Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham Hotspur’s manager, has downplayed the significance of his team’s previous success against Manchester City, while simultaneously asserting that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Pep Guardiola’s side reclaim the Premier League title next season.
Speaking ahead of their Wednesday night clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Postecoglou’s comments underscored the unpredictable nature of elite football and the enduring quality of the reigning champions.
Tottenham have historically posed a challenge for Manchester City, with a notable 4-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium in November being a recent highlight.
Despite City’s current struggles, trailing league leaders Liverpool by 20 points, and the possibility of their four-year reign as champions coming to an end, Postecoglou remained adamant that discounting them would be a grave mistake.
“It’s just the nature of elite sport,” Postecoglou stated.
“It just sheds light on how extraordinary they have been. The fact that they did win four in a row, and the consistency of that four in a row of just the sheer numbers they accumulated in terms of points, in terms of goals, in terms of wins, it’s just competing on all [fronts], it’s just an unbelievable and probably unprecedented standard that they set, and it’s only natural that that’s never gonna continue forever.”
He further emphasized City’s potential for resurgence, saying, “If they bounce back next year and win it, which I don’t think anyone in this room could discount that’s possible, and you say they’ve won five out of six, you’d be going ‘they’re still pretty good’, so more than pretty good.”
Postecoglou attributed City’s current dip in form to a combination of factors, including injuries and the inherent challenges of maintaining such high standards.
“Sometimes these things happen, you know, I think injuries, key injuries and some things that are going against them, sometimes just brings you back to the field and that’s elite sport, it’s just fine margins.”
Looking ahead to the upcoming match, Postecoglou acknowledged the unique challenge posed by Guardiola’s team.
“It is always a challenge when you play City and they challenge you in ways other clubs don’t in terms of their football. I know for them they are going through a rough trot, but their football is still a real challenge to play against but it’s a great challenge.”
He stressed the importance of his team’s ability to cope with City’s dominance.
“They will have times in the game where they take control and it’s how we deal with that and cope with that. We’ve done that not too bad in the games we’ve played against them and for us that will be the challenging bit.”
Postecoglou also highlighted the importance of clinical finishing against a team of City’s caliber.
“I know we beat them and the scoreline sounds convincing at their place, but it was the quality of our finishing that was the difference. We didn’t create a lot of chances, but the quality of our goals was high up and you have to against them.”
Dismissing the relevance of past results against City, Postecoglou said, “I don’t know how much you can read into [previous results against City] because over the course of that time I guess he’s faced different types of Tottenham teams and different managers. Sometimes it’s just circumstance.”
He concluded by noting that his team has generally performed well against top-tier opposition.
“I know from our perspective and for the most part against the teams that are challenging, we’ve done well in the two years I’ve been here. There has been a couple of games where we’ve been blown away but for the most part our struggles have been against teams that aren’t doing as well in the league rather than the teams that are doing well.”
With Tottenham enjoying a three-game winning streak and no fresh injury concerns, the stage is set for a highly anticipated clash between two teams with contrasting fortunes this season.
