cityxtra.co.uk

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were handed a deflating 0-2 defeat by Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur upon their return to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The home side started relatively positively, with the only issue in the early stages being the fact that Rayan Ait-Nouri was forced off due to injury with less than 25 minutes gone.

City were progressing the ball well but struggling to create anything of any real substance despite all the attacking flair on the pitch. The Blues did, however, start the brighter of the two sides, as the front-three looked energetic in the early stages, in particular Omar Marmoush.

The Egyptian had two presentable chances; in the first-half, the first came in the 10th minute after a defensive mishap by former loanee away from Manchester City in Pedro Porro, who fired a loose back pass to Vicario, which Marmoush hastily latched on to. However, the angle was incredibly tight, and the Blues’ No.7 saw his shot creep past the post.

The second effort came just before the half-hour mark following a marauding run from Erling Haaland charging through several Spurs players and slotting through a perfectly weighted ball for Marmoush, who was superbly denied by Vicario.

Unfortunately for the home side, that is largely where the positives ended, as old issues reared their ugly head for Pep Guardiola’s men. With 10 minutes plus stoppage time remaining before the interval, City were undone far too easily as Vicario launched a long ball headed on by Pape Matar Sarr to Richarlison, who squared the ball to Brennan Johnson for the Welshman to fire home. Three passes from back to front and the home side trailed via a first shot on target – a far too familiar feeling.

The situation went from bad to worse in stoppage time as a calamitous error from home debutant James Trafford put Nico in a dire position, leading to the Spaniard seeing a pass to him intercepted before João Paulinha tucked the ball into an empty net. With pretty much the last kick of the first 45, a golden opportunity to pull one back fell to Erling Haaland who placed a header over the bar from four yards.

After the break, a reaction was – you would think – compulsory for Manchester City. However, this was not the case. The home side offered little to nothing in attacking areas in the second period, completely nullified by the unbreakable defensive shape of those from North London.

Even after the substitutions, those in sky blue struggled in regard to attacking strategy and, despite having the majority of the ball, did nothing with it. The game slowly drifted away, not for a lack of effort but because there was simply no way through this well-drilled Spurs side.

In the dying embers, James Trafford somewhat atoned for his earlier mistake, producing a brilliant double save to prevent Tottenham from adding another to the scoresheet and keep the score at 0-2. Not the ideal first home fixture for this reborn City by any stretch of the imagination.

Here are Five Things We Learned from Manchester City’s first loss of the 2025/2026 campaign!

New season, similar issues

The performance on Saturday was far too reminiscent of last season’s struggles in many ways. City are far too easy to break through, especially in behind their high line and due to their progressive passing philosophy, which – when it works – works amazingly, but creates plenty of issues as well.

Being this fragile defensively simply cannot continue if we wish to compete with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal for the title. Conceding goals is one thing, but in such a manner is when something has to change if City wish to be back on their pedestal of Champions. Admittedly, City were not helped by the error of their new No.1 but given his age and lack of experience in the top-flight, that is to be expected. However poor the error was, he does not deserve to be scapegoated for this performance and must be given time to integrate.

It is not just defensively where issues arose; when it came to the final third, even with the undeniable quality of the players on the pitch, those in sky blue looked at a loss in regard to creativity. Undoubtedly, Pep Guardiola will address this before the fixture at Brighton, but the lack of ideas was worrying, to say the least.

Credit where credit is due!

As much as City may be scrutinised, and rightfully so, you have to give Thomas Frank and his Tottenham team their flowers. They executed a game plan to perfection and played their opposition off the park. They were defensively sound, clinical and incredibly well organised.

Following yesterday’s game, Thomas Frank became only the third manager in history to defeat Pep Guardiola’s City in the Premier League at the Etihad with two different clubs. A true thorn in the side of the club, and the opening home fixture of this season was no different.

However, the home side did by and large play into the hands of their visitors; every hopeful long ball that came to nothing, every frustration-fuelled foul, and every time City took their time to build from the back suited Tottenham, enabling them to play at their pace and run the clock down. Exceptional game management, you must say but poor from the blues for making it that simple.

The right-back debacle

Rico Lewis is undeniably a great player technically and one of the best at operating in the infamous inverted full-back role, drifting inside to help out in the build-up.

But the problem that presents itself is the defensive aspects to his game. The CFA graduate, who is set to sign a five-year deal, really struggled and his lack of physical prowess was clearly visible as he was unable to handle the physicality and intensity of the game.

