Pep Guardiola, Manchester City’s coach, praised Tottenham’s manager Ange Postecoglou before their upcoming Premier League match. He admired Postecoglou’s influence on football and recalled their first encounter in a 2019 friendly game when Postecoglou managed Yokohama F Marinos.

Guardiola said that he learned a lot about Postecoglou’s coaching style during that game and has been following his career since then, including his time at Celtic and now at Tottenham. Guardiola described Postecoglou as someone who ‘improves football’ and stated that he doesn’t think Tottenham will change their attacking style, even though they have several injured players.

Despite injuries to key players like James Maddison, Richarlison, Micky Van de Ven, and the suspension of Christian Romero, Tottenham has maintained an aggressive play style. Guardiola is impressed with how Postecoglou’s team continues to create opportunities and play aggressively in all areas.

“He’s quickly made a mark, even in games they haven’t won lately, I’m impressed with the good things they do and the chances they create,” Guardiola commented about Postecoglou. “He has a clear vision for his teams, which he showed in Japan and Glasgow with Celtic, and now here. I believe he’s great for football, as a fellow coach and viewer, I enjoy watching his teams’ approach. He’s had a fast and really positive impact in England.”

Guardiola remembered the 2019 friendly with Postecoglou’s Yokohama, noting how he had to prepare his team for a tough match. He expects a similar challenge in their upcoming game.

“If you ask him if he will change his style against us? Definitely not,” Guardiola said. “It was a surprise when we first met. I watched some of his games and thought ‘wow, I like this’. I told my players we might not be ready as it’s preseason, but we were facing a strong team with intense pressing and good build-up play. We won because we had better players, but his team’s style was clear.

“I feel they always stick to their style, no matter the result or opponent. That’s why I like it. It’s a great showcase for our sport. When both teams aim to move forward, it’s always exciting to watch. You can’t help but find it interesting when both teams try to do that, and we saw it right away.”