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Jose Mourinho gives verdict on Pep Guardiola's Man City squad
Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola lock horns in the Premier League this weekend when Tottenham play host to Manchester City.
by Josh Challies, https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/authors/josh-challies/Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has issued his verdict on Pep Guardiola's Manchester City squad ahead of this weekend's Premier League clash.
City travel to North London to lock horns with the top-four chasers, just a few days after their 1-0 defeat in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester United - when they won 3-2 on aggregate.
That could mean that there is some tired legs among the City squad, up against a Spurs side that has had time to rest following last weekend's FA Cup fourth round clash with Southampton.
However, Mourinho does not consider this to be an advantage as he feels that City's squad is full of talent and that Guardiola does not have any lesser options within his side.
Asked if it was beneficial to have more rest days than City, Mourinho said: "I'm surprised that you ask me that because every time we are on the other side, nobody asks me.
"So when we play Southampton, and Southampton has one more day to rest, no-one tells me. And when we play Chelsea and they have more rest, no-one asks me.
"I'm quite surprised that today is the day you bring the fact that we didn't have a match midweek. I have to be honest and say that it was a good week of work for us, and I also think that mentally it's very important the happiness of results than one or two more days to rest, and I think the fact that Man City qualified for one final compensates for everything.
"Apart from that, I think they have 20 players the same quality. For me to play Walker or Cancelo, to play Otamendi or Laporte, to play Aguero or Jesus, to play Bernardo Silva or David Silva, this is the kind of squad that I think they could play four matches a week and the quality would be the same."
City go into the weekend 19 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, a deficit that could extend to 22 points on Saturday if Liverpool beat Southampton at Anfield.