Tottenham have had great managers as Pep Guardiola fails to explain why they have not been Premier League champions | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted his surprise at Tottenham being unable to win the Premier League given their top-level managers in recent seasons.

It was yet more joy for the reigning English top-flight champions at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday night as City bounced back from a 0-2 defeat at home to Liverpool to claim all three points in North London.

A single first-half goal from Erling Haaland, converting some excellent work from Jeremy Doku on the left, proved to be the difference for the club on the night and the scoreline was prevented from being extended deep into the contest due to a VAR review.

But while it may have been another win for Manchester City against Tottenham away from home, the form of the club in general against the North London side has been far from dominant in recent seasons, particularly away from home.

And speaking during a recent press conference, Pep Guardiola was quizzed by reporters on why he feels as though Tottenham have failed to seriously challenge England’s very-best club sides for the biggest honours given their investment, stadia, and level of managers appointed.

“Good question! I don’t know… We won in the years that we should win, to win the Premier League. Always at the beginning I have the feeling that always we played really good against them, but we were not able to get results. This is the truth,” Guardiola said.

“I think Liverpool away especially and Tottenham have been the rivals that have been the most difficult to get results.

“In general in the cup competitions always it’s tricky, but in the Premier League – a long competition – it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, because the important thing is the last target and the last target is to achieve the Premier League and we have done it many times.”

Guardiola continued, “But it’s true; always I’ve said it’s because the quality is there. Always I’m surprised why for many years we could not be there, close to them. I think in the first year when I arrived and Mauricio Pochettino was there and arriving in the Carabao Cup final against us, and they could not do it but it’s an analysis I cannot do because I’m not there.

“And it’s a question for Tottenham. But the team, always since I arrived, the first season with Mauricio was an incredible, incredible team; Kyle (Walker) was there, and Harry Kane, and Dele Alli in his prime, and many, many good players, (Heung-min) Son, and all these types of players, it was a pleasure to watch.”

“Always it was a close contender, but never (won the Premier League) and I don’t know the reason why because the managers have been there, since Mauricio until Ange (Postecoglou) now, the group of managers that have been there have been beyond exceptional!

“They’ve had success everywhere! And the reason why they’ve not done it, I don’t know! If I was there I could answer you, but now I don’t know.”

This season alone Manchester City have had tough times against Tottenham at home and away, losing in the Carabao Cup fourth round in the Autumn before seeing themselves succumb to a 0-4 home defeat to Spurs in the Premier League.

There has also been a UEFA Champions League defeat to Tottenham coming in the 2018/19 campaign, while matters in the Premier League had been far from comfortable particularly away from home at the North London side’s new stadium until very recent times.