The blame cannot rest solely on him, however, as it must be remembered that Lewis – and Matheus Nunes – is not a conventional right back, so he will face adversity defensively. As well as this, although, he has featured in the first team for years he is still only 20 so will certainly develop and improve in years to come.

This issue does beg the question though: with eight days now remaining of the summer transfer window, will Hugo Viana and Pep Guardiola be content with having two natural midfielders as the right-back depth at the club? If not, they have to move quickly; if they do, this may be an area of weakness as the season progresses.

Rayan Ait-Nouri: Unfortunate

For Rayan Ait-Nouri to pick up an injury on his home debut and in just his second Premier League appearance after joining the club from Wolves is unfortunate to say the very least.

Since he deputised in blue during the Club World Cup in the United States, the Algerian has looked like a breath of fresh air down the left, offering quality in the final third and defensively, and the improvement in fluidity after adding a natural left back has been clear.

The injury appeared to be in association with his ankle, and whilst the extent is not yet known, the absence of the club’s only conventional full-back after such a positive start is a huge blow for the start of the campaign, and the sooner he can return, the better.

It’s still early days

Yes, the performance was poor, and there were some glaring issues, but fans have a history of being very reactionary. It’s the second game of 38, four players made their home debut. It’s not going to click instantaneously; give these players and this coaching staff time.

A lot of the players who took part were not the finished article by any stretch. Statistically the average age of City’s starting XI was 24 years and 326 days; the youngest for a league match since October 2010. This is exciting, but these players will be raw and need to be given time to develop before they are judged.

So, to summarise, City were outplayed, and problems need to be addressed, but given the fact the transfer window is still open, as well as the fact that there are so many changes ongoing at the club already, be patient and trust this group as City fans have for so many years previously.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted that the club will assess the transfer market in the final week of the window after a disappointing 2-0 loss to Tottenham.

A lacklustre display, reminiscent of the City side from the 2024-25 campaign, saw Guardiola’s men suffer their first defeat of the Premier League season as goals from Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha secured all three points for Thomas Frank and co in Manchester.

City made a bright start to their first home fixture of the 2025-26 campaign as presentable chances fell to Omar Marmoush and man-of-the-moment Tijjani Reijnders but the Blues lacked their usual cutting edge in the final third.

At the other end, Spurs executed their clinical gameplan to absolute perfection as the UEFA Europa League champions defended resolutely and capitalised on a meagre Manchester City showing in defence with two first-half goals, which could and likely should have been thwarted by the hosts.

City’s defensive issues from the recent campaign are well documented and despite their business in the summer transfer window, centre-back is an area the club have not strengthened, a decision that could come back and haunt the board deeper into the season.

January signing Vitor Reis has been sent on loan to Girona, with John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake all returning from injury in recent months to give Guardiola a wide range of options in central defence.

However, it was all too easy for Tottenham against City at the Etihad Stadium and after a major revamp of Guardiola’s midfield and goalkeeping departments, sporting director Hugo Viana – who was in attendance on Saturday – will take some food for thought from the defeat.

City have a week to complete any last-minute acquisitions and with left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri hauled off just after 20 minutes against Tottenham, the board will be left with a familiar feeling regarding their vulnerable backline ahead of the September 1 transfer deadline.

Asked if City could make any further signings before the window shuts following Saturday’s result, Guardiola told TNT Sports: “We will see. We have a long week, with the club we’ll talk, with the players and agents, and we’ll see.”

The extent of Ait-Nouri’s ankle issue remains unknown, with Guardiola yet to discover a timeframe on when he can expect the 24-year-old left back to return to training and subsequently to the pitch. “I don’t know. I didn’t speak with the doctors yet,” the City manager added on his £31 million signing from Wolves.

Guardiola admitted that City could pounce on any openings in the transfer market but did instil a sense of faith in his current group, who have witnessed plenty of incomings and outgoings this summer and will take time to gel together.

“I know what we’re working (on), what the players are doing, the many good things I have, of course we have to improve, but I said the same after Wolves. And step by step, until we make the click and make the good connections for many things that are still new. Now rest seven days and prepare for the last game before the international break,” Guardiola said.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has explained his side’s lacklustre performance in a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

First-half strikes from Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha gave Thomas Frank’s men a comfortable win as City lacked a genuine threat going forward and were the architects of their own downfall in defence.

A slip from John Stones whilst marking Richarlison helped the Brazilian set up Johnson for the opener, which was initially ruled out for an offside against Richarlison in the build-up but overturned following a VAR review.

