"It belongs absolutely to him": Pep Guardiola denies Postecoglou copying his style of play
Dec 01, 2023
Manchester [UK], December 1 : Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola ruled out the possibility of Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou copying his style of play ahead of the clash between the two heavyweights of English football.
Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham in the summer of 2023 and instantly instilled his style of play pushing the defenders to play a high line, breaking down the opposition with possession play.
This style of play was first witnessed in the Premier League after the arrival of Pep in the 2016/17 campaign.
As both managers face each other for the first time in the Premier League, in the pre-match press conference Pep was quizzed about Postecoglou copying his style of play.
Pep denied stating that he was not the only manager to play the style that he makes his players play.
"I'm not the only manager who was born to play a high line. It belongs absolutely to him. I would say that sometimes my full backs go inside, but their full backs go to the pockets, they are attacking midfielders, so I've never seen that before. So I've never used that, it belongs absolutely to him, and it is a question for him anyway," Pep said as quoted from Sky Sports.
For a clash that promises to be an attacking affair, Manchester City are missing out on a couple of players. Pep issued an injury update on the condition of injured players within the squad and said, "John Stones is much better, yeah. He's really close to coming back. He'll be with us; he'll be there."
On the other hand, midfielders Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes have been absent for several weeks with injuries. Guardiola confirmed the availability of Kovacic but stated that Nunes will face more time on the sidelines.
"Mateo is already back, I think. He trained well yes, but Matheus is still maybe days or weeks away," Guardiola added.
Tottenham and Manchester City have produced some remarkable moments in their past encounters and they will look to add another golden opportunity to their chapter on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium.
