The Spurs vs Man City match-up last weekend was far from the fast-paced spectacle we expected, but it gave us a glimpse into why Pep Guardiola’s men have wrapped up the title with more than a month to go.
Like a circus act of yonder past, Guardiola and his Manchester City side have been touring the country’s grounds for most of this season under the banner ‘’greatest ever Premier League side’’, with opposition fans saluting the sheer nature of their play. Kevin De Bruyne, Sterling, Sane, Aguero and Jesus linking and bedazzling defences with brutal ease, cutting through backlines like a hot knife through butter. Yet, like a second act taken from a Hollywood film, there was a strike back. Familiar foes Klopp and Mourinho landed counter-punches which highlighted the shortcomings of Guardiola’s side and ended hopes of a historic quadruple. Cancel the show folks, the circus has been called off for the foreseeable future.
For what should have been a gargantuan clash between two of the Premier League’s most tactically astute teams this season, the match between Spurs and Man City was rather subdued. Perhaps Spurs, having virtually secured a top four finish, were more focused on the FA Cup semi-final next weekend; perhaps Man City, having crumbled against Liverpool and Man Utd in past games, were just hoping to get to the end of the season in peace and then reflect on the quadruple that could have been. Either way, it was a nervy game littered with errors that lacked the hallmarks of a heavyweight clash.
Coming in to the game with no Aguero or Fernandinho, the away bench looked rather threadbare for a team which has spent hundreds of millions on building a squad. Spurs fans took ironic amusement that Sterling was on the bench – their youth player Kazaiah Sterling that is. City, as has been their tradition this season, held relentless possession of the ball, and should have scored early on, when Lloris was left stranded as Sane smashed a shot against the woodwork. David Silva controlled the ball with all the guise of 2006 Riquelme – little effort but maximum results in his passing.