‘We’re going to suffer’ – Conte lauds ‘perfect’ City, ‘fantastic’ Guardiola
Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has heaped praise on Manchester City and Pep Guardiola ahead of their game this weekend.
Spurs travel to face league leaders Man City at the Etihad on Saturday.
The sides met on the opening day of this season when Nuno Espirito Santo was in charge of Tottenham. The Londoners won 1-0 thanks to Son Heung-Min’s winner.
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Conte replaced Santo in November. The Italian has won ten of his 19 games in charge across all competitions.
But Tottenham have lost three straight games in the Premier League. Man City meanwhile have not been beaten in 13 games.
City are nine points clear at the top of the table. Spurs are 27 points adrift of them in eighth.
Conte is adamant that his team have to be “tactically perfect” to get the better of Guardiola’s men this weekend:
“It’ll be an interesting game for us. But I don’t think that it’s right to consider it a special game because there is the best coaches in the world [in the dugouts],” Conte said (via Football London).
“It’s a game between two teams, one team that’s maybe the best in the world and almost perfect. They’re in a fantastic period of form. That’s one side. On the other side is a team trying to build something important for the future.
“At this moment, two different levels. At the same time, we prepared the game very well. We know that tomorrow we’re going to suffer.
“We know very well that problem tomorrow, like in every game, Manchester City will keep the ball for 70-80 percent. But at the same time in the other 20 percent we have to be good, be effective, attack in the right way
“When they have the ball, be compact and tactically perfect. If you want a good result against Manchester City at the moment, you have to be perfect at the moment. You have to know you have to suffer as a team, to find the situations to try to hurt them.”
Conte went onto praise Guardiola for having “fantastic results” with every club he has managed:
“We’re talking about a fantastic team. They’re working with the same coach for many years.
“They have the possibility to, also in these years, go into the market and spend a lot of money.
“For sure, Pep is doing a fantastic job but in every club that he trained he had fantastic results. Important clubs, because Barcelona is an important club, Bayern Munich is an important club, now Manchester City is an important club but for sure great compliments to him, because to play against his team is not simple, not easy for anyone.
“I think they’re the best favourite to win the Premier League, to be ahead ten means in this league you’re very very strong. Also in the Champions League you have seen their last game, to go away and win 5-0 against Sporting Lisbon means you are a perfect team, in your hands.”