Pep Guardiola calls Mauricio Pochettino “one of the best managers in the world”

Tottenham Hotspur are hosting Manchester City on Sunday, and it’s a big match. City and Spurs are currently one and two in the table, and the match already has a feel of a late-season title-defining match about it.

New City manager Pep Guardiola certainly isn’t looking past Spurs, and in pre-match comments posted on City’s official website he was extremely complimentary about Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.

“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.”

Guardiola went on to try and put a reverse-jinx on the match by continuing to praise Tottenham’s play.

“All of the fans who like football and watch football can enjoy it - they’re proactive, not reactive.

“There are many teams who wait to see what you do and then react - they don’t wait to see what they’re going to do. They want to create their own game. That’s why I like them. When I saw the last game against CSKA, against Liverpool, against Middlesbrough, I like what I’m watching.”

Guardiola is indisputably one of the best managers in the world right now, so this is obviously extremely high praise coming from him. Pep’s City has been on an absolute tear, winning their opening six matches and already boasting a +13 goal differential. However, this is the toughest defense that City have played so far this season: Spurs still have yet to concede a league goal from the run of play and have conceded a league-best three goals in six games.

City will be without perhaps their best offensive player in Kevin De Bruyne, along with Vincent Kompany and Fabian Delph, but they do have Sergio Aguero, currently sharing the top of the EPL scoring chart with five goals in six matches.