As expectedly, the title holder Manchester City are perched in second, just a place behind the rampant table-topper Chelsea. However, the fact numerically is that already in the wee hours of the season, they are five points behind from the West London club. Apart from the numerical, footballing-wise arguably they still look just half the goal-pumped beast that rocked the country last season.
A lot of the inconsistencies compared to last season’s swagger strangely comes from their home form, where over the last few seasons they’ve been irresistible, unstoppable there but has wavered a bit so far this season. After two recent successful travels to Hull and Aston Villa, post-international break, they have to strive for the same target, albeit in a contrasting place.
To sum it all up, it is to make the Etihad home sweet home again for the host.
On the opponent’s side, Spurs have had a dilemma not far off from City’s. At least, there’ll be a flash of smile to see themselves hovering above their arch-rivals Arsenal for two weeks as the international break whistled by but Spurs have so far looked a side with its pros and cons.
On the pros, at times, the Mauricio Pochettino’s Midas touch which made Southampton the dangerous underdogs on both fronts since his arrival to the country worked off attacking-wise like in the QPR game or defensively in the North London derby, but on the cons, not consistent enough.
Still, backing up the pros, they have accumulated good results away from the White Hart Lane, the highlight being their dogged display at the Emirates. Therefore, not only on the back of a home victory against high-flying Southampton two weeks ago but also a decent form away from home, they’ll sure come to Manchester with more optimism as well as revenge against a side they conceded eleven against.
So, will it be Man City rejuvenated with that welcoming three points, this time at the Etihad? Or can Spurs take revenge from last season’s 6-0 drubbing and turn it into another away game delight?
Season Review (So Far):
Manchester City:
On the pros, still at the wee hours of the season, they have already rocketed themselves into a very stable position to be in the title mix by being second on the table. Though, repeating from the introductory preview stated above, they stand five points adrift from Chelsea, which slightly indicates a City side who’s getting the job done result-wise but arguably, still some way short of reaching last season’s peak performance. One thing that creates a positive result-wise, but for the staunch footballing purist, unfairly, a slight negative.
Last season, it was a fun goalscoring nuclear war between Man City and Liverpool for the title. Similarly, both sides wowed the country with their explosive attacking capacity in one, blowing teams off the roof and two, outscoring the other teams in tighter matches.
However, Man City eventually won the shoot-out. Liverpool had the SAS to lift them into title contenders, but not a side as collective, experienced, and strong on both fronts as City’s. The football tactically was mesmerizingly expected from a purist, positive but on the other end, effective as well.
The core of strength particularly lies in their four to five-man midfield that combines elegance, quick pace and doggedness to win City matches. At first glance, through the center, the likes of Yaya Toure, David Silva and Samir Nasri are always a lovely sight with their feet, capable to not only use their quick wits in both their versatility in switching positions or roles during play and just their natural flair on the ball to maneuver themselves from danger and counter them into the opposition, but they also work collectively to produce the free-flowing football in not just the neat one-two passes left to right, but forwardly effective as well in drawing oppositions high up the pitch and carve open spaces for the likes of the opportunist Edin Dzeko and/or the mobile Sergio Aguero to clear-cut chances, one which marries elegance as well as sharpness.
The quick pace pretty much crystal clear with their classic wide-man like Jesus Navas providing dynamic threat from the flanks as well as alternative attacking options with him often drifting to the center as well as sending wicked crosses for the forwards with similar effect as the men in the center. Add to that, with him accompanied by the overlapping runs from full-backs Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandr Kolarov, experience from their maiden 2011-12 Premier League title season, they are a side with similar threat on the flanks.
Though, playing the crucial part of the jigsaw was Fernandinho, who gave a City defense apart from the steel of Vincent Kompany, were leaking goals at the start of the season, more protection with his dogged display as that deep-lying midfielder, stopping the river flow of the opponent’s passes and a lot of the times, the Brazilian initiated counter-attacks from these types of situation.
Not only the glorious attributes offensively and defensively from Man City midfield, but just that hunger to score goal in any situation that permits grants them the champion status. Once they get off to a 1-0 lead, the numbers would just go up to some delirious figure, even consistently scoring the fives and sixes, not only against the lesser likes but also strong oppositions like Arsenal and Tottenham for example. At times, Man City can be prone to leaking goals but just this attacking capability to make the game theirs before the whistle’s end far exceeds that.
