One down, 37 to go. Obviously a home victory against a newly promoted side is not exactly a guarantee of future dominance, but given how difficult everything was for Tottenham Hotspur last season, the opening weekend was refreshingly convincing. I suppose not everything was a loss for Spurs domestically in 2024/25, as one (hilarious) tradition continued on.
That is, of course, the club’s inexplicable success against Manchester City. Despite Pep Guardiola’s ridiculous squad, Spurs are 6-2-4 against them in the past six league seasons. Form seems to matter very little when these sides meet, though City was arguably the most impressive club to kick off the year, thoroughly dismantling Wolves. It might be another new Tottenham manager, but Thomas Frank must carry on the torch.
Match Details
Date: Saturday, August 23
Time: 7:30 am ET, 12:30 pm UK
Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
TV: USA Network (US), TNT Sports 1 (UK)
Table: City (t-1st, 3 pts), Tottenham (t-1st, 3 pts)
So yes, there are plenty of fun moments to choose from. Relevant to Saturday, three of the last four trips to the Etihad have been ones to remember. In 2021/22 it was Harry Kane putting on one of the greatest Premier League performances ever. Two years later, Dejan Kulusevski equalized in the 90th minute to cap off an amazing back-and-forth. Meanwhile, last season’s fixture was arguably Spurs best domestically, a 4-0 drubbing behind a James Maddison first-half brace.
Three Big Questions
Will Frank deploy another back three? Frank’s two real matches in charge have featured two disparate lineups, largely due to opposition. Against Burnley, Tottenham used a 4-2-3-1 formation that felt like it could be the squad’s default this season. However, the Super Cup set up in a 5-3-2 to protect against PSG’s lethal attack, and it pretty much did the job (emphasis on pretty much).
Given City’s attackers and Frank’s willingness to be versatile, another back three feels like the direction this Saturday. Kevin Danso is proving to be a reliable centerback, and his inclusion gives Spurs the long-throw option, as well as another body to use in set pieces, which is how they scored against PSG. Seeing how the manager chooses to play against this type of opponent will be very telling for the upcoming Champions League campaign.
Can City overcome its Spurs curse? Wolves are relegation candidates, but City looked fully operational last weekend. Guardiola’s side dominated 4-0, with Erling Haaland starting off the season with a brace and Tijjani Reijnders debuting with a goal and an assist. As always, this is an opponent with no shortage of ways to cause harm, and all logic points to the home side scoring multiple times in this one.
Yet, logic has no role here. Every time these teams meet, it seems like City should run away with it, yet somehow Tottenham finds a way to defy the odds each time. Maybe a pragmatic manager will finally break this fortune, or maybe it will actually be the type of performance where Spurs just go and outplay City at the Etihad. This looks to be strength-on-strength and there should be plenty of chances for the visitors’ defense to prove it is capable of hanging with this attack.
Is playing for the counter too obvious? It was time for Heung-Min Son to leave, but this is probably the fixture where his absence will be felt most. Counterattacking is still the best approach against City’s high line, but Spurs will be without their greatest weapon in this regard. There are certainly some speedsters remaining, though none offer the combination of pace and ruthless finishing like prime Son.
This might be the choice that really tests Frank. Should he go with the aforementioned back three, the combination of Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison is not exactly the pinnacle of sprinting on the break. Neither can really be taken out of the lineup, especially given their excellent performance against Burnley, but one has to wonder if Brennan Johnson needs a spot in the starting XI as the classic outlet; otherwise, it will be up to the fullbacks to take advantage on the break.