please log in to view this image Saturday 16th December 5.30pm Premier League Etihad Stadium From a winless run to three consecutive victories. What a difference a week makes. The performance against Brighton wasn't as comprehensive as the win against Stoke, but it's still 3 points. Now to see if we can stop the supposedly unstoppable, as we face an undefeated City side. The same was true last season, of course, but their winning run's been going on for quite a bit longer this time. It's also at The Etihad, rather than The Lane. City's season has been going almost perfectly, so far. Guardiola's side have brushed aside virtually every team that they've played in every competition. The only minor wrinkles have been an early draw with Koeman's Everton and a loss to Shakhtar Donetsk. The latter result came when they'd already won their Champions League group too, so it can easily be ignored. An unlikely draw with Wolves in the League Cup was overcome in the penalty shoot-out, too. Is there anything from this that we can take there and build upon? Hard to tell. They've won a fair number of their games by single goals, but there's been quite a few massacres along the way, too. It's possible to breach their defence, but it's highly likely that they'll return the favour. Fabian Delph may be their weak link, as he's filled in playing an unfamiliar left-back role for quite some time. Benjamin Mendy, a £50m summer signing in that position, ruptured his cruciate ligament and is still out. Last season's game in Manchester was a rather poor performance and we were lucky to escape with a draw. Hugo Lloris pulled off some real heroics in the first half, before nearly throwing the game away in the second. He headed a ball against Sane for their first, then fumbled a cross to De Bruyne for their second, minutes later. Dele Alli headed home an almost immediate response, then Heung-Min Son leveled it up for a tense ending. The match at the Lane was a lot more straightforward and one sided. An early Kolarov own goal set the tone, as City struggled to deal with our pressing game and quick counters. Alli doubled the lead as the game headed towards the break and it rarely looked threatened after that. Lamela had a penalty saved in the second half, as Kane was missing through injury, and the score remained 2-0. Alderweireld and Wanyama are still out through injury, while Sanchez serves the last game of his ban. Kompany, Stones and Mendy are all out for City. Lineups for each side's last league game: Spurs: Lloris; Aurier, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Winks, Sissoko; Lamela, Eriksen, Son; Kane. Subs: Vorm, Trippier, Foyth, Davies, Dembele, Alli, Llorente. League form: DLLDWW. City: Ederson; Danilo, Otamendi, Mangala, Delph; De Bruyne, Fernandinho, D. Silva; B. Silva, Aguero, Sterling. Subs: Bravo, Walker, Toure, Gundogan, Zinchenko, Sane, Jesus. League form: WWWWWW. Referee: Craig Pawson. TV: BT Sport 1. Do we need to do something to try and nullify City's game or should we try to attack them and play openly? Would you change any of the lineup from the Stoke win or did the Brighton game rule anyone out? Has our return to four at the back been a success or should we use three for this match?
There's always next week (Burnley). (Which might be Spurs' fans' sentiments generally after Saturday's game).
Mangala and Delph are the obvious weak links in the side. Otamendi looks like a man reborn this season, totally unrecognisable from the calamatous card-magnet of yesteryear. The biggest difference between the two sides - other than budget - is that whilst our attacking players have been rather meh of late, theirs have all hit form simultaneously. Aguero, De bruyne, Silva, Jesus, heck even Sterling is doing a decent impression of Aaron Lennon in his prime. I just don't think we have the strength at the back to keep all of that out. With Aurier and Rose starting last night, it's more than likely we'll see Davies and Trippier at the back. This strengthens us defensively as neither player randomly loses their marbles during a game, but at the same time it completely strips us of pace. I'm afraid I can't see anything but a defeat here if I'm honest. I'd drop Winks after a shocking performance against Brighton, along with my worry that he will he totally overrun by the two Silvas and Fernandinho. Hugo Trippier Dier Jan Davies Dembele Alli Lamela Eriksen Son Kane
One thing to remember is we had Kane & Llorente up front backed up by a Winks/Eriksen/Sissoko midfield trio and Verts at left back at the Santiago Burgerbun, which nobody expected - not least Los Ladrones. With that in mind, if there's a way to have Kane, Son and Llorente on the pitch at the same time, it's something we should seriously consider. Actually making that happen without some mental 433 lineup, on the other hand...