While apart from Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge with 31 goals and 21 goals, Steven Gerrard were Liverpool’s third highest goalscorer with 13, 10 of which awesomely being penalties, Man City’s goalscorers are much more widespread. As expected from their forwards, both Aguero and Dzeko reached double figures with 16 and 17 goals each in the Premier League but they are less reliant on certain figures like what Liverpool had with the SAS. The freer role for Yaya Toure despite his more withdrawn position as tandem to Fernandinho helped the Ivorian produced the all-round package, physically strong, explosive pace, elegance on the ball and cutting edge in front of goal which strangely but real, made him City’s top goalscorer last season with 20 goals.
This time around, with their Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions, they were very quiet in the transfer window. Perhaps, the telling addition to City’s line-up would be the protracted transfer of Porto’s Eliquaim Mangala to not only strengthen al already solid defense, but with the bulk of competitions City are in, an additional option that could just fit seamlessly should chance permits.
This season, whilst they have had that rough one-month spell being winless on domestic as well as continental grounds, but it was less about the defensive performance, which apart from Mangala’s nightmare on the KC at Hull, has been fairly up for the fight. On the contrary, it was the attacking swagger that’s not essentially toothless, but aren’t yet at the free-flowing best they set last season. Yaya Toure has only appeared scarcely and looked half the 20-goal man of last season despite getting on the score sheet at Villa. Aguero have got off-the-mark, but there was always that ghost of another injury that could beset the Argentinian on the long-term. Silva has continued in patches some of the spark and flair, but the lack of collectivity attacking-wise this term doesn’t help quite a lot.
To one’s surprise, whilst it’s been smooth waves on their travels, the culprit behind them being five points off Chelsea was their home form at the Etihad, with only four points in three games and just a meager four goals scored, three conceded, it will be important that they take inspiration from encouraging away performances and instill that when playing at home. With such big gap to recover from the unstoppable Chelsea, the quicker they need to get their Etihad form sorted.
Tottenham Hotspurs:
In a rather similar twist of fate as City’s, Spurs have had a bit of wobbly, inconsistent early spell so far this season. In flashes, this is a side who has that capability to warm into the new gaffer Mauricio Pochettino’s high-pressure philosophy brought from Southampton, being at their entertaining best as they ruthlessly dismantled the lowly Queens Park Rangers in match-day two. Though, on one end, the devastating form which they were in when they unraveled QPR’s defense has been somewhat scarce in terms of consistency. However, to compare situations between the 2013/14 season and the 2014/15 season, safe to say the Spurs’ camp are in a happier term than the fractures and bust-ups that riddled their season a year back.
It’s not far-fetch that the root to Spurs’ recent misfortune began with the inevitable sale of their superstar Gareth Bale for the world-record 84 million pounds transfer to Spanish giants Real Madrid. The Welsh wizard was renowned in his stint with the North London club for being one amongst the torment to the Premier League’s finest defenses.
With his searing pace and physically built body, and combine that with such footballing attributes such as sensational technique and vision on the ball and the sharp eye for goal, he set the Premier League alight not only with his scene-stealing goalscoring form that continues to save Spurs from the blushes, but he architected Spurs attack as well, often drawing deep as a shadow midfielder to pick up balls himself and take defenders head-on himself. Simply, when it came the time to part ways with a player who had grown as a footballer into a man, a rising star for Spurs, it became Andre Villas-Boas’ toughest mission to reconfigure their style of play without it being marked Bale-centric.
So, in a busy summer of 2013, the Portuguese spent a good 84 million pounds plus transfer fees on seven new signings. At first glance, the names brought weren’t terrible, with established internationals like the Danish’ Christian Eriksen, with his great vision and passing range, plotted to fill that no. 10 void left by Luka Modric, Brazilian’s Paulinho to cover the defensive hole left by his fellow countryman, injury-ravaged Sandro, the likes of both the Belgian’s Nacer Chadli and Argentinian Erik Lamela with their searing pace from the flanks as well as respectable goal tally in each of their previous clubs, FC Twente and A.S. Roma respectively, plotted to create a new threatening flank pairings that worked with the Bale-Aaron Lennon combination and last but not least, Roberto Soldado, the big fish in a small pond with Valencia in La Liga, the kind of penalty box predator the club needs to bear the goalscoring burden carried alone last season by the Welshman.
