Tottenham unexpectedly has Manchester City beat in one key metric that allows for constant victories.
Tottenham dominated Manchester City in a 2-0 victory at the Etihad in the Premier League.
This takes their tally to five wins, one draw and four defeats against the Citizens in their last 10 confrontations.
Pep Guardiola is a UEFA Champions League winner. He has six Premier League wins since becoming head coach in 2016. But Tottenham seems to be his Kryptonite in the Premier League.
There are several reasons why the Lilywhites have dominated Man City in the top flight. But the biggest reason will come as a huge shock.
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Tottenham are greater and more consistent goal threat
Man City continue to dominate Tottenham in possession and touches during their confrontations. However, they have struggled to attack with purpose.
In Spurs’ last five wins, they have created 12 big chances against Guardiola’s side, scoring 11 goals. Meanwhile, the Citizens have created seven big chances, netting just twice.
Tottenham’s 4-0 win against Man City at the Etihad illustrates this point perfectly.
According to Stat Muse, with 58.4 per cent possession, the Blues took 23 shots and completed 566 passes. However, only five of those shots were on target, and they failed to convert all three big chances.
Comparatively, Tottenham took nine shots with 41.6 per cent possession. Seven of these were on target, and five big chances were created.
This statistic has been a constant these past couple of seasons:
For reference, the Citizens led the Premier League in goals scored during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, yet were rendered ineffective against Tottenham.
Man City’s defeat against Tottenham just goes to show that possession without purpose is meaningless in football.
Thomas Frank’s win aganist Manchester City challenges the narrative
Interestingly, Man City created more big chances, and four of their 10 shots were on target compared to Spurs’ 12 and five.
This marks a stark difference from most of Lilywhite’s recent wins against the Premier League-winning side. But this metric in fact demonstrates how Tottenham have evolved tactically under Thomas Frank.
Frank went with a back four against Man City, which came as a shock. However, in large parts, the Citizens were rendered ineffective because of how Tottenham defended and attacked the ball.
Frank initiated a high press against Man City, keen to take advantage of Ederson’s absence in the lineup. This is how Joao Palhinha’s goal for Spurs was created.
Pape Matar Sarr stole the ball from James Trafford, who is not as efficient with the ball at his feet. This man-to-man, relentless press caught Guardiola’s side off guard, which created more goalscoring opportunities for the Lilywhites.
Meanwhile, Frank was keen to exploit the space left behind by Man City. Tottenham’s players were always keen to get on the other end of a through ball.
This was seen when Sarr nodded the ball to Richarlison, who threaded it through to Brennan Johnson to score his second of the season. Sarr again made a run behind Man City’s defence to get onto the end of Richarlison’s pass – if he was an inch taller, Spurs would have hard their third.
So rather than the Citizens not taking or creating chances, Spurs’ hard-fought victory was won through their press, resilience and Frank’s incredible tactical mind.