Pep Guardiola addresses claims that Ange Postecoglou 'copied' him ahead of Man City vs Tottenham

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hailed Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou whilst also speaking on comparisons between the two

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been full of praise for Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash between the two sides. Spurs have enjoyed an excellent start to the season, sitting top of the pile after ten games.

However, injuries to Micky van de Ven and James Maddison has coincided with a three-game losing streak from the north Londoners, who are now fifth in the current standings, four points behind local rivals Arsenal in first. Meanwhile, City are second in the table, just one point off the Gunners, who climbed to the top of the league after Guardiola's side drew 1-1 with title rivals Liverpool last weekend.

The reigning champions will welcome Spurs to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening and ahead of the highly-anticipated clash, the City head coach has hailed Postecoglou 's attacking system. When asked about people claiming that the Australian has copied his play-style, Guardiola said: "It was a joke!

"I am not the only person when I was born to become a manager that played a high line. [His style] belongs absolutely to him.

"I would say, yes, sometimes my full-backs go inside, but their full-backs go to the pockets. They are attacking midfielders. I’ve never seen that before. I’ve never used that, so it belongs absolutely to him."

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Tottenham boast a fairly decent record against City, winning three of their last four meetings in the league, with their last victory at the Etihad coming during the 2021/22 campaign when a last-gasp Harry Kane finish secured a 3-2 victory for the Lillywhites. Spurs will be hoping for a similar result tomorrow as they look to get back on track following a run of three successive defeats.

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