Hugo Tripps, Dier, Jan, Davies Eriksen, Dembele, Alli, Son Llorente, Kane ****ing go for it, lads. Sitting back won't help against a side who are easily picking every single lock in front of them. Their defence still hasn't been truly tested yet and I'd love for us to do that with two up top supported by attack-minded midfielders.
Please attack them. The only way to beat them at present is to rattle them by testing their weak points. Conceding possession and trying to defend against their probing is suicide.
In addition to my concern over the quality of the opposition, I fear that the officials have picked up on another fairy story / narrative (TM) regarding Citeh going the whole season unbeaten - and deliberately or not they help them achieve it. Much like their help in the Leicester fairy story (TM). We have already seen offside goals, games extended longer than might be expected, and players not sent off that might have been. But the refs assistance is often more subtle. I fully expect an early yellow card, if required, will not be awarded against Citeh, whilst it might be against us. I expect pushing and other infringements in the box to be viewed differently. If the ref is brave and gives us a pen I will (very) gladly hold my hands up and say I got it wrong (I really hope I do), but I suspect that the more this winning run goes on, and the more the pundits talk about it being impossible to stop Citeh, then it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy, with the refs taking their share of the blame for that. After all, the longer this goes on, what ref is going to have the balls to award a pen against them, to send off one of their players early on, or indeed to allow them the full amount of extra time not normally awarded to other teams.
Yep, £ity are certainly due a change of luck, despite being very good they have also enjoyed a lot of very favourable refereeing.... offside goals and soft penalties awarded, players not punished for diving etc etc. There is not much chance we will be given a pen, we have played 25 games so far this season without one, I see no reason that will change anytime soon. I think what is happening is the referees are believing the media fairy story that Dele Alli is a habitual diver (after it was repeatedly highlighted he dived once) and have decided not to give Spurs any penalty kicks, the same thing happened with Bale in the AVB season.
Got to say of all the overseas managers that have come to England Poch seems be have an extremely good speaker of his second language.Whenever he has a press conference he speaks clearly and no matter what the question he answers honestly and never disrespects his peers. All he needs is a shave and a suit and tie and he will be perfect right Spurcat!
Good chance we will get over run if we sit back too much. Let them do the thinking...attack them...hit their weak spot. If we have belief in our own ability...we should get something out of this game. Either way a goal will open this goal up so we need to score first. High press should be starting just before the centre circle. They like teams pushing their keeper...let him have it...let them play about with it in their back third. Sissoko's energy will be vital today
Agree completely. Whilst Davies and Trippier are less frantic defensively like you say, they aren’t gonna get a look in going forward. I can see performance similar to the arsenal game. - not in the sense that we won’t turn up, but we’ll have such little threat, we’ll be ball chasing all evening and losing it as soon as we get it possession. The idea of attacking them like Dier Hard says is the best option, but if we set up with Trippier and Davies, unfortunately that won’t happen. Their wing backs will have too much pace and will recover at any opportunity, and we must remember that Walker knows exactly what he’s up against. It’s gonna take moments of individual brilliance from us today. Kane scoring out of nothing, Eriksen delivering consistently good free kicks and corners, or Son & Dele scoring the belters they are capable of. Sadly I just don’t see that happening. But COYS someone’s gotta beat them at some point.
To put it in the context of Clatenburg's recent disgraceful comments, what ref is going to want to be the one that is said to have ended Citeh's run?
Enough of this negative thinking we are Spurs and we are going to dare to do let City worry about their record as it's about to get smashed. Walker? he's a has been he never could defend properly. COYS
