Get the biggest City stories, analysis and transfer window updates delivered straight to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Tony Pulis has defended Pep Guardiola's assertion that he does not coach his players how to tackle, saying he also does not work on that aspect of the game with his players.

The West Brom manager has built a career on coaching combative, physical teams, and he backed the Manchester City boss, who was dismissive of his side's failure to win any tackles during the first half of their 4-2 capitulation at Leicester on Saturday.

Guardiola was asked about his team's poor tackling and replied: “It’s typical here in England when they use a lot about the tackles. I’m not a coach for the tackles, so I don’t train the tackles.

“What I want is to try to play good, score goals, arrive more.

"What’s tackles? Yeah, you have to win the duels, yeah, that’s true, but normally when you play good you win a lot of tackles, but after four minutes 2-0 in the mind of the players they say, ‘Wow, what happened?’, it’s not easy for them.

“Yeah it’s another aspect of the football but we’re not going to win or lose for the tackles.”

That statement has seen Guardiola criticised in some quarters, but Pulis made it plain that tackling is a basic skill that you expect all players to have when they reach first team level.

“I'm not sure that was what Pep meant,” he said. “Every part of the game is an important part.

“You hope and pray that by the time they come to you that the academies, which we spend a hell of a lot of money on, will teach them all aspects of the game.

“I understand where he's coming from. He's a possession manager, a person that thrives on possession, and that's massive for him.

“He would concentrate more on controlling the ball and wanting to be the dominant team in possession more than anything else.

“Most probably it's been taken out of context in that respect.”