It is fair to say that even the most optimistic of Spurs fans would not have expected the Ange Postecoglou reign to start as well as it has, with the Lilywhites sitting at the top of the Premier League table after ten matches.

Unlike some of his predecessors, the Australian has refused to put a limit on the club’s ambitions, reiterating that the supporters have every right to dream big and get carried away with the start that the side have made (Sky Sports).

However, the general consensus among Spurs fans continues to be that a top-four finish would be an excellent achievement for Posteocglou in his first season in charge.

(Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Pep Guardiola thinks Tottenham can challenge

Manchester City and Arsenal both demonstrated with their comfortable wins over the weekend that they are well-equipped to battle it out for the top prize once again, but Guardiola is not taking Tottenham lightly at the moment.

The City boss said (via Football.London): “Look at Tottenham, how well they are playing, they play one game a week, they will be fit throughout the season. Tottenham will be there.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Pep is only being respectful towards Tottenham. I suspect he still thinks that Arsenal and Liverpool are much bigger threats to City this season, which is to be expected, given that Spurs are only at the start of their project under Postecoglou.

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It may still be early days in the new Premier League campaign, but the rumour mill never stops spinning in the world of football and everyone seems to have their eyes on the January transfer window already.

Tottenham have gotten off to a great start under their new manager, Ange Postecoglou. The Australian was able to add a number of players to his roster in the summer, and has certainly got the squad adhering to his style of football very quickly.

The central midfield pairing of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr has flourished for Spurs so far.

However, the duo are expected to participate in the African Cup of Nations in the New Year, and reports suggest Postecoglou may well need a replacement for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, too.

Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips is one player who has been mentioned as a possible January target for Tottenham, with their new sporting director, Johan Lange, thought to be a ‘big fan’ of the player (Telegraph).

(Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Pep Guardiola unclear on Kalvin Phillips’ future

Speaking to the press (via Fabrizio Romano), City boss, Pep Guardiola, offered his thoughts on the speculation surrounding his player.

He said: “Until winter time Kalvin is at City… when the transfer window is open then nobody knows. With games when there’s a little chaos, Kalvin is perfect.”

Guardiola on Kalvin Phillips: “Until winter time Kalvin is at City… when the transfer window is open then nobody knows”.

“With games when there's a little chaos, Kalvin is perfect”. pic.twitter.com/qJMN6VdFZz

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 20, 2023

Spurs Web Opinion

If I was Kalvin Phillips, I wouldn’t feel very reassured by these comments. Guardiola could easily have put the rumours to bed and explained his intentions to use Phillips more often, but he didn’t and I reckon we will almost definitely see him move on in January now. I think there will be a lot of competition to sign him, though, and I don’t think Spurs will win that race.

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Guardiola’s contract at City runs out at the end of next season and the report explains that the Premier League champions are not in a hurry to find his successor.

While it is possible that the 52-year-old could sign a new deal, it is alleged that the club will make some succession plans just in case that he leaves.

Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

Could Ange Postecoglou be a future Man City boss?

The report states that City will look for a manager who plays a similar type of football to Guardiola, with a focus on possession and creating chances.

They also want the incoming person to be a strong character since he will be compared with the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss.

In addition, The Athletic add that City like those who have worked in the City Football Group (CFG) before, which is why Postecoglou could become a candidate.

The outlet asserts that the Australian was ‘very highly thought of’ by CFG when he was at Yokohama F Marinos prior to his move to Celtic in 2021.

Spurs Web Opinion

If the likes of Man City and Real Madrid are after Postecoglou in a couple of years, that is excellent news for Tottenham as it means that the 58-year-old would have had success at N17. Now that we are only at the start of the Australian project, it is too early to start worrying about others poaching him.

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The now-Tottenham boss has been named alongside Pep Guardiola, Simone Inzaghi, Xavi, and Luciano Spalletti – although his bright start to life in North London should not be taken into account.

(Photo by Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)

Postecoglou won the treble in his final season with Celtic, which earned him a move south to the Premier League and Tottenham Hotspur, where he has won four of his first five league matches.

