Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insists his side will return to Premier League dominance after Erling Haaland’s goal sealed a 1-0 win at Tottenham.
Haaland’s clinical 12th-minute strike boosted City’s push for Champions League qualification as they climbed to fourth place.
However, battling for a top-four finish is a major drop-off for Guardiola’s side, who have dominated the league with four consecutive titles and six in the last seven seasons.
With Liverpool seemingly set to claim the title and City trailing the leaders by 20 points, Guardiola’s men have been out of the race for months. Their recent Champions League exit to Real Madrid has left the FA Cup as their only remaining shot at silverware this season.
Despite these setbacks, Guardiola remains confident that City will return to their dominant best, even as his squad faces challenges with ageing players and a lack of Premier League experience in key positions.
“Never will this season be the old City,” Guardiola admitted. “The old City were too good, but we will be back.”
City started strongly in north London but squandered several chances to extend their lead before coming under heavy pressure in the second half.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou blamed his injury-hit team’s first-half struggles on overeagerness but felt they controlled the game after the break.
“First half, we were just a little bit too eager to get forward with the ball. We were really wasteful and against City, which allows them to get into a rhythm,” Postecoglou said.
Despite dominating possession in the second half, Spurs couldn’t find an equalizer, leaving them in 13th place with their Europa League campaign as their best hope for silverware this season.
“It’s disappointing to lose again, but it did look more like us today,” Postecoglou added.
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