LONDON – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is not too concerned about falling too far behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, as his side prepare to host Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.

Both City and Spurs suffered derby defeats over the weekend – Guardiola’s men lost 2-1 to Manchester United, while Tottenham were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal – and both teams will be seeking to bounce back as they head into the second half of the season.

City are hoping not to lose three in a row – they also lost to Southampton in the League Cup – and Guardiola will be mindful that his team are already eight points behind the Gunners (47).

“Spurs have always been a tough opponent. Their quality, this year is not an exception. Important to win the game,” said Guardiola, who turned 52 on Wednesday.

“Pressure is next game, we cannot think about it (title race) other than to win the next game. Many games to play. Don’t think about it, just think the next game and see what happens. We have been in this position many times in the past.”

The City boss also spoke about needing to improve his team’s attacking play, after registering just one shot on target in their last two games.

“The reason is the creativity to play hasn’t been as good as usual,” said the Spaniard, who could still be missing injured centre-backs Ruben Dias and John Stones.

“Sometimes, to have chances, you need a good build-up, spread the defensive lines. We struggled the last two games.”

City’s home form has not been the best recently, after failing to beat Brentford and Everton in their last two league games at the Etihad. Prior to that, Guardiola’s men had won 11 top-flight matches in a row on home soil.

Last season, they lost 3-2 to Tottenham at home, while they also suffered a 1-0 defeat at Spurs.

But Tottenham – who have won four of their last five league games against City – should not take things for granted as they are also facing a difficult spell of late in their bid to finish in the top four.

Antonio Conte’s men have just three wins from their last nine Premier League games and were five points behind fourth-placed United (38) before the Red Devils’ clash with Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

The Spurs boss is under pressure but believes his team can get a positive result, but will have to take their chances when they come.

“I remember the game (last season) and to win against Manchester City, you have to try not to make mistakes because you know for sure, when you go to play against Manchester City, the ball possession will be 70 to 75 per cent for them,” the Italian said.

“Then you have 20 or 25 per cent of ball possession so, in this period, you have to be very good, to move the ball well and create chances to score.

“You know when you’re playing against, I think, the best team in the world at the moment, it will be very difficult. Last season, we were very good, showed great resilience. Also in this type of game, you need also to be a bit lucky to get a good result.”

Conte also called on club owners and executives to speak up rather than leave managers to face the media alone when trouble strikes.

“In England, there is a bad habit that there is only the coach to speak and to explain,” he said.

“I have never seen the medical department come here to explain why this player is having difficulty to recover.

“It’s the same also – I have never seen the club or sporting director come here to explain the strategy and vision of the club.

“In Italy, for example, before every game, there is a person from the club who has to go before the media and answer every question.

“If only the coach speaks, there are sometimes misunderstandings.”

Spurs will be boosted by the availability of Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, who has not played since being injured at the World Cup. AFP, REUTERS