BREAKING: Pep Guardiola on Tottenham, Kevin De Bruyne and El Classico

Manchester City will be close to full strength for the trip to Tottenham on Monday night. Kevin De Bruyne made his first start following his knee injury in the Champions League on Tuesday, where Kyle Walker was fit enough to make the bench after missing out against Burnley last weekend. Sergio Aguero was rested in midweek, meaning he is likely to come back into the XI at Wembley. Ahead of the game, Pep Guardiola has faced the press. Pleased with the past week? Sometimes there is a tendency - even among managers - that when we don’t win games it is put down to a lack of hunger. I think we need a more sophisticated analysis. It [hunger] has never been a problem. All the players want to play well and be ready, be part of the team. We are lucky, we’ve got a deep squad with huge quality and everyone knows when they have time to play they play well. If it doesn’t happen other players are ready to play. It’s so important, especially in the Champions League, because in that period when you make one or two misses you can not qualify for the next round. The first stage of the season the Champions League is so important. After dropping points against Lyon, going 1-0 down in the first minute against Hoffenheim, the situation was critical. But we’ve reacted well. Especially in the last game against Shakhtar. We were good and played at a high level. We are now in a position where it’s in our hands. Anything can happen in that competition. Now it’s time to focus on the Premier League. There are four or five teams all together with at least two points and everything can happen. Post World Cup fatigue? We try to do our best. Doing the same maybe we could have ten players injured. We have an incredible medical department. We were the best in that respect last season. If you can keep the players fit then the medical department is a great investment. We try to do our best. Always when we do in that way and it works, it’s because we are a genius or how good the medical staff are. But doing the same thing maybe we could have ten players injured. Sometimes the consequence of your actions, you never know. I have to admit, we have an incredible medical department and incredible physics. Last season we were the best with the fewest injuries and I think that is the most important department because to keep the players fit is the most valuable investment or the cheaper investment for the club. To pay the players’ salaries when they cannot play is more expensive. That’s why the department is so important. This season except for the little muscular injury for Gundogan we have been ok. Pitch at Wembley It is what it is. I’m pretty sure Tottenham have a good greenkeeper. It is what it is. Hopefully Tottenham can finish their stadium as quickly as possible. It’s not necessary to complain about it. We’ve got to adapt, quickly, and try to figure out - with the pitch not being in perfect condition - how to adapt. We have to play in that way. Does the pitch impact on your player selection, Kevin De Bruyne? No. When you have full focus on what you have to do, you avoid the injuries. Normally the injuries happen when you are not 100% focused. When you take care of yourself properly and you are focused even when the pitch is not in perfect condition you have to be more ready than ever. It is what it is. We’re going to take a decision on the best line-up so we shall see. Competition for places It’s always a problem. It’s always a problem because I’m unfair. Guys are not going to play when they deserve to play. It’s always like this. I’ve said many times when they play or train in a bad way, they are out of the selection. But they always train well, they try to do their best and when that happens it’s enough for me and the staff. It knows it will be tough, I will be unfair, I’m pretty sure of that. Three or four days ago when we played against Donetsk it was unfair for many players who deserved to play. How do you keep everyone happy? Firstly, they are professional and second of all they upset when they are not selected, during the game they are not happy, after the game they are not happy. But when they come back in the training session they have to be happy. There is no other solution. They are professional, they know what it is. The only way to play again is to convince their teammates that it’s the most important thing because if they make bad faces or have bad moods or show how disappointed they are, they will have a big problem because they are not going to play. I understand completely, but the next day we come back to a training session because the next game is here immediately and they can convince me of who they are, which is amazing professionals. Could drop out of top four with defeat against Spurs - shows the level of competition? It’s always tough. In my first season here it was tough. I didn’t expect more than that. Nothing is going to change the opinion of my team. We are going to focus to try and win the game and give a good performance, knowing the quality of the Spurs side. But it’s not going to finish anything. After that, there is Fulham, Southampton, Shakhtar, United and the week after that the guy who is in front of you is going to have one week off. Five horse race for the title now? I don’t have a doubt about that. It’s just a two-point difference between four, five, six teams so it means they are so strong. You see the line-up, the first XI from Tottenham Hotspur. The last four, five, six years, Tottenham have always been there. Of course they cannot invest in players because they are building an incredible stadium. People say it’s a lot of money and they don’t have more money to spend but they’re a top side. They were my first defeat here and I realised how strong they are. Last season we did really well in both games. The team have continued to be guided by a good manager with good players. Tottenham test When we saw the game against Inter Milan for example in the Champions League and the last game against PSV Eindhoven, they were not worse than the opponents. I would even say they were better. But again that competition is special. In the Premier League, the numbers are the numbers, the way they play is the way they play. It’s one of the teams I like to watch the most. I learn when I watch them. They have a lot of international players who form the basis of their national teams. They’re a young team, they have a good ‘keeper, they have a good striker, they have everything to be there. Do Tottenham require a different tactical approach? No. They’re one of them but they play with five at the back sometimes. They play in 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1 and sometimes play with a diamond. This season they started with a diamond so they can use it and change it again. But at the end the quality remains. Do they make you change your tactics mid-game? A little bit, yes. When you know exactly the team is always doing the same so it’s easier to control it. But they change during the game and sometimes [Christian] Eriksen plays on the right, in the middle, on the left. Sometimes they play Son, Deli Alli so of course, they can change it, they go from four at the back to five. Then the way you attack, the way you defend, changes. We have to be prepared for that. In a tactical way they’re really well prepared. El Clásico this weekend First time neither Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo have played in El Clásico in 11 years. Cristiano is gone but Messi is not there because he is injured. But I don’t think he’s going to leave or retire soon, hopefully. He’s going to come back for the next derby. He was unlucky because he’s a guy who plays a lot of games and is never injured because he’s so strong. Sooner or later it’s going to happen but Barca-Madrid, Madrid-Barca is always the game of the week in Europe and it will be interesting to watch it.

Barcelona coach Valverde held clear-the-air Vidal talks