Not only that, but the Australian climbed his way through the ranks in his home country, even taking on the international position, before expanding his horizons in Japan, Scotland, and now England.

Postecoglou has revolutionised the way Spurs play in N17, bringing the crowd back on side after three years of defensive, counter-attacking football from often divisive managers.

#TheBest FIFA Men's Coach Nominees!

Pep Guardiola
Simone Inzaghi
Ange Postecoglou
Luciano Spalletti
Xavi

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 14, 2023

Ange Postecoglou nominated for Best Men’s Coach

FIFA list the reason for Postecoglou’s nomination as: ‘Won a second successive Scottish Premiership title with Celtic FC | Won the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup to earn the club its eighth domestic treble | Named Professional Footballers’ Association Scotland Manager of the Season for 2022-23.’

You can vote for the former Celtic and now-Tottenham manager by heading to the FIFA website.

Spurs Web Opinion:

I don’t think Ange has too much hope against some of the names on that list, but making the shortlist for the top five coaches of the year is a huge achievement, especially from outside the big five European leagues. Let’s hope he is listed again next year!

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Postecoglou’s arrival at Tottenham has been met with scepticism from some quarters owing to the Australian’s lack of experience at the highest level but one man who does not doubt the 57-year-old’s credentials is Guardiola.

His Manchester City side faced off against Postecoglou’s Yokohama F. Marinos side in pre-season back in 2019, with the Spaniard clearly impressed by what he saw from the J-League outfit at the time.

(Photo by Berengui/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

When asked about the Australian’s arrival at Tottenham, Guardiola said a couple of days ago (via Football.London): “Another exceptional manager is coming. I was lucky to meet him in Tokyo years ago when he was Yokohama’s manager, one of the clubs in the City Football Group.

“It was an interesting chat and I had a good relationship. He has done an incredible job and will do an incredible job at Spurs.”

The Sun have now claimed that Guardiola has played a pivotal part in Postecoglou’s journey, with the City boss said to have recommended the Aussie coach to Celtic. Had he not got the Celtic job, it is unlikely that Postecoglou would be sitting in the Spurs hot seat right now.

The report explains that Eddie Howe was hesitating over whether to take the job at Parkhead two years ago which is when Celtic’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond bumped into Guardiola in a hotel.

The 52-year-old allegedly explained there was a manager he rated highly who was currently at Yokohama and that he deserved a big break, with Desmond taking the advice on board and bringing Postecoglou to Glasgow.

Spurs Web Opinion

This anecdote gives me more confidence that Postcoglou’s methods are perhaps transferable to the elite level.

If the best coach of the modern era felt that Postecoglou had something special, that is certainly a massive endorsement of the 57-year-old’s ideas and tactical nous.

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Postecoglou created history on Tuesday by becoming the first Australian to manage in the Premier League and comes to North London on the back of some outstanding success at Celtic.

Not only did he win five of the six trophies up for grabs in his two seasons at Parkhead but he also did so while producing a brand of high-octane, aggressive, possession-based style of play, the likes of which Celtic faithful had not witnessed for a long time.

Postecoglou previously also had success in the J-League where he guided Yokohama F Marinos to the title for the first time in 15 years.

It was during the Tottenham boss’ time in Japan that Guardiola came across him, with Man City playing a pre-season fixture against Yokohama back in 2019, and the Spaniard admitted that he was extremely impressed by the Aussie.

(Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

High praise for Postecoglou from Pep

When asked about Postecoglou taking at Spurs, the City boss has now told Football.London: “Another exceptional manager is coming.

“I was lucky to have met him in Tokyo years ago when he was the manager of Yokohama, one of our clubs in the City Football Group.

“It was an interesting chat, and we have a good relationship. He has done well for Celtic in Glasgow and made an incredible job.

“And he will do an incredible job for Spurs, hopefully we can score one goal away (at Spurs).”

