Tottenham Hotspur take on Manchester City this weekend but how exactly does one go about beating Pep Guardiola’s side?
On the chalkboard
The two sides have met already this season and played out a dramatic 2-2 draw, with VAR intervening late on to rule out Gabriel Jesus’s winner.
However, Spurs have not beaten City in the Premier League since 2016, when an Aleksandar Kolarov own goal and a Dele Alli strike gave them a 2-0 win at White Hart Lane.
Their only victory, elsewhere, came in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Son Heung-Min’s goal proving decisive in a 1-0 win.
No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?
City, of course, are still attempting to chase down Liverpool and lie second in the Premier League, though they are 16 points behind Jurgen Klopp’s side.
This season, Pep Guardiola’s men have tasted defeat five times; last term, they lost just four games.
Per WhoScored, City usually dominate the ball in the top-flight. They average 61% possession, along with 19.9 shots per game, 7 of which are on target.
Defensively, they average 14 tackles per game and 9.2 interceptions, along with 10.2 fouls.
They are clearly very good at defending set plays, conceding just five goals from set-pieces, with 17 of their shipped goals coming from open play.
A total of 59% of the shots they face come from inside the box, suggesting some sort of paradoxical defensive flaw; they are good at defending dead balls but are seemingly incapable of preventing the opposition from making their way into their penalty area.
They are clearly strong down the flanks, however, conceding a total of 29% of shots from the wing and 71% through the middle.
Spurs, then, have the task of sending the ball down the centre and finding a way to pick the City lock.
Lo Celso’s time
Giovani Lo Celso was signed on a permanent basis earlier this week and one has to feel that he is vitally important to the gameplan Spurs will attempt to execute on Sunday.
He drew praise from manager Jose Mourinho after his performance against Southampton in the FA Cup last time out and he is exactly the type of gifted, creative playmaker that is necessary in situations like this.
He is a strong dribbler of the ball; against Norwich City in his last Premier League outing he registered five successful dribbles as well as four key passes, while he was also fouled once, per WhoScored.
This is an exceptional player who can cause a headache for even the tightest defence and this weekend, he will have to be at his best for Spurs to have any chance.
Christian Eriksen has departed for Inter Milan and the creative burden subsequently falls on the Argentine who could well be his direct replacement.
No pressure, then.
Meanwhile, sources have given Football FanCast the lowdown on Spurs’ striker hunt!
