Pep Guardiola barely took a second to give his answer.
Last season was coming to a close, Manchester City had just clinched another English Premier League title, and the team would soon be winning the FA Cup and Champions League to complete the greatest campaign in the club’s history.
So, Guardiola was asked, what would be his next challenge at City?
“Score a goal against Spurs away,” the manager responded immediately, before putting his hands in a praying gesture.
In what might be the most puzzling head-to-head record in English soccer, City — the team that seems to sweep all before it — just cannot get a win at Tottenham. Or even draw.
Indeed, much to Guardiola’s chagrin, they can’t even score.
Since Tottenham moved into its state-of-the-art, $1 billion-plus stadium in 2019, City has played there five times — once in the Champions League and four times in the Premier League.
Tottenham’s Richarlison takes a selfie with supporters at full time of the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and AFC Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023. Tottenham won 3-1. Credit: AP/Ian Walton
Tottenham has won 1-0, 2-0, 2-0, 1-0 and 1-0.
City and Guardiola get another chance to end that hoodoo on Friday when they travel to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to play the headline match in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Son Heung-min and Harry Kane have been the scourges of City in those recent games, typically scoring on the counter-attack after long periods of City dominating possession, but neither is around this time. Son is at the Asian Cup with South Korea and Kane moved to Bayern Munich in the offseason.
Yet, in Ange Postecoglou’s first season in charge, Tottenham is showing it has the attacking weapons whoever plays up front. The club’s last game was a 2-2 draw at Manchester United in the league, when Spurs were the better team and created many opportunities without Son.
Tottenham’s Son Heung-min, left,…
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