Spurs Web Opinion

This is certainly high praise from Guardiola but I cannot help but think that the Spaniard would be relieved that Tottenham have abandoned their counter-attacking approach so that his City side can now finally win a game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Despite City’s dominance in recent years which has seen them win the Premier League title in three successive seasons, they have struggled to beat Tottenham when they make the trip to north London.

Guardiola’s side are yet to win at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium which opened its doors back in 2019 and are still yet to even register a goal there, which is remarkable by their own standards.

City’s best chance to score at the billion-pound venue came during the Champions League came in April 2019 when Guardiola’s side were awarded a penalty in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal, only for Hugo Lloris to save well from Sergio Aguero’s spot-kick.

What have been Manchester City’s previous results at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?

9th April 2019 – Tottenham Hotspur 1:0 Manchester City (UEFA Champions League)

2nd February 2020 – Tottenham Hotspur 2:0 Manchester City (Premier League)

21st November 2020 – Tottenham Hotspur 2:0 Manchester City (Premier League)

15th August 2021 – Tottenham Hotspur 1:0 Manchester City (Premier League)

5th February 2022 – Tottenham Hotspur 1:0 Manchester City (Premier League)

Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

City are on course to complete a treble this year having already secured the Premier League crown and have booked their place in the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League, respectively.

Guardiola was asked during an interview by Sky Sports: “If you were to complete the treble this season, what would be the next challenge for you?”

The 52-year-old took a second to pause and think before replying with a smile: “To score a goal against the Spurs away.”

If Man City win the treble what's your next target Pep?

"Score a goal against Spurs away" pic.twitter.com/LlW8F61qJF

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 24, 2023

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The speculation linking Slot with a move to Tottenham shows no signs of dissipating, with The Independent reporting last week that Daniel Levy is expected to turn to the Dutchman if he is not able to convince Julian Nagelsmann to take the job.

(Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

ESPN claimed on Monday that the Feyenoord boss is emerging as a ‘serious candidate’ to replace Antonio Conte as the Spurs hierarchy are impressed with the work he has done at De Kuip.

The report added that Tottenham do not want to repeat the same mistake they made back in 2021 when they passed up on another promising Dutch coach in Erik Ten Hag.

However, De Telegraaf claimed on Tuesday that the one thing that could count against Slot is the fact that he does not have any experience, either as a player or a coach, in a top European league.

Kieft believes that the 44-year-old’s work at Feyenoord is particularly impressive, given the fact that he is working with players of a lower quality than he would have at top European clubs.

He told De Telegraaf (30/04/23 via SportWitness): “The nice thing about Guardiola is that with him football is not just about winning prizes.

“Of course, he wants to win prizes, but he just makes sure it is always fun to watch his teams. At Barcelona he obviously had Lionel Messi, he had Xavi and Iniesta there too.

“But wherever he sat in all the years, everywhere you immediately saw his hand. What Guardiola does at Manchester City, Arne Slot does at Feyenoord, but at a different level.

“That has everything to do with money, but his view and his philosophy are the same. Slot has to work with players of lesser quality.”

Spurs Web Opinion

While Slot is working with a lower standard of players at Rotterdam, he is also in a league that is not as competitive against coaches of a lower standard.

It is impossible to be sure if his style of football would translate to the Premier League and would be as successful in the competition.

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Scott is rated by many as one of the best young talents in the Championship at present, with the 19-year-old having started all but one game in the league for Bristol so far this season (Transfermarkt).

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

The versatile midfielder’s performances have seemingly alerted top-flight clubs, with reports indicating during the January transfer window that Spurs are one of several Premier League clubs who were eyeing a move for the player (Ben Jacobs).

Football Insider revealed two weeks ago that scouts from Tottenham have been impressed by Scott this season and have urged the North London club to lay the groundwork for a summer deal.

It has emerged over recent days that Spurs are expected to face competition from the likes of Newcastle United, West Ham United and Crystal Palace for the youngster’s signature in the summer (The Sun). 

It looks like Scott caught Guardiola’s eye during Man City’s 3-0 win at Ashton Gate Stadium on Tuesday.

The City boss told BristolWorld about the Championship side: “They’re a solid team and they are so aggressive. They win their duels. [Matty] James is a really good player, the young Alex Scott is a young talented player as well.”

