Jose's five-point preview - City

Jose Mourinho's exclusive pre-match sit down with Spurs TV, as we look ahead to Sunday's cracker against Manchester City at the new stadium (4.30pm).

1 - This week

First up, how has the week been?

Jose: “Very good, very good. They had a couple of days off, then we had two fantastic days to work without a midweek game, really good, especially for Steven (Bergwijn) to come in and to have that opportunity to have a week with us, that was important for him to adapt and to understand the way we want to work.”

2 - Steven Bergwijn

We asked Jose about this week’s arrival from PSV...

Jose: “I always like to say, ‘wait and see yourself’. I don’t like to create great expectation. It’s fair to give these players some time, especially when we are speaking about young players, give them time, don’t create expectations. Obviously, the reason why the Club decided to sign him is because of his quality, his future and he fits well in the way we want to try to play football. I’m not saying tomorrow, I’m saying give him time – and I am totally convinced he is going to be a very good player for us and a player that our supporters are going to enjoy over the next years.”

3 - State of play

Jose has been with us for 10 weeks - during which time we’ve played 17 matches in all competitions. It’s safe to say it’s been a bit of a whirlwind start! Where did he see us at the moment?

Jose: “I’m never happy. Where are we in the table? Sixth? I would like to be fourth. We have to play a replay to try to progress in the FA Cup, I would like to be in the next round already. I would always like to be better than we are. It’s been a difficult season for the group, lots of ups and downs, but I think very, very good for the future of the team, especially for my job, the more problems I have, the more I understand the players, the more I know what they are, the problems they have, where I can help them, where I can take the best out of them so for me, of course, I always want better results, I always think that we can do better, but for me, a very good 10 weeks. When it looks like we’re taking off, we’ve had problems, injuries, very important injuries to crucial players, but with these problems, you get stronger, the group is good and I say day after day, it’s a pleasure to work with these boys and we know where we want to go.”

4 - City

Turning to Sunday’s Premier League cracker at the new stadium, what did Jose think of Manchester City at the moment?

Jose: “Champions, double champions, even more impressive and the potential and number of points, normally, to be champions again. I don’t think they have a problem. The problem is that Liverpool are winning matches and keeping them at a distance. For me, City is the same profile of team, same qualities, same power they’ve had in the last few years. So, it’s a very difficult game for us but nobody can tell us we are not going to win because we don’t believe. If at the end of the game we draw or lose, that’s after the game, but before and during the game, nobody is going to take away the belief that we can win the game.”

5 - Pep

We asked Jose about his ‘rivalry’ with Pep Guardiola...

Jose: “I see more a friendship than a rivalry. We worked together for three years in Barcelona and it was there we developed our positive relationship. Of course, then our careers crossed on so many occasions. Barcelona and Real Madrid, with Inter, we played them (Barca) in the Champions League semi-final (Inter won 3-2 on aggregate on the way to winning the trophy, 2010) and then he comes to England and we play in the same city and now again. I never thought it was me against him, I always thought it was my team against his. I always say that. Of course, he’s a fantastic coach and he has fantastic players, so it’s always difficult. I never thought about a rivalry, because I never feel him as a rival, just that he is the coach responsible for the team I want to beat on Sunday.”

Ticket news

Tickets for this fixture originally sold out - however, there are a limited number of tickets available to buy via our Ticket Exchange platform, as listed by Season Ticket Holders unable to attend the fixture. All supporters can now buy a ticket for this game subject to availability.