James Trafford made his first senior home appearance for Manchester City after keeping a clean sheet against Wolves week, but the 22-year-old summer signing from Burnley was at fault for the second goal as he put Nico under pressure and Tottenham pounced to give themselves a two-goal cushion as a result.

Speaking to TNT Sports to reflect on his side’s performance, Guardiola said: “I had the feeling that it was a little better than the result. We started well, conceded, but in simple things with the ball we lost, and with the top quality they (Tottenham) have.

“Individually, simple things with the ball we missed, and that’s why they could transition. After they scored at the end of the first-half, it was difficult.”

City made a bright start to their second Premier League game of the campaign and despite the likes of Omar Marmoush, Tijjani Reijnders and Erling Haaland all being presented with clear-cut goalscoring opportunities in the first half, the hosts failed to find the back of the net.

“We needed one goal and had chances, the penalty not given for Oscar (Bobb), chances for Erling (Haaland) and Rayan (Cherki) – we had chances,” Guardiola added.

Whilst City failed to impress, Tottenham executed their gameplan to absolute perfection and Guardiola hailed Thomas Frank and his side for their stellar showing in defence and when breaking on the counter.

“We didn’t read much too well, man-marking and pressing because Thomas (Frank) does it, it happens and we had to attract and play a different way,” Guardiola said.

“But in the final third we were really good, controlled transitions. The result is not good but we’ll learn from that.”

A trip to the Amex Stadium awaits Guardiola and co next weekend and with just over a week remaining in the summer transfer window, the performance against Tottenham is likely to have left Manchester City’s director of football Hugo Viana with some food for thought.

Manchester City endured a first home match of the season to forget as they saw their promising Premier League start extinguished by a 0-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

It was a familiar feeling for Pep Guardiola as his side went into the break two behind despite Spurs only having had two chances, as Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha capitalised on defensive mistakes to snatch a lead for the visitors.

If they didn’t deserve to be losing at half-time, City corrected that injustice in the second period with a tepid display which more than warranted the defeat they ended up with, ending their winning start to the Premier League season at one game.

An open start saw both sides narrowly miss out on an opening goal inside ten minutes, with Pedro Porro lashing a half-volley into the side-netting before Omar Marmoush seized on a short back-pass to shoot from a tight angle, seeing his effort roll along the goal-line but ultimately spin out.

Marmoush was the big threat in the early exchanges and forced Guglielmo Vicario into the first save of the match from outside the box, but the Egyptian’s next opening should have resulted in the deadlock being broken, as Erling Haaland’s terrific drive and through-ball put his teammate clean through, but Vicario quickly advanced and spread himself to save.

Tottenham had been beginning to find more joy in beating the City press and launching attacks though, and with their first clear sight of goal they scored, Richarlison being proven onside by VAR and squaring for Brennan Johnson to fire through James Trafford and give his side the lead against the run of play.

The Blues were rattled and nearly conceded a second goal almost instantly, Ruben Dias heading short and needing Trafford to rush out and beat Mohammed Kudus to the ball, but the Englishman was badly at fault when the visitors did soon double their advantage, playing a hospital pass to Nico and only seeing his block on Richarlison fall for Palhinha to lash in.

It had become a horror half for Pep Guardiola’s men, and Haaland miscuing a headed chance from about four yards out on the stroke of the break compounded their misery.

Unfortunately for City, what hadn’t actually been that bad a first-half outside of the goals gave way to the kind of performance which deserved to be two goals down in the second; Richarlison had chances to add further Spurs goals before the hour mark, heading good opportunities over the bar.

City were growing desperate in their search for a goal but it simply wasn’t forthcoming, Bernardo Silva firing a free-kick into a dangerous area and a combination of Dias and the Spurs defender somehow guiding it wide instead of in.

Not even the returns off the bench of Phil Foden and Rodri from injury could spark a comeback for the Blues; the latter actually ha a presentable opportunity with his very first touch of the ball, but couldn’t direct his header from a corner either side of Vicario.

A positive week after Manchester City’s romping opening victory over Wolves has ended with the Blues being brought back down to earth with a bump – there’s still a lot of work to do to get this team back to the levels of the great City teams of yesteryear.

Here’s how we rated the players in Manchester City’s deflating defeat to Tottenham.

Starting XI

James Trafford – 4

Far from the home debut he would have been hoping for. Didn’t provide any of the security he did against Wolves at Molineux, and handed Spurs their second with a very poor pass. Two late saves at least showed a little more of what he can do.

