Defeats in Champions League final, Community Shield and at Spurs have exposed a familiar failing but are City prepared to spend £160m to solve it?
The roles were reversed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. By the end, with Tottenham sticking to Nuno Espírito Santo’s plan after Son Heung-min’s clever breakaway goal, it was Manchester City who looked like they needed to become the Harry Kane team. Spurs had found a way to play without Kane, striking on the counterattack, and City had allowed the game to run away from them, their lack of conviction in attack a worry despite the presence of a £100m signing making his first start.
Early days, of course, and it is fair to acknowledge that Pep Guardiola’s side were not at full strength when they began the defence of their title. Context matters in spite of City’s vast resources and allowances must be made for the absence of Phil Foden, the rustiness of Kevin De Bruyne, and Guardiola levelling the playing field by picking Nