On Saturday, Man City will receive another difficult challenge in their record-breaking Premier League campaign. Guardiola’s side will welcome Tottenham to the Etihad this weekend, as their unbeaten record comes under threat once more.
Many rival fans will be hoping for a Spurs victory in order to keep the title race competitive and open, but manager Mauricio Pochettino did not strike a confident pose ahead of Saturday’s meeting. The Argentine tactician met with the reporters in a pre-match press conference, stressing the difference between the two clubs.
In the Spurs manager’s eyes, his team cannot be compared with Guardiola’s crew. In fact, he believes the north London club is on the “opposite side” in comparison to the Citizens.
What Pochettino was referring to was financial power. Tottenham has the second-lowest net spending in the Premier League over the last five years, while the likes of City, United, and Chelsea have splashed the cash in pursuit of the league title.
Man City has spent big over the last few seasons and has thus built an unstoppable squad. Although Tottenham has an impressive lineup as well, Pochettino believes his team cannot even be compared to the high-spending league leader.
"In the moment that we arrive in the new stadium, the people will be allowed to blame [us] if we don't improve and don't achieve,” Pochettino said (as per ESPN FC).
"But I think today it's important to recognize the effort that the club is making: trying to be competitive, trying to play Champions League, trying to fight with the big sides like City, [Manchester] United that, in the end, don't care what they spend if they can win.
"For us, it's completely different and I think it's not fair to compare the club [to them]. I don't put myself as a victim. It's only to say this is what the club is doing. And maybe in a few years is the moment say, 'Come on, the club now need to win and need to compete, and with the same tools as another big club.'
"That is the moment to say 'compare,' 'compare with another club,' but today it's completely unfair that the people, the media is going to compare Tottenham with a club like Manchester City, United or Chelsea. We are in a complete opposite side. I'm not complaining about nothing. It's only that I accept our position and where we are."
Tottenham trails Sterling and Co. by a whopping 18 points when they lock horns on Saturday. The away side has returned to winning ways and could thus become the first English team to beat Man City this season.
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