Rico Lewis – 4.5

Rarely found the kind of space he thrived in last week, instead having to contend with a lot of attacking traffic down his side and struggling under heavy pressure on the ball.

John Stones – 6

Slipped in costly fashion to allow Richarlison in behind for the opener. Was City’s strongest defender otherwise though, being called upon to bail out his teammates on a few occasions.

Ruben Dias – 5.5

Grappled with Richarlison, winning more duels than he lost, but couldn’t recover to play the striker onside when he ran clear to set up Spurs’ first.

Rayan Ait-Nouri – 6

Seemed eager to contribute and snap into his defensive duties, although it was maybe this eagerness which led to the injury which forced him off early.

Nico Gonzalez – 6.5

Not at fault for the ease with which Spurs resisted City’s efforts, fighting and passing well in midfield.

Tijjani Reijnders – 5.5

Couldn’t exert the level of influence he had on his Premier League debut, showing heart but not making the best decisions on the rare occasions he found space in the attacking third.

Rayan Cherki – 5

Some promising signs for how influential and dangerous a presence he can be for City this year, but today it just didn’t come off. Withdrawn before the hour after it became clear his creative radar wasn’t quite on it.

Oscar Bobb – 5

Saw plenty of the ball but couldn’t make much of it. Won’t have experienced too much of the type of doubling-up defending he was subject to at the top level.

Erling Haaland – 6

Missed his one sight of goal, but had a rare day of being heavily involved in deeper play and doing good work around the box.

Omar Marmoush – 5.5

City’s biggest threat for the first half-hour, but his fortunes took a downward turn after he passed up some presentable shooting chances. Sacrificed with Cherki.

Substitutes

Nathan Ake – 6

Defended fairly well down his side, although couldn’t match the attacking threat which Ait-Nouri can provide.

Bernardo Silva – 4.5

A really bad substitute display in truth. Expected to provide control in the middle but was rarely capable of even keeping the ball.

Jeremy Doku – 6

Usual story – lots of running at his man, lots of crosses into shins.

Rodri – 5.5

Still some way off his level.

Phil Foden – 5.5

Not great set-piece delivery.

Rayan Ait-Nouri suffered an injury to his ankle and was hauled off for Nathan Ake in the first half of Manchester City’s clash against Tottenham on Saturday.

The Algeria international joined Manchester City from Wolves this summer and has been a welcome arrival to the Etihad Stadium, with Pep Guardiola signing a natural left-back after years of operating with makeshift names in the position.

City started their 2025-26 Premier League season in dominant fashion against Wolves last week, with Ait-Nouri playing 90 minutes and helping his new club keep a clean sheet in a 4-0 triumph against his former side at the Molineux Stadium.

Expectations were high for Ait-Nouri entering the season after a series of stellar displays from the 24-year-old at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States in June, with Guardiola naming the left-back in his starting XI against Tottenham on Saturday.

However, the Algerian suffered a blow to his ankle as a result of a challenge for the ball in the Tottenham half and despite his evident discomfort, the summer signing sought attention from Manchester City’s medical staff and attempted to walk off the issue.

Despite his willingness to carry on, Ait-Nouri signalled to the bench and Manchester City sent on Nathan Ake in place of their newest defensive addition, though the full extent of Ait-Nouri’s injury remains to be seen.

The first-half substitution came at a poor moment for Manchester City, who conceded twice after Ait-Nouri’s injury as Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha netted for Thomas Frank’s side to give the visitors a deserving 2-0 lead heading into the interval.

Omar Marmoush came closest to finding the net for Manchester City in the opening 45 minutes, with Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Oscar Bobb all trying to produce inspiring moments to slice open what had been a resolute Tottenham defence up until the interval.

Ait-Nouri appeared to be in significant discomfort as he walked off the pitch and this puts major doubts over the Manchester City man’s availability ahead of crucial Premier League meetings with Manchester United and Arsenal.

Ake is expected to retain his spot at left-back as Ait-Nouri recovers, with Josko Gvardiol deemed unfit for Tottenham as he himself recovers from injury, with Savinho, Mateo Kovacic and Marcus Bettinelli all excluded from the matchday squad to face the north Londoners.

Guardiola is expected to provide an update on Ait-Nouri’s injury after the game but a lengthy spell on the sidelines will come as a major blow for Manchester City, who are looking to challenge on all fronts this term and cannot afford significant absentees again this term.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued a major hint over which players could be subject to immediate exits from the Etihad Stadium this summer.