Jack Grealish was also impressed, calling him a ‘top, top talent’ on Twitter.

Top top talent https://t.co/INE2qUldli

— Jack Grealish (@JackGrealish) March 1, 2023

Spurs Web Opinion

There is no doubt that a Premier League club will poach Scott in the summer, with the only question being which club the 19-year-old will end up in.

The one thing that could count against Spurs is that the youngster might feel he has a better chance of getting first-team opportunities at the likes of West Ham or Palace.

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Guardiola will undoubtedly be remembered more for his managerial exploits than his playing days but he was certainly no mug as a player, having won five league titles and a Champions League trophy with Barcelona.

Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images

Barring brief spells in Italy and Asia towards the end of his career, the Spaniard spent his entire career with the Catalan giants, playing 263 times for his boyhood club.

It has been reported on several occasions over the last few years that the former defensive midfielder almost moved to the Premier League in the twilight of his playing days (Independent).

Sherwood has now explained that Sam Allardyce held talks with Guardiola over moving to Bolton and revealed that there were also rumours doing the rounds at the time about a potential switch to Spurs.

Tottenham’s former interim head coach said on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast: “I don’t know if you knew, but Sam had a conversation with Pep about potentially signing him at Bolton so maybe we can.

“When I was a player, it must have been around the same time because when I was a player at Tottenham he was linked to come to play for Tottenham, but I was there and he wasn’t good enough.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Guardiola was perhaps a little ahead of his time as a player and was one of the first deep-lying playmakers in history, which was not a role that a lot of teams were familiar with back in the day.

I suspect that the 52-year-old would have been more successful as a player if he had come through a decade later than he did.

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The Premier League champions were charged with over 100 occasions over multiple years of breaching the league’s financial rules. It was claimed City failed to give ‘a true and fair view of the club’s financial position’ and did not “include full details” of remunerations to players and staff (Guardian).

It is thought the investigation has lasted more than four years and the charges cover a period from 2009 to 2018. The Etihad outfit were taken over by a private equity group controlled by the Abu Dhabi royal family in 2008.

In the aftermath of this unprecedented news, it has emerged that clubs in the Premier League have called for City to receive hefty punishments, ranging from the team being kicked out of the league, and even having their previous titles stripped from them (Sky Sports).

Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen, but Guardiola has been defensive of the situation in his recent media appointments, with today’s press conference being no different.

On whether other clubs were pushing for City to be charged, Guardiola said via the Daily Mail: “Yeah of course. It’s the Premier League. I don’t know why. You should go to the chairman, the CEO’s, Daniel Levy, and ask them. Will you stop now? Since day one of the Abu Dhabi taking over the club it’s been like this!”

He added: “My first thought is we’ve already been condemned,” the City boss said. “We are lucky we live in a country where everyone is innocent until proven guilty. It seems like we have already been sentenced.

“What is going to happen, I don’t know. We think we have good lawyers and I know we are going to defend our position.”

OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images

It is unclear what penalties Manchester City will face if the league’s charges are upheld. According to Premier League rules, teams found to have violated its rules face financial penalties that could include reprimands and fines or sporting ones like points deductions in the standings or even expulsion from the top flight.

Spurs Web Opinion

This is such a messy situation and I can understand Guardiola’s frustration at being involved in it and being asked about it. However, the investigation must be respected and the appropriate punishment handed out.

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Guardiola labelled Spurs as the ‘Harry Kane team’ alongside Chelsea and Man Utd as title rivals back in October 2017 when under the leadership of Mauricio Pochettino which saw the Argentine accuse the City boss of showing a lack of respect towards his side (Guardian).

Kane was once again the thorn in City’s side when the forward’s first half strike at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium proved to be the matchwinner and continued Spurs’ impressive unbeaten record against the Cityzens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The 29-year-old’s goal took him to the top of Tottenham’s all-time goalscoring charts with a tally of 267 goals for the club, surpassing the mark held by the late Jimmy Greaves.

