
