Pep Guardiola hailed Lucas Bergvall ‘unstoppable’ despite Manchester City’s narrow 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. In a match that saw Spurs withstand a first-half barrage, only conceding once to Erling Haaland’s early goal, they turned the tables in the second half, putting City under immense pressure.
Guardiola, impressed by Spurs’ performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, singled out Bergvall for special praise. When asked what he said to Spurs full-back Djed Spence at full-time, he explained: “Why you run too much? Should be more calm so the impact… [Destiny] Udogie is quite similar.
“The pace of this team? Pfft, it is difficult. Maybe Liverpool [are better], but Bergvall, every time he has the ball and run, unstoppable. Spence and Pedro Porro, Udogie, [Dejan] Kulusevski, Son [Heung-min], an incredible physical team with a clear idea to play.
“They play really good and they play without [Cristian] Romero and [Micky] Van de Ven, two of maybe the best central defenders in the league. The game, it was open second half because we didn’t close the first.”
Despite being only 19, Bergvall has been a shining light in a struggling Spurs team since his £8.5million move from Djurgarden last summer. The central midfielder has made 20 appearances under Ange Postecoglou in the Premier League and has also been a formidable force in Europe, reports the Mirror. He has played eight Europa League games this season, providing three vital assists as the north London club aims to secure some silverware by the end of the campaign.
With the Premier League title out of reach and Spurs exiting both domestic cups, Europe is their only hope. Tottenham are set to face AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie on March 6. Meanwhile, in the Premier League, they have struggled throughout the 2024/25 season, currently sitting 12th with 10 wins, three draws and 14 losses.
They are 13 points behind fifth-placed Chelsea and 14 points adrift of Manchester City, who are in line for Champions League qualification once more. Injury woes have plagued Spurs this season, with Romero, Van de Ven, Richarlison, Dominic Solanke and Radu Dragusin all currently out of action.
Manchester City, under the guidance of six-time Premier League title-winner Guardiola, have had a less-than-stellar season compared to their usual standards. Despite recent improvements in results, earlier inconsistent performances leave them trailing 20 points behind league leaders Liverpool with just 11 games remaining.
The Citizens also had a shaky run in Europe, barely making it into the knockout phase of the Champions League after finishing 22nd in the new league format, only to be beaten 6-3 by Real Madrid on aggregate in the round of 16 qualifiers.