The Premier League giants remain at the centre of late transfer speculation, with several high-profile names facing uncertain futures heading into the final stretch of the ongoing summer transfer window.

Ederson, Jack Grealish, James McAtee, and Claudio Echeverri are among those to have featured in reports regarding departures throughout the summer, while Ilkay Gundogan and Manuel Akanji have been heavily linked with moves abroad more recently.

Gundogan’s situation has been one of the most closely monitored, with reports from Sky Germany and BILD indicating that the 34-year-old is giving serious thought to a move away, with interest in the Bundesliga, Serie A, and beyond.

Fabrizio Romano has also confirmed that teams in Saudi Arabia, the MLS, and Turkey are watching developments, though Galatasaray’s pursuit appears to have cooled for the time being.

Meanwhile, Akanji has also been at the centre of exit talk after Manchester City’s transfer valuation for him was met by Galatasaray, with the player now considering whether to continue at the Etihad Stadium or accept a fresh challenge elsewhere.

Now, as confirmed upon the release of official starting line-ups for Manchester City against Tottenham, manager Pep Guardiola has left out both Manuel Akanji and Ilkay Gundogan from his matchday squad at the Etihad Stadium.

Also absent owing to fitness and injury updates are Marcus Bettinelli, Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, and Savinho, with the latter heavily linked with transfer interest from Tottenham, and a fresh assault via a new and improved bid from the North London club expected soon.

For Guardiola, the decision to exclude both Gundogan and Akanji will only intensify speculation that the pair are edging closer to potential exits.

With only a handful of days remaining in the summer window, their absence could be interpreted as preparation for imminent transfer developments rather than purely tactical decisions.

If Gundogan were to leave, Manchester City would bid farewell to a player who captained the club during their treble-winning campaign, while Akanji’s departure would further alter Guardiola’s defensive options at a time when John Stones is working back to consistent fitness.

The looming question is whether Manchester City feel sufficiently covered by recent midfield reinforcements and defensive depth to sanction both deals.

With Tottenham pursuing Savinho and Galatasaray refusing to give up on their City targets, the closing stages of the transfer market promise to deliver further drama at the Etihad, and Pep Guardiola’s squad against Spurs may well be the clearest sign yet of what is to come.

Manchester City Starting XI vs Tottenham: Trafford; Lewis, Stones, Dias (C), Ait-Nouri; Nico, Reijnders, Cherki; Bobb, Haaland, Marmoush.

Talk surrounding Manchester City’s James McAtee has taken a fresh turn as one source has rejected the possibility of the England Under-21 star moving to North London.

Speculation has grown in recent weeks around the future of McAtee, with City open to a permanent sale of the attacking midfielder amid significant interest from clubs across Europe and the Premier League.

While the player is considered to have enormous potential, those within the Etihad Stadium hierarchy view a transfer away this summer as the most realistic next step in his development, with game time likely to be limited in Pep Guardiola’s existing set-up.

McAtee is likely to be the subject of offers that include clauses to protect City’s interests – namely buy-back options or sizeable sell-on percentages – and the club are also likely to seek a fee in excess of £40 million to part ways with the 22-year-old.

Interest from clubs in Germany has been present since the early weeks of the window, while Premier League sides including Nottingham Forest and Everton have also monitored the situation.

The Manchester City academy graduate spent two seasons on loan at Sheffield United in the Championship and Premier League, helping guide the team to automatic promotion in the former before returning into Pep Guardiola’s squad for last season.

Now, when asked whether there was any interest from Tottenham Hotspur in Manchester City’s James McAtee for the No.10 role in North London, reporter Paul O’Keefe rejected that as a possibility.

The development rules out one of the most widely speculated destinations for the player, amid ongoing attempts from Manchester City to find a suitable buyer that will guarantee regular first-team football and offer favourable financial terms to the Premier League giants.

Spurs had previously been linked with creative midfield reinforcements and were loosely associated with McAtee in early summer gossip columns, but that route now appears to be firmly off the table.

With Tottenham’s name dismissed from the equation, attention may now turn to clubs in the Bundesliga, with McAtee known to be admired by multiple sporting directors in Germany. Nottingham Forest also remain one to watch, having had an opening £25 million bid rejected.

City, for their part, will be keen to wrap up a resolution soon, as they continue to streamline their squad ahead of a new campaign that will again see Pep Guardiola balance Premier League and UEFA Champions League demands. McAtee’s preference remains unknown at this stage, but a decision on his next move may not be far off.