Spurs confident of stopping City
LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur are relishing the prospect of testing their credentials against Premier League leaders Manchester City and the north London club are confident of winning tomorrow’s away encounter, manager Mauricio Pochettino has said.
Tottenham fell to seventh place after winning just one league game in November but have since recovered with a morale-boosting Champions League victory over APOEL Nicosia, followed by two consecutive domestic wins to climb back into the top four.
City are on a record-breaking 15-game winning streak in the league and 18 points ahead of Tottenham, but Pochettino is confident his side can end that dominant run.
“I am so positive. I am a positive person. I am happy for the three points. What happens on Saturday, who knows? We go to Manchester to try to win. Football is football,” Pochettino said after Wednesday night’s 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion.
“In the last week we have got three wins and that is so important for us. We now feel we can stay higher in the table.
“There is a long way to go in the season and anything can happen.
“We are going to enjoy the game as it is a fantastic challenge to play Manchester City. They are the best team in England and one of the best teams in Europe. I am so excited to play in these games...”
Midfielder Erik Lamela started his first game for Tottenham since October 2016 against Brighton and Pochettino has backed the Argentina international to have a positive impact on the team’s performance.
“I think it is so important, he brought fantastic energy to the team and the last few weeks too,” Pochettino said.
“It’s normal and he needs time to give his best. I think it’s so important for the team to have him fit again and I think he’s going to help us a lot.”
Following the City clash, Tottenham play four league games and an FA Cup match within the space of two weeks.
Meanwhile, Manchester City must not focus their attention solely on striker Harry Kane as they prepare to host Spurs, defender Eliaquim Mangala has said.
Kane, the league’s second-highest goal-scorer this campaign with 12 goals, has netted four times in Tottenham’s last five games as the north London side have recovered from a dip in form to record back-to-back league wins.
Tottenham’s win over Brighton on Wednesday moved them back into the top four and Mangala has warned his team mates to expect a tough test.
“He’s a very good striker but Tottenham is not just about Harry Kane,” Mangala told the club’s website.
“They have some qualities. We have to be focused on all of the team and prepare for the game to win.
“Tottenham are a very good team with young players. We will have to prepare as well as possible.”
City recorded a record-breaking 15th consecutive league win with a 4-0 thrashing of bottom side Swansea City on Wednesday and are 11 points clear at the top of the table.
“That’s history,” Mangala added.
“We’re the only team to do that and it’s a big achievement. There’s a long way to go but we have to be proud. It’s not easy to do that. We’re very happy.
“We have the same objective: to win the game.
“At the moment, we are going well. We need to carry on in the same way and keep working... Now we rest as we have another game on Saturday where we will try to do the same.” - Reuters