Pep Guardiola: Ange Postecoglou makes English football better
Having kept tabs on the coach who wowed him in 2019, the City manager is promising fans a ‘fun’ time when Tottenham Hotspur visit the Etihad Stadium on Sunday
www.thetimes.co.uk
The 2019 EuroJapan Cup is not one of the most prized pieces of silverware in Pep Guardiola’s collection, but the Manchester City manager remembers the day he won the trophy for a different reason.
It was on that day, July 27, that Guardiola met Ange Postecoglou for the first time.
City defeated Postecoglou’s Yokohama Marinos team 3-1 in the final match of their pre-season tour to Asia, but the hosts impressed, with Park Il-gyu, the fearless goalkeeper, regularly dribbling the ball out of defence.
“We saw some clips before the game and I said, ‘Wow, there are things here that I like.’ We won but, with all respect to Yokohama, we had better players.”
Postecoglou and Guardiola embraced and had a long chat on the touchline after the match. “He didn’t offer me a glass of wine but it was fine,” Guardiola said with a smile. “He took care of me really well. I have followed him since. He has played the same way in Glasgow [with Celtic] and now here.”
Guardiola, just like the members of the City Football Group hierarchy, have followed Postecoglou’s progress since he left Yokohama, first moving to Celtic in 2021 before landing the head coach’s job at Tottenham Hotspur, who visit the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Prior to a recent poor run of three straight losses, Spurs were top of the league and playing an eye-catching brand of football that is based on the same principles as Guardiola’s.
“He makes football a better place,” Guardiola said of Postecoglou. “I’m a manager but I’m also a spectator and I enjoy watching them a lot with the approach they have. All Spurs fans and people in England can admit the impact has been big.
“From day one, the first game at Brentford and the games at home, it doesn’t matter the result or opponent, they do what they have to do. I like that. That is such an incredible advert for our game and sport. It’s always nice to watch.”
For that reason, Guardiola expects Sunday’s match to be a humdinger. “I encourage the fans to come to the stadium because they will have fun,” Guardiola said.
John Stones could start for the first time in a month after making good progress in his recovery from a muscle injury. “John is much better,” Guardiola said. “He is close to coming back. The doctors, the physios will be there [to decide if he plays].”
Because of injury and suspension, Postecoglou will be without ten first-team players for the trip to City
DYLAN MARTINEZ/REUTERS
Mateo Kovacic has recovered from a quadriceps injury but his fellow midfielder Matheus Nunes is still out because of a muscle injury he suffered while on international duty with Portugal last month.
Postecoglou is facing his own injury problems, which have worsened with the news that the midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur will be out for a “couple of months at least” with an ankle issue.
The Spurs head coach will now be without ten players for the City match because of injury and suspension. Bentancur tore a ligament during Tottenham’s loss to Aston Villa on Sunday after a nasty tackle by Matty Cash. The 26-year-old was replaced in the first half, on what was his Spurs start since rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in February.
“We’re still getting some information, but it’ll be well into early next year. A couple of months at least,” Postecoglou said. “The biggest emotion you have is for him. He’d done everything right. He had a good international break where he got back playing for his country and he started the [Aston Villa] game so well. With all that context you’re just gutted for him because of the person he is and what he’s gone through, but that’s unfortunately the challenges football sometimes throws up at you.”
Spurs have won five of their past seven Premier League games against Guardiola’s side, by adopting the counterattacking style of Nuno Espírito Santo, José Mourinho and Antonio Conte. Asked if he would deploy a more defensive approach against City, Postecoglou said: “If you had to take a punt, what do you reckon I would say? Just a wild guess? And I don’t want to be flippant about it and I get the question, but I don’t do what I do to try to prove a point.
“You look at the top teams and there is one common trait among them. They all have a plan, they invest in that plan and stick to it. They don’t shy away from it at the first difficulty.
