Pochettino backs Guardiola to be successful at City
REUTERS - Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino expects counterpart Pep Guardiola to have a few tricks up his sleeves when Manchester City host the north London side on Saturday.
A run of six successive victories in the Premier League has lifted Tottenham to second in the table and, City, despite their recent struggles, are not far behind as they sit fifth after 21 games.
"Be careful, they're only three points behind us and they're in the Champions League. The judgment is at the end (of the season)," Pochettino told British media when asked if he felt Guardiola was struggling in his first season in England.
City made a flying start under Guardiola, winning their first 10 games in all competitions, but have won just nine times in 22 matches since. They are currently 10 points behind leaders Chelsea.
Pochettino, however, backed his under-fire counterpart to silence the doubters.
"I know Pep Guardiola very well, he's a great manager, one of the best, and you can expect different things," he said. "When you arrive at a new club you need to adapt your values to a new culture, and it's difficult, but I don't change my opinion of him.
"I am not someone who judges other people. The expectation was massive when Guardiola signed. People thought he would win the Premier League after 10 games. That's impossible. But I have no doubt that with time he will be a success."
(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)