Pep Guardiola has had a dig at Tottenham over the playing surface at Wembley as his Manchester City team prepare to face League Two outfit Newport County in the FA Cup.
Speaking at his media conference on Friday, as quoted by the BBC Sport live football blog (1.37pm), Guardiola admitted his side will have to “adapt” to the unique conditions at Rodney Parade.
The City manager pointed out how the much-used playing surface at the second oldest ground currently in use in the Football League will present a challenge, not unlike the one his side had to overcome at Wembley in late October.
“We have to adapt. We play in the Premier League against Tottenham and three days before there were two NFL Games,” Guardiola said, pointedly. “We have to accept it. It is what it is and that is it.
“We know it will be so tough. We take it seriously and we know how tough it will be.”
OPINION
Guardiola is not a man who tends to forget stuff. With his side preparing for the unique challenge of an FA Cup away clash at a stadium a world away from the Premier League and its shiny venues and billiard-style playing surfaces, the Spaniard has made everyone aware of how his side had to get down and dirty in north London in the autumn. Back when Tottenham were still hopeful of unveiling their new stadium before Christmas (how ludicrously optimistic that proved to be), they hosted City just a day after the Philadelphia Eagles faced the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley. It looked less like a football field and more like a gridiron with the markings, NFL logo and wear and tear of an American football match visible. City won that match 1-0, but it made for a less than edifying spectacle. Guardiola’s squad of gifted and pampered multi-millionaires will have never experienced anything like Rodney Parade, but they have showed great fortitude in recent seasons and the motivation and professionalism to avoid lower league banana skins. Spurs, it should not be forgotten, failed to win at the Welsh ground, as did Leicester City and Leeds United.