Tottenham Hot Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou, said he is at loss why supporters of the club are wishing that Manchester City beat their team to ruin Arsenal’s chances of winning the English Premier League.
City with a point behind Arsenal will play against Tottenham on Tuesday night. A win will boost their chances of topping the table with a game left to play. Arsenal will play against Everton in their last game and are hopeful that their London rivals will take points off City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. City are two wins away from a record fourth straight Premier League title, and will reach that unprecedented quartet with wins over Spurs and West Ham.
Tottenham themselves are chasing a top four finish and a win against City could put them in depending on the game between Aston Villa and out of gas out Liverpool.
Spurs could hand Arsenal, their bitter north London rivals, the advantage in the Premier League title race if they can take points off City. As a result, there are mixed feelings within the Spurs fan base about the prospect of a potential victory.
“I understand rivalry,” said Postecoglou.
“I was part of one of the biggest ones in the world in the last couple of years with Celtic and Rangers, and I understand the rivalry. But I have never, and will never, understand if someone wants their own team to lose.
“That’s not what sport is about. It’s not what I love about the game. What I love more than anything in the game is the competitiveness, challenging yourself to beat someone and coming out successful.
“Anything outside of that, it’s got nothing to do with sport. It’s got nothing to do with me. If other people want to treat it that way, that they get pleasure from other people’s misery, that’s not how I’ve lived my life.”
Meanwhile Pep Guardiola has called on his players to maintain the intensity as they chase their fourth consecutive title.
“If you play these games relaxed, it’s a big problem,” warned Guardiola.
“The right tension, and the right, hmm, focus has to be there.
“We need to demand the best. Maybe they are going to play for Champions League qualification and have a huge target for them too.
“We have a huge target at the same time as well.”
