Guardiola: I was wrong about ‘Harry Kane team’

Pep Guardiola faces Mauricio Pochettino at Wembley tonight, conceding that Tottenham have made him eat his words over his claim last season that Spurs were “the Harry Kane team”.

The Manchester City manager offended Pochettino and tonight’s opponents with his glib comment, which appeared intended more to praise their striker than belittle his team-mates. But with Spurs in the thick of the early title chase, despite Kane struggling to rediscover his form of recent seasons, Guardiola was happy to withdraw his comment.

The City manager also believes Tottenham’s development is proof that Pochettino deserves to be considered among the world’s current elite coaches, rather than a “prospect” for the future.

“They show me how wrong I was,” Guardiola said. “I think he is already a top coach, not the next [generation of coaches]. For many years, he is training at a high level.

“He did an incredible job at Espanyol and Southampton and especially here at Tottenham.

“He has been linked many times with Real Madrid. He can answer that question but I don’t know what happens. What I think is, Mr Levy is not an easy guy to negotiate with.”

Guardiola’s joke about Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy’s reluctance to entertain the prospect of Pochettino leaving is a compliment in itself. The City manager has vivid recollections of his first defeat in English football, at White Hart Lane in Oct 2016.

The Spaniard, however, has Wembley. Tottenham feel more comfortable at home,” he said.

“When I analysed this [2016] game, I realised this is the Premier League. I felt, ‘Wow’.

“People said in that period, ‘City are going to win the Premier League’ and in that game I realised, when I saw how physical they are, their high press, how many good things they do – this is a team.”

With Kevin De Bruyne back to full fitness and Fabian Delph also returning from injury tonight, midfielder Ilkay Gundogan remains City’s only injury absentee.