LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham are a bigger club than Manchester City but he suggested that Saturday's opponents are better-placed to win trophies in the near future.
Tottenham can move six points clear of Pep Guardiola's City and surely end their title hopes with a win at the Etihad Stadium. The two clubs go into the match in very different moods, with Spurs seeking a club-record seventh straight Premier League win and City still reeling from a 4-0 defeat at Everton last time out.
Spurs beat City 2-0 at White Hart Lane in October and the managers met 10 times in Spain when Pochettino was manager of Espanyol and Guardiola coached city rivals Barcelona.
Pochettino knows the gap between their teams is closer now but he does not doubt Guardiola's pedigree, and says it is only a matter of time before City win trophies.
"[In Spain] the gap was massive, massive. Now, historically Tottenham is bigger than Manchester City. The fans are bigger at Tottenham," Pochettino said.
"You can compare in Spain. Between Espanyol and Barcelona, you can measure the gap. Here, it's too difficult to measure the gap. It's a completely different world.
"He won 21 titles and still me [without one]! You cannot compare me with him," Pochettino continued. "We arrived [in England] in a completely different periods at different clubs, with different cultures and expectations.
"For me, it means nothing to see City lose to Everton. It doesn't change my admiration or thoughts about him. In football, you can win or lose. It's a game. But I think in the process that Man City is in now, he only needs time.
"They can still they can win titles. It's about waiting. He doesn't need to show his real quality as a coach. He's shown enough at Barcelona or Bayern Munich. You cannot win titles after a few months, you need to wait until the end. Be sure that, at the end, Guardiola will fight with Manchester City for big things."
Pochettino's Tottenham challenged Leicester for the Premier League title last season, only to collapse and finish third, but the Argentine was less bullish about his own side's chances of winning trophies.
"We cannot go in advance of the time. We are very young. The squad is very young. I am very young too," he said. "But I am here to help the club achieve big things. We're in a process of building a new stadium. We have an unbelievable squad of players who feel Tottenham. We only need time, patience. Our objective is to win titles and put the club on the level it deserves."
Spurs have never looked better under Pochettino than on their current winning streak but the manager warned against complacency and said his side were still striving for perfection.
"It's true we're in a very good moment and playing well. But in football, tomorrow it can change if you don't keep working hard and be conscious that every day is a moment to improve," he said.
"One thing is important: we're never happy with our performance. It was 4-0 against West Brom but we always find something to improve because we need this or that. We always find a solution and ways to improve. You will never arrive at perfection but you need to try to be perfect. That is impossible."