If the Premier League were a game console, this side with the capability of a number of these seven players they have shown in previous clubs, should seamlessly finish in the Champions League spot or even further, compete for the title. Again, the Premier League is not fantasy football and for the whole 2013/14 season, the seven players have not precisely staked their claim on a daily basis in the Spurs’ eleven. Add to that, with the likes of Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood alienating players on the camp, it looked a team in friction rather than one ready for action.
Christian Eriksen had a fair, or to exaggerate, better maiden season with the Londoners than the other seven, at times showing the vision and passing range that made him a mainstay with Ajax Amsterdam, though he’s a bit too peripheral when Spurs are countered, particularly his pint-sized figure a victim of the Premier League’s physical demands.
Paulinho, tasked to sweep the ball off opponents like his predecessor Sandro, he established himself more as a goalscorer who had far too much joy going forward. In the end, it leaves far too big of spaces between midfield and defense, and left a defensive wall marshalled by Michael Dawson and new signing Vlad Chiriches pressured and so often caught off-guard playing the high defensive line, like in the Man City and Liverpool game last season. Funny to say, Hugo Lloris the goalkeeper deserved plaudits for keeping a rather crock defense credible with his fine displays on goal.
And to top it off, the width play, which had so often been where Spurs are at their threatening best with Bale and Lennon around, aren’t at the same seismic effect as both Chadli and Lamela were struggling for form last season. For starters, the duo weren’t exactly a mainstay in the Spurs’ eleven and to defend Chadli a bit, he was often tossed around positions under the stewardship of both Villas-Boas and Sherwood, playing in a no. 10 in one game and then having to be shifted to the wings the next, which possibly unsettled the Belgian and restrict him from the freer role which he thrived at Twente. On Lamela’s case with injuries besetting his adaptation period to the English game.
Though, Villas-Boas’ over-intricate tactic slightly deviated from Spurs’ style of play which would have suited the explosive capacity of the couple, which had always been the quick route one football started from width play, but when Tim Sherwood revert back to playing from the wide, they failed to recapture the successful form they had in the Netherlands and Italy respectively.
To compound the misery, Soldado’s form with Spurs being poor. Whilst the production from midfield can be considered scarce, the Spaniard himself at times, penalties aside, is the culprit of missing far too many goalscoring chances as well as being a passenger in games. Unsurprisingly, he was known as a predator in the penalty box with Valencia, so he fed off through balls and crosses, which Spurs had at times failed to deliver in daily basis.
Still, Spurs’ other striker Emmanuel Adebayor, somewhat a like-for-like to Soldado, was a rejuvenated figure for Tim Sherwood’s Spurs after being frozen by Villas-Boas, scoring 13 goals in just 24 appearances compared to the meager 11 Soldado managed in 37 appearances in all competitions. Add to that, Soldado’s profligacy made him fell even below the pecking orders of academy graduate Harry Kane, who scored a couple in a row in the later stages of the season.
To sum the strikers’ issue up, Soldado were given his chance but didn’t take it while Adebayor with the same set of players behind him took it with both hands.
This term though, it is still at the early dawns of the season, but the story so far has been the rebirth of a number of Spurs’ seven summer signings of a season ago. This summer, Spurs signed a couple more, most crucially to fill some of the potholes at the back-line left by Michael Dawson, with Eric Dier, the teenager who’s not only been a revelation as that rock in defense alongside skipper Younes Kaboul, but also on the goalscoring front.
Still, Spurs’ star players of the season attacking-wise have been Chadli, Lamela and Eriksen. With the first two names, it was a story of rejuvenation. Chadli, so often looked stranded when moved wide, becomes the shining star when given that second striker role just behind the likes of Adebayor or Kane, helping link up play between midfield and the strikers, and also, providing an extra attacking choice should Spurs come unstuck. At least, the Belgian’s goal tally of six goals in four games speaks a lot about his improvement in a freer role.