After the match, Guardiola suggested that he would not label Tottenham as a team who relies heavily on Kane in a nod to his previous comments, he told The Express:

“I’m not going to say the Harry Kane team otherwise Pochettino will be grumpy and I don’t want it,” 

“But on behalf of Manchester City, I can say congratulations on this incredible milestone. He is an exceptional player.”

FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

SpursWeb Opinion

All does not seem to be well at Manchester City at the moment, which is a slight concern for Tottenham fans if they are relying on them to chase down Arsenal to stop them from winning the league.

Harry Kane and the rest of the Spurs squad will be more focused on what is in their own control, starting with the trip to Leicester City on Saturday.

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Ahead of Tottenham’s clash against the Citizens this weekend in the Premier League, Guardiola was keen to point out that trophies do not define what a good player Kane is.

(Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)

In fact, if not for the incredible returns Haaland has clocked up this season, Kane would be earning all kinds of plaudits for his Premier League goal tally. Haaland has 25 goals in just 19 matches, while Kane is on 16 in 21 (BBC).

Antonio Conte will need his number 10 to be at his goalscoring and creative best on Sunday as they welcome City to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, it appears Pep is full of respect for the England captain.

This comes after Pep previously admitted he made four attempts to sign Kane for Man City during the 2021 summer transfer window (Athletic).

Pep said today (Standard): “I’m extremely happy with Erling and, of course, Tottenham are happy with Kane. What an exceptional player.

“The numbers [Kane] has done, more than just the goals but the quality. They haven’t won a title so he’s not a good player? He has proved the statistics isn’t in the titles.

“He remains one of the best strikers I have seen in my life. Are managers bad if they don’t win titles?”

Spurs Web Opinion:

Haaland may take his game to new levels over the next 10 years, but I still think Kane is the better overall player. Yes, Haaland will get you more goals and is perhaps a better out-and-out goalscorer in terms of finishing things off. But Kane gives you so much more to the game.

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Porro was the subject of attention from Tottenham all throughout January, and the North London side eventually got their man on deadline day, after a multitude of complications along the way.

The 23-year-old joined Spurs on an initial loan deal for £5 million, before the move will be made permanent in the summer, for a fee believed to be around £39 million as part of an obligation to buy clause (Sky Sports).

The Spaniard joined Manchester City in the summer of 2019 from Girona, but never actually played a game for City before moving out on loan to Real Valladolid and later Sporting Lisbon, who he would eventually join permanently.

City did hold a buy-back clause in the deal which saw Porro move to Portugal, but that clause was not activated during the January transfer window.

Instead, the Etihad outfit will pocketed around £10million of the transfer fee which Spurs paid to Sporting due to a sell-on clause inserted into his contract when he departed Manchester (Daily Star).

With Spurs taking on City at the weekend, there’s every chance Porro could make his debut for the Lilywhites against his former club. Ahead of the game, Guardiola has addressed the rumour that City were keen to bring Porro back to Manchester last month.

He told the Manchester Evening News: “[Porro is] perfect to play five at the back, last season we suffered when we played against Sporting. This season Tottenham vs Sporting, a good signing for Spurs. No [we didn’t think about re-signing], he was on the list but we didn’t think about the buy-back. He decides to go to Spurs.”

(Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Spurs Web Opinion

I can’t lie, I was a little worried City were going to swoop in at the last minute and steal Pedro Porro away from us, especially after they let Cancelo go. But, he’s here and he’s perfect, and hopefully, he can do some damage against his former side on Sunday.

Porro adds a completely new attacking dimension to Tottenham’s right side and the likes of Harry Kane will be relishing the prospect of getting on the end of his accurate delivery into the opposition penalty area.

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Tottenham needed to respond on the back of their disappointing loss in the North London derby and Antonio Conte certainly got the response he was looking for from his players, who put their bodies on the line and delivered an impressive first-half display.

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

However, despite carrying a 2-0 lead into the interval, the away side could not make it count, with some lapses at the back once again costing them in the second period.

