Tottenham Hotspur travel away to Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime in the aftermath of what has been a disappointing week in the transfer window.
Eberechi Eze is joining Arsenal, despite Spurs having had a deal agreed to bring him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Thomas Frank’s team will now need to dust themselves down and get ready for what will be a tough match against Manchester City.
The Lilywhites produced an impressive first win of the Premier League season as they defeated Burnley 3-0, meanwhile, City were 4-0 winners away at Wolves.
Looking ahead to the clash at the Etihad Stadium, we have spoken to TBR Football’s resident Manchester City expert, Srinivas Sadhanand, to get his thoughts on how the game might play out.
Mohammed Kudus is Tottenham’s most feared player ‘by a country mile’
Mohammed Kudus is Tottenham’s most feared player ‘by a country mile’, the Manchester City journalist tells TBR Football.
Kudus really impressed against Burnley on his Premier League debut for Spurs, as he set up Richarlison’s brace against the Clarets.
Sadhanand admitted: “Kudus is number one by a country mile. With City struggling to defend against transitions, coming up against one of the Premier League’s best ball-carriers could be an arduous task.
“Ait-Nouri will have a big job on his hands to keep Kudus quiet as even last week, he showed how dangerous he can be in 1v1 situations.
“Brennan Johnson is another one who could cause City problems with his smart movement and finishing. With City playing a high line, Johnson could thrive if he runs in behind their defence.
“Micky van de Ven is another one who could be crucial for Spurs as he allows them to play a high line and the Dutchman’s incredible pace and ability to defend out wide and in central areas could potentially extinguish City’s attempts to break Spurs down if he has the game of his life and the hosts’ attackers are not at the races. “
Thomas Frank tipped ‘to do well’ at Tottenham
Sadhanand is backing Frank to succeed in N17 and believes that there aren’t many managers who are more adaptable tacticians than the Dane
The 51-year-old’s ability to switch up his system has been highlighted in his first two competitive matches against PSG and Burnley.
In the UEFA Super Cup, Spurs played with a back-five and defended very well, but in their Premier League opener, they dominated the ball and played on the front foot.
Speaking about Spurs’ new coach, the Man City expert said: “Thomas Frank is a brilliant manager. In my opinion, there are not many more adaptable tacticians in the Premier League and I expect him to do well at Spurs.
“As far as the game is concerned, his Brentford teams were always very direct, physical and devastating on the break.
“These three aspects have hurt City in the past 12 months and in some ways, a win against Frank’s Tottenham side would well and truly reflect whether Pep Guardiola’s side are taking steps in the right direction.”
Tijjani Reijnders is good, but Erling Haaland remains Man City’s main man
Tijjani Reijnders enjoyed an impressive debut against Wolves as he scored and assisted during his first game in English football.
But the man to watch for Manchester City remains Erling Haaland, and the Norwegian could try to expose Tottenham’s high line.
“It’s a boring answer, but I’m going to go for Erling Haaland. Haaland is a one-man counter-attack and up against Spurs’ high line, he could do some serious damage,” admitted Sadhanand.
“Taking into account that Pep admitted after the Wolves game that City will play on the break more often this season, City could wreak havoc if they are more direct and fizz balls in behind Tottenham’s defence into Haaland on Saturday.
Burnley highlighted Thomas Frank still has work to do on Tottenham’s defence
There remains a belief that, despite PSG’s struggles, Burnley showed that there is still joy to be had against Tottenham’s defence.
The Clarets still managed to cause Spurs plenty of concerns at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, despite the scoreline suggesting otherwise.
Finally, Sadhanand added: “I’d say that in the first half against Burnley, Spurs still had their fair share of defensive worries and Burnley’s lack of goals were a qualitative issue. So, I wouldn’t necessarily say that Spurs are tough to break down yet.
“However, yet is the operative word and Thomas Frank has shown that he can coach a defence with aplomb. Also, City could do a better job of breaking mid and low blocks down this season with the additions of Cherki, who is one of Europe’s best creators and Reijnders, due to how excellent his movement is.
“Ait-Nouri’s crossing and quick feet could also make City more of a threat in the final third this season. I’m not taking Spurs lightly whatsoever but I do stress that it is too early to judge this Tottenham side, both positively and negatively.”
After Saturday’s clash, the future of Savinho is likely to remain a hot topic for discussion, with two clubs remaining in contact over the Brazilian.