Manchester City are 6 points off the top of the Premier League table. They've lost 5 points across 2 games against Tottenham Hotspur, who sit in 14th.Â
The first time the two sides met, the season was a week old. The Spursâ defense kept a potentially lethal City attack in check. The team was aggressive in their press in the final third, with Micky Van der Ven going deep into City territory to press Cherki at times. At other points, it was Djed Spence who pushed higher up. The combination of an effective and dynamic press and recovering defensive plays led to an eventual clean sheet.
On the other end, the press directly contributed to the Spursâ second goal as the forwards forced James Trafford into a fatal flaw. There were also encouraging signs from the wide areas of attack, with a combination between Pedro Porro, Richarlison, and Brennan Johnson leading to the opening goal on the counter.
Tottenham and Man City are polar opposites
Five months after the 2-0 Spurs win, things were quite different for the two sides heading into their second game of the season. Manchester City were in second place in the Premier League with plenty of additions from the side that was beaten at the Etihad. Gianluigi Donnarumma was in goal, Marc Guehi had been bought from Crystal Palace, and Antoine Semenyo had been signed from Bournemouth. They were still spearheaded by the Leagueâs talismanic top-scorer, Erling Haaland.
Spurs ranked last in through balls completed and had one of the worst xG records while trailing in the league, thanks to their unimaginative attack. While the defense had improved from the previous season, they still had an unimpressive record and were routinely torn apart from the middle of the field as their press fell apart. When the press wasnât the issue, it was often self-destructive offensive errors contributing directly to goals. Spurs rank as the worst team in terms of losing possession in âDangerous areasâ this season.
When Yves Bisousma lost the ball in the leadup to the first City goal with Spursâ dysfunctional attack and Cityâs relentless press allowing almost six Blue shirts to pressure the defensive midfielder, it looked like this could be a sign of things to come. Spurs looked completely outmatched in a 3-4-3 system with the midfield looking non-existent after City were constantly able to bypass the Spursâ attacking press.
In attack, Spurs resorted to low-percentage long-balls and crosses with players often isolated and no opportunities to win second balls. Already hampered by injuries to various key players against a quality team, Spurs made things worse for themselves when Radu Dragusinâs misguided clearance initiated a City attack for their second goal.
With a 2-0 halftime lead to the away side, the result looked like a foregone conclusion. In the second half, Spurs managed to produce one of the most inspired displays of football from the entire season. Christian Romero was replaced by Pape Sarr and Spurs shifted to a four at the back system, with a noticeably narrower build-up.
The versatility and energy of Sarr in the middle of the park combined with the tactical changes also enabled Conor Gallagher and Xavi Simons to pick up second balls, win duels and progress the ball among others. Spurs were also able to create overloads in wide areas through their full backs and wide attackers, also switching flanks to cause City problems.
For a team with the fewest through balls completed in the league, it was ironically a Xavi Simons throughball to Dominic Solanke that pulled one back for the hosts. The second goal was produced by brilliance from two players. Conor Gallagher relentlessly chased a loose ball and beat two City players to put in a cross in the box. The Solanke Finish that followed was one for the ages.Â
Itâs hard to take too much encouragement for the games that follow considering the season Spurs have had, but if nothing else, theyâve had a significant say in the title race this season.