On Lamela’s case, tasked to inject the searing pace and incision from the width, he was at his sensational best against QPR, full of energy going forward, flamboyant on the ball but effective from the left as he laid the plate for his teammates to score. The road is still far for him to manifest Gareth Bale in owning that wide position in one grab, but with consistency, he could be a deadly asset from an area imperative to the flow of Spurs’ play.
And Eriksen just simply continues where he left off from last season. Albeit, this time, he is withdrawn by Mauricio Pochettino as a tandem to Paulinho tasked with double duties. The Dane as usual still showed class in a more deep-lying midfielder role, not as advanced going forward as a season ago, but his vision and passing range to carve open chances for his teammates are second to none.
Above all, this comes to the credit of Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentinian successfully transformed lowly Southampton into a consistently impressive team which bloods the hottest local talents in the country. Not only are Pochettino’s Southampton the free-flowing team with a bagful of youthful confidence and entertainment value on the attacking front, but they are also build to be hard to break defensively, the much-needed attributes to run the gaffer’s favored high-pressing game philosophy. So far, in Spurs, he has done a fair job in bringing harmony into a team fractured a season ago and it has shown with a fine teamwork display away to arch-rival Arsenal rewarded with a good away draw.
With that, the confidence within the Spurs camp will be in a high, particularly with their solid results on their travels. For Pochettino’s Spurs, it will be about to string up consistency throughout the season and he’ll need the goal-rich Nacer Chadli and his gang to impress against they did at the Emirates.
Starting Line-ups:
First Half:
Post-international break, changes in the starting eleven from a fortnight ago were rung by both gaffers Manuel Pellegrini and Mauricio Pochettino with Manchester City and Tottenham respectively.
Apart from some defensive reshuffle for the Citizens, with a rare start for ex-Arsenal full-back Bacary Sagna to fill in at right back in place of Pablo Zabaleta and the inclusion of veteran Martin Demichelis for the injured Eliquaim Mangala, the massive new filtering around the stadium is the omission of last season’s goalscoring-wise influential midfielder Yaya Toure, rested after the international exertion with the Ivory Coast. In place of the Ivorian, Frank Lampard, who’s been a frequent contributor on the goalscoring end in this loan spell from MLS side New York City FC.
On Spurs’ side, it’s a small alteration on the similar front, with the ex-Sevilla man Federico Fazio given the nod over the injured Jan Vertonghen at that center-back berth. Also, another rare start for the goal-shy Roberto Soldado in place of the unfit Emmanuel Adebayor to spearhead the attack.
Last season, Man City attacking-wise were in cruise control as they dismantled Spurs 6-0 at the Etihad. Tactically, it goes along in a similar way, with the home side having the bulk of possession and Spurs on the contrary sitting back at their own post, letting City roam with the ball solely in the less danger zone right at the center circle.
On the early exchange, the defensive-oriented plan of Pochettino’s worked well on Spurs’ favor. Unlike the high defensive line strategy that got them exposed ruthlessly last season, Spurs defended on sixes and sevens in their own penalty box, repelling everything City throw at them. Danny Rose and Eric Dier as full-backs spent a lot of the half camped inside their own half, doing more defensive duties as opposed to overlapping runs. In fact, with City overloading men at Spurs’ goal, it leaves massive spaces behind City’s defense for Spurs to initiate counter-attacks.
The youngster Ryan Mason was the epitome of a Spurs side defending with discipline, with the Englishman being all around the pitch, crunching and bustling for the ball and helped the advancing Eriksen, Lamela, Chadli to work their magic. He even had a chance to give Spurs the lead when Lamela dribbled past two to three blue shirts before slotting an onrushing Mason who fired with a lack of composure at Joe Hart.
On the other end, Man City lead 1-0. The move started with a neat play from the left flank, with Milner’s dash and tenacity beating Fazio before laying it for Frank Lampard to assist Aguero just behind, who rounds the ball past Kaboul and strikes it straight into the far top corner of Lloris’ goal.
Though, Spurs’ hard-work off the ball finally worked, albeit with a touch of City’s blunder. Fernando was caught napping in possession as an onrushing Roberto Soldado takes advantage and slots in on an unguarded Christian Eriksen, who with a slight deflection off Hart’s feet, slams it at the roof of the net. 1-1.