“It doesn’t get tested when things are going well and, for me, these are the important times, because this will show what kind of football team we want to be. You can sort of shy away, say we have injuries, we’re playing Man City away, but you’re either going to be a club that tries to knock off the big clubs or you are a big club. You are one or the other.”
It was on that day, July 27, that Guardiola met Ange Postecoglou for the first time.
City defeated Postecoglou’s Yokohama Marinos team 3-1 in the final match of their pre-season tour to Asia, but the hosts impressed, with Park Il-gyu, the fearless goalkeeper, regularly dribbling the ball out of defence.
“We saw some clips before the game and I said, ‘Wow, there are things here that I like.’ We won but, with all respect to Yokohama, we had better players.”
Postecoglou and Guardiola embraced and had a long chat on the touchline after the match. “He didn’t offer me a glass of wine but it was fine,” Guardiola said with a smile. “He took care of me really well. I have followed him since. He has played the same way in Glasgow [with Celtic] and now here.”
Guardiola, just like the members of the City Football Group hierarchy, have followed Postecoglou’s progress since he left Yokohama, first moving to Celtic in 2021 before landing the head coach’s job at Tottenham Hotspur, who visit the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Prior to a recent poor run of three straight losses, Spurs were top of the league and playing an eye-catching brand of football that is based on the same principles as Guardiola’s.
“He makes football a better place,” Guardiola said of Postecoglou. “I’m a manager but I’m also a spectator and I enjoy watching them a lot with the approach they have. All Spurs fans and people in England can admit the impact has been big.
“From day one, the first game at Brentford and the games at home, it doesn’t matter the result or opponent, they do what they have to do. I like that. That is such an incredible advert for our game and sport. It’s always nice to watch.”
For that reason, Guardiola expects Sunday’s match to be a humdinger. “I encourage the fans to come to the stadium because they will have fun,” Guardiola said.
John Stones could start for the first time in a month after making good progress in his recovery from a muscle injury. “John is much better,” Guardiola said. “He is close to coming back. The doctors, the physios will be there [to decide if he plays].”
Because of injury and suspension, Postecoglou will be without ten first-team players for the trip to City
DYLAN MARTINEZ/REUTERS
Mateo Kovacic has recovered from a quadriceps injury but his fellow midfielder Matheus Nunes is still out because of a muscle injury he suffered while on international duty with Portugal last month.
Postecoglou is facing his own injury problems, which have worsened with the news that the midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur will be out for a “couple of months at least” with an ankle issue.
The Spurs head coach will now be without ten players for the City match because of injury and suspension. Bentancur tore a ligament during Tottenham’s loss to Aston Villa on Sunday after a nasty tackle by Matty Cash. The 26-year-old was replaced in the first half, on what was his Spurs start since rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in February.
“We’re still getting some information, but it’ll be well into early next year. A couple of months at least,” Postecoglou said. “The biggest emotion you have is for him. He’d done everything right. He had a good international break where he got back playing for his country and he started the [Aston Villa] game so well. With all that context you’re just gutted for him because of the person he is and what he’s gone through, but that’s unfortunately the challenges football sometimes throws up at you.”
Spurs have won five of their past seven Premier League games against Guardiola’s side, by adopting the counterattacking style of Nuno Espírito Santo, José Mourinho and Antonio Conte. Asked if he would deploy a more defensive approach against City, Postecoglou said: “If you had to take a punt, what do you reckon I would say? Just a wild guess? And I don’t want to be flippant about it and I get the question, but I don’t do what I do to try to prove a point.
“You look at the top teams and there is one common trait among them. They all have a plan, they invest in that plan and stick to it. They don’t shy away from it at the first difficulty.
“It doesn’t get tested when things are going well and, for me, these are the important times, because this will show what kind of football team we want to be. You can sort of shy away, say we have injuries, we’re playing Man City away, but you’re either going to be a club that tries to knock off the big clubs or you are a big club. You are one or the other.”
