Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte praises Pep Guardiola ahead of Manchester City clash

Speaking ahead of his side’s weekend clash against Manchester City (h/t Daily Mail), Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has showered praise on his opposition manager Pep Guardiola, hailing the Spaniard as the best coach in the world.

The Man City head coach led the club to the Premier League title as well as reached the final of the Champions League last year, establishing himself as an elite coach in England and in Europe. He is regarded as a tactical genius all across the world.

The Spurs boss said that Guardiola was the best in the world, showing his proficiency across multiple clubs in different leagues, being a serial winner wherever he has managed.

“I think that we are talking about the best coach in the world because he shows it in many teams, many different situations, that it is good to build something important and if the club supports him because when you stay in Barcelona and Bayern Munich and then Manchester City, these clubs wanted to invest in him and he repaid this trust.”

City are currently top of the table in the Premier League and look set to retain their title, while Tottenham are lagging behind in eighth place and are in danger of missing out on a Champions League qualification spot for next season.

Tough game

While Manchester City have been a symbol of consistency this season, Spurs are on the opposite end of the spectrum, falling to their third consecutive loss in the league against Wolves last weekend.

Conte admitted that there is quite some distance between the two clubs, and said that the weekend’s clash could be very tough for his team to win.

“In this game you understand also the distance, the gap that you have with the other – but you want to play without fear – also because I repeat we are in a moment that we have to go through this situation if we want to have another step and the game against City we know it could be very tough.”

Conte will need his players to turn up at the Etihad Stadium this weekend and put in a top-notch performance to kickstart their climb up the Premier League table. The club has multiple games in hand over their opponents and needs to capitalise on it.

They need to put their recent defeats behind them as quickly as possible, with Spurs fans not happy about the club’s performances of late, with boos ringing out at the end of games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Guardiola is no doubt a quality manager, but we need to remember that he has a club that has backed him throughout his time at City. They have worked hard to get him the players he needs, so he can deliver results.

Similarly, there can be no doubting Conte’s managerial ability, with his track record at clubs being proven. Spurs need to back the manager with signings he wants in the summer in order for the Italian to work his magic.