Again, as twenty minutes rushed by, it became a seesaw contest between two sides. Chance-wise, end to end. Though, luck favors Man City when Lamela fouled Lampard when Milner laid the ball to his path. A rather soft one for Lampard to fall, yet a risky contact from the Argentinian. Apart from the controversy, Aguero took advantage from 12 yards, fooling Lloris to the left side of goal to make it 2-1.
For the rest of the half, it became the Aguero show, with him missing numerous great chances to make it a hat-trick. Particularly, when Kaboul stuck his leg on Silva for a second penalty of the game to City’s favor, Aguero poorly fires it straight at Lloris’ feet. Later, just in the 42nd minute, he had a one-on-one situation repelled by the ever impressive French goalkeeper.
In the end of the first half, City lead 2-1, with a rather controversial penalty decision given by referee Jon Moss to give City the edge. The point of concern would be Lampard’s injury, considering the number of games congesting to City’s less liking. City might just sneak it, but Spurs shown at times they are threatening on the counter-attack. Game on!
Changes:
Man City: Frank Lampard —-> Fernandinho (28′)
Second Half:
With Spurs trailing 2-1, they began to be more expansive and open footballing-wise. Danny Rose and Eric Dier, trapped in their own half in the first 45′, began to maraud forward several times and unsettle City’s back-line. Though, when Spurs are in possession, they lacked the composure to turn the little spell of domination into a telling weapon goalscoring-wise. And so often, when Man City bullied and dispossessed Spurs’ midfield, chances came at a maximum for the home side.
As Spurs load more men up the pitch, so they left spaces downfield. At times, Navas who’s looked livelier the second half with his tireless runs got the Spurs’ right defensive flank ragged. The Spaniard could have settle the game as early as the hour mark when he cuts inside and with an ample of space and a sight of goal at his mercy, fluffed his shot. Aguero, the two goal hero in the first half, could have had his hat-trick wrapped early on when Fernandinho picks Silva’s run from the right and the Spaniard crosses for the Argentinian who missed the ball from the far post.
Apart from the game being chance-wise to Man City’s favor as the game wore on, Spurs got a bit of luck when Soldado was felled by Demichelis, to the assumption that it’s inside the box. Firstly, it looked like a rather soft push and contact-wise it was outside the box. Still, Roberto Soldado, known to have a very good record from 12 yards, failed to bring Spurs level when Hart reacted smartly to the left to deny the beleaguered Spaniard.
With the game reaching the mad record of three penalties being given, none would have bet a fourth one would happen. As Navas runs from the right, he sends a cross for Aguero, only for the Argentinian to be pulled by his fellow countryman Fazio inside the box. In the end, it was the fourth penalty of the match and one that merited a sending-off for the Spurs’ debutant. Aguero, missing the previous, gathered composure to replicate his first penalty, fooling Lloris to the left for 3-1. Aguero hat-trick.
With the games already out of Spurs’ reach, it was not over for City’s goalscoring hunger as Aguero finished off an awesome afternoon personally for himself with a fourth, a thing of beauty when he took advantage from the restart. The Argentinian runs from the width, cutting inside, beating Vertonghen, and just fires a low shot far from Lloris’ reach.
Though, there was one more chance in the game as Milner fires from afar, only to crash the post of Lloris’ goal. In the end, Spurs’ early resolute defense were undone by the sparkling Argentinian in Aguero.
Changes:
Man City: David Silva —-> Stevan Jovetic (70′), Fernando —-> Yaya Toure (77′)
Tottenham: Etienne Capoue —-> Moussa Dembele (60′), Erik Lamela —-> Andros Townshend (60′), Ryan Mason —-> Jan Vertonghen (70′)
Conclusion:
In the end, Man City recovered from a rather sticky start to win in as much convincing manner as it was with the 6-0 a year ago. And Man City will have Sergio Aguero to thank for for his impressive quat-trick to grab a home victory for the first time in three months. His fine form could just be catalyst as they travel to CSKA to rescue their Champions League campaign.
For Spurs, they had that defensive resilience to thank for in a first half where they’re none too distant apart. However, the more open they became, the worst it became. Obviously, it’s a blow in their first away defeat, but at least, they were up for the fight with the host.
suburbia666 