'1,000 times more' - Man City boss Pep Guardiola gives insight into his motivational methods ahead of crunch Premier League meeting with Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham

Guardiola had been critical of his side's performance in midweek against RB Leipzig, despite City coming back from two goals down to win the game. He has since defended his comments, explaining that the praise he reserves for his players is far greater than any level of criticism he has levelled at his sides in his seven years in charge in Manchester.

It is no secret that Guardiola's expectations are extremely high. Yet, these standards have been integral in making his sides some of the best in history. He is aware that this City squad, in the hunt for their fourth-straight Premier League crown, cannot afford too many slip ups in the title race with Arsenal and Liverpool. Guardiola takes on the highly-praised Ange Postecoglou's Spurs for the first time, having faced the Australian once in a pre-season friendly against Yokohama.

Guardiola was adamant he is not too critical. He said: "In my period here, if you can say how many good things I’ve said to them publicly and privately, it’s 1,000 times more than the negative things.

"I’m honest and I felt it, so I said it. Maybe because we won, if we lost I wouldn't have said it. We won and people accepted it and that was my feeling in that moment.

"I said it because I felt it. It’s not copy and paste, it’s now we’re in November or December, I have to say something. I felt it and I said it."

Spurs have become a bit of a bogey team under Guardiola's stewardship. City have won eight, lost seven and drawn two of the games against the north Londoners, a pretty mediocre record for his own high standards.