Tottenham's perfect Premier League start continues and they have Thomas Frank to thank
For the second straight year Tottenham triumphed at the Etihad, beating Manchester City 2-0 with a composed and clinical performance to end City's 10-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League.
Spurs are only the second side to win away to a Pep Guardiola-managed team in back-to-back seasons. And this one was far too easily achieved.
City fans will have left the Etihad on Saturday with more questions than answers after a performance that was the complete antithesis of last weekend's win over Wolves.
Creative, fluid patterns that led to goal-scoring opportunities were replaced by unimaginative, misplaced passes, that resulted in very little positive. City underwhelmed for the majority, but you have to wonder how much of that underperformance was down to Spurs' organised and aggressive gameplan.
From the first time James Trafford was offered the ball in open play, it was evident that Thomas Frank had directed his players to rush the City box. Richarlison nearly nicked the ball off his toe in the ninth minute of the game. They swarmed in packs and never let City settle, eventually forcing the mistake for Joao Palhinha to score a well-timed second goal. City had no response.
The visitors were content conceding possession, but hit City where it hurt, with more efforts at goal and a greater number of shots on target. Each of the two big chances they created ended in a goal. The two Man City generated ended in a miss.
Man City 0-2 Tottenham - Match report and ratings
City were being confronted by a team who looked more confident and assured in their specific roles, like they had played this way for years. Like it came naturally.
Cristian Romero did a number on Erling Haaland. Palhinha, who won more duels than any other player, and Rodrigo Bentancur were more assertive than Tijjani Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez in midfield. Mohammed Kudus more direct in attack.
"I have a feeling the performance was a little bit better than the result," reflected Guardiola, generously. His reading of the game will be incompatible with most others.
Saturday's result was not only a statement victory for the Frank regime, but a triumph of managerial style.
Having also won with Brentford in November 2022, Frank becomes only the third manager to beat Guardiola away from home with two different clubs. There's no coincidence in that. "I definitely believe in the aggressive press, as you saw today, and as you saw with my Brentford team.
"I believe in being front-footed. I like that mentality, it's a more offensive way of defending. It's more fun to defend on the opponents' half. So, yeah, let's go for it."
Spurs may have started the campaign under the highly Spursy contradiction of having endured their worst domestic season for nearly 50 years, while simultaneously landing a first trophy since 2008, but Frank is out to change perceptions for good.
"We have been working so hard on our defensive principles. Mentality is the key thing - you need mentality to win games like this," he added post-match.
Tottenham have long been mocked for an absence of big-game mindset. The term Spursy is rooted in that all-too-familiar shortcoming, evident just three weeks ago in Super Cup defeat to PSG after blowing a 2-0 lead.
But they have passed the real acid test with flying colours in these opening two weeks, with Frank's fingerprint also all over the 3-0 downing of Burnley.
Even failed pursuits to sign a No 10 - losing out on Eberechi Eze to Arsenal just this week - have not derailed focus. Spurs' creative side has shone, scoring five times, while registering two clean sheets.
Six points and a goal difference of +5 represents their best start to a league season. A small sample size, yes, but a big change in identity and fortitude. The question now will be: how long can it last?