Spurs might have been on the end of a 4-2 loss but they certainly silenced the home crowd for the majority of the encounter, with boos even echoing around the Etihad at the haft-time whistle.

However, Guardiola insisted that there was nothing wrong with his side’s first-half display, remarking that they came up against a ‘fantastic’ team.

The City boss said (via Manchester Evening News): “I’m incredibly happy. But without change we aren’t going to win anything.

“I said ‘I don’t care if we don’t win anything’, I said the last years I said I have to see my team, you have to have passion for something. If our fans are comfortable, are you going to tell me we played bad in the first half? Absolutely not.

“Against that team plays a good build-up, what a striker Harry Kane, Kulusevski, Son, even Bentancur, Hojbjerg. The organisation they have.

“I’m sure people wouldn’t agree with me but they are a fantastic team. We didn’t concede anything. At the beginning of the game, you have to see something is wrong and react. It’s too late.”

Guardiola also admitted that the Spurs fans were much louder on the day.

He continued: “Play bad? No. We always play good. The quality we have we do it. It’s not about that, now I’m happy they prove me. We give the goals, today it’s Eddy or Rodri. The other day will be a central defender or full-back.”

He added: “I’m here and I just listen to Spurs fans.”

Guardiola: "I'm here and I just listen to Spurs fans."

— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) January 19, 2023

Spurs Web Opinion

Tottenham’s away fans have always been one of the best in the league, and tend to sing their hearts out, irrespective of the result. Our home support can learn a thing or two from the travelling contingent when it comes to getting behind the players as boos at half-time are not rare at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium either.

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After an impressive start to the season, which saw Spurs accumulate a club-record tally of 23 points in the Premier League era after the first ten games, the North Londoners’ have blown a bit hot and cold over recent weeks.

Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images

However, going by the amount of criticism Tottenham have received (talkSPORT), one would think they were sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table rather than in third place and having finished top of their Champions League group.

Spurs go into this weekend’s clash against Liverpool five points behind Arsenal and six points behind Man City, having played a game more than the former.

Guardiola has now opined that all of the current top six, as well as Liverpool, are capable of making a run for the title.

When asked who the contenders were, the City boss said (via Manchester Evening News): “I would say Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham, United and Liverpool.

“I think these teams can fight for the title. The first candidate at the moment is Arsenal. Why? Because they’re top of the league and the rest are close.

“So let’s see how we finish these next two games [before the World Cup] but I think many of these teams deserve to be there, we see how they play all of them, how teams like United, Newcastle and Tottenham have taken a step forward. They can be there – no doubts.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Guardiola is understandably being diplomatic here but in reality, I expect City to finish around ten points clear of any other club this season, including Arsenal. Conte might have the Spurs squad believing that they can push City close but a third-place finish and a cup win will represent a very successful season for us.

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It’s been a fascinating start to the Premier League season already. While Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham set the pace at the top of the table, Liverpool have struggled and Chelsea have already sacked their manager.

Manchester City were the only team in the league yet to lose a game until their trip to Anfield this weekend.

But, despite the defeat, the addition of Erling Haaland to an already potent City attack is paying dividends, with the Norwegian striker already registering 15 league goals this season (Transfermarkt).

Although Arsenal are top of the league, Pep Guardiola’s side are still the team to beat it seems. So, can anyone stop City this year?

In an interview with the Manchester Evening News, Guardiola named three teams that he thinks will challenge for the title this season.

He said: “A fact is a contender, Tottenham will be there, Chelsea and Liverpool as well.

“What happened the previous seasons, Liverpool, Jurgen [Klopp] might not see it now but always I see them as a contender.

“If [there were] two months left I’d say maybe too late. Just one-quarter of the season. Lots of games to play, many things can happen.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Let’s be honest, even at this early stage, the title is Manchester City’s to lose. It was theirs to lose before a ball was even kicked, in truth. Having Erling Haaland in that team is an absolute cheat code, and it’s going to be very hard for anyone to challenge that this season.

However, the fact that Spurs are so close right now and are grinding out results without playing particularly well, is a good indication that we can still be up there come the end of the season.

Liverpool and Chelsea, while they’ve had a shaky start to the season, will no doubt find their feet and be challenging for the top places once again. The only hope is that Arsenal slip up soon, and then we’ll all be happy.

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Kane pushed to join City in the summer of 2021 (The Athletic) after Guardiola’s men expressed interest in the England captain but Tottenham managed to hold firm and hang on to their centre-forward.

The 29-year-old now appears to be a lot happier in North London, with reports indicating that Spurs are optimistic that the striker will be open to signing a new contract when the time is right (Ben Jacobs).

Kane has made an impressive start to the campaign but he has a lot of ground to make up in the race for the Golden Boot, with Haaland having found the back of the net 15 times in his first nine Premier League matches (Transfermarkt).

Alan Shearer claimed this week that had the Spurs star joined City, he would have scored just as many as the Norwegian (The Athletic). 

When Guardiola was asked what he thought about Shearer’s comments, he said (via MEN): “I don’t know. I don’t have the ability to know what would happen if Harry Kane was here. Alan was a striker maybe he knows better than me.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Kane would get as many goal contributions as Haaland had he been at City. While the 22-year-old might get a few more goals, the England captian would have likely chipped in with a few more assists.

Despite the impressive start that Haaland has made to his Premier League career, the Tottenham striker will believe that he can still win the Golden Boot this season.

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Antonio Conte’s men will face their toughest test of the season so far as they travel to Etihad on Saturday to take on the only other side in the Premier League who are still unbeaten.

The reigning Champions have some injury concerns, with Jack Grealish not having featured since their 4-0 win over Bournemouth on August 13.

However, Grealish was an unused substitute against Aston Villa last week, with Guardiola revealing after the game that he decided not to bring on the England international as a precaution.

He said regarding the 26-year-old after the draw at Villa Park (via MEN): “We thought about it (bringing him on) at 1-0 but he trained just two days.

“If we had scored two, for sure we would have had him in. Jack started the season really well and we need players so it’s good to have him back.”

However, City confirmed on their official website that Stones and Walker, who both featured against Villa, have not travelled to Seville for the opening clash of their Champions League campaign.

Guardiola said that he is not sure whether the former Tottenham right-back will be fit to face the Lilywhites.

When asked about the severity of the injuries, the Spaniard told Mancity.com: “John is not much. Kyle is not much too, but I don’t know if he will be ready for Saturday, or Dortmund or Wolves before the international break.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Walker’s potential absence will be a huge boost for Spurs. Without the 32-year-old’s recovery pace, City will be susceptible to Son’s run in behind their backline.

Son showed signs of coming back to his best against Fulham and I am sure the South Korean will fancy his chances against Cancelo.

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Spurs progressed to the semi-final at City’s expense in 2019 after an end-to-end game that was filled with drama.

The Lilywhites carried a 1-0 lead into the second leg at the Etihad and after the home side scored early, Tottenham hit back with two quickfire goals from Son Heung-min.

It looked like Guardiola’s men had the game wrapped up after they came back to lead 4-2 but Fernando Llorente found the back of the net to send Spurs through on away goals.

There was some controversy around the goal, with slow-motion replays showing that the ball had hit Llorente’s arm and, to rub salt into their wounds, the home side also had a late goal disallowed due to offside.

After seeing Madrid convert a late penalty to narrow the deficit to just one goal going into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, Guardiola compared the decision to the one in the Spurs clash.

The City boss said about the penalty decision (via Football.London): “It is what it is. We got knocked out of the Champions League against Tottenham with a similar decision.

“Today for us it was a handball so it has happened to us, but these situations happen and we have to understand it and in this competition, it can decide games.

“This competition is about details. All we can do is perform. After the opponents are so good. Real Madrid punish you.”

Spurs Web Opinion

It is not surprising that the clash in 2019 is still fresh in Guardiola’s mind, given the sheer drama of the encounter. In some respects, the game was probably more entertaining for neutrals than the semifinal against Ajax. The battle and fight we showed to beat City over two legs without our best player in Kane was quite unbelievable.

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