Guardiola Unfazed by Manchester City’s Overhaul, Haaland’s Availability for Spurs in Question

Pep Guardiola (54) has downplayed the notion that revitalising Manchester City represents the most significant challenge of his managerial career, as his side vies for a top-four finish in the Premier League.

City are set to visit Tottenham on Wednesday, currently trailing leaders Liverpool by 20 points following a 2-0 defeat to Arne Slot’s squad at the weekend.

Additionally, they have been eliminated from the Champions League, suffering a 6-3 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid in the knockout stages.

However, Guardiola, whose team has clinched six out of the last seven Premier League titles, expressed that he is undeterred by the prospect of rejuvenating City since joining the club in 2016.

“We’ve done it before, so after nine years, it’s quite different from what we started with nine years ago. We’ve managed to do it two or three times already, so I wouldn’t classify this as the biggest challenge,” the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager remarked on Tuesday.

“The real challenge for me came at the beginning of my managerial career, working alongside my staff and proving to ourselves that we could achieve success.”

City brought in four new players during the January transfer window – Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico Gonzalez, and Vitor Reis – highlighting the extent of the rebuilding necessary after injuries and a dip in form from key figures.

In all competitions, City have only managed to secure two victories from their eight matches played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Their previous visit there in October resulted in a 2-1 loss in the League Cup, marking the start of a rough patch that also included a 4-0 defeat against Spurs at the Etihad Stadium.

Despite their recent form, Ange Postecoglou’s squad sits in 12th place in the Premier League, but Guardiola believes they possess more quality than their results indicate.

“They’re an excellent team with individual talent, as they’ve always had; the rhythm of play, intensity, and their exceptional movement during transitions make them a formidable opponent,” he stated.

Erling Haaland remains a question mark for Wednesday’s clash in London, having missed the last two matches due to a knee injury.

“We’ll have a clearer picture after tonight’s training,” Guardiola indicated. “I hope he can play, but we’ll have to wait and see.”