Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised his counterpart Ange Postecoglou, who will visit his Tottenham team at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, describing him as a coach who makes football a better place and whom he has been following since they first met in Japan years ago. The trip north will be Tottenham's toughest test so far under their new manager, and Guardiola expressed confidence that there would be plenty of enjoyment.
The Spaniard recalled their only previous encounter, saying, "I faced him only once three or four seasons ago during pre-season when we played in Japan against Yokohama." He mentioned, "Ange was the coach, and I had watched some clips beforehand. It was the second game in pre-season, and I thought, 'Wow, there are things I like.'"
Guardiola added, "I told the players (back then) that I knew we were not fully ready, but we would be facing a good team in physical battles, and they were exceptional in building attacks, relying on their goalkeeper." City won that match, but Guardiola said it made him pay closer attention to Postecoglou's progress at Celtic and now Tottenham, adding, "I think figures like Ange make football a better place."
On the other hand, Ange Postecoglou expected "Rodrigo Bentancur, the Uruguay midfielder, to be out for at least two months due to an ankle injury." The 26-year-old player, who recently returned after a nine-month absence due to a serious knee injury, exited in the first half during Tottenham's 2-1 defeat in the Premier League against Aston Villa last Sunday.
Postecoglou commented before Sunday's match against the defending champions Manchester City: "He is probably going to be out for a long time from now until the new year," adding, "It might take about two months for him to return, which is frustrating for him because we all know how hard he has been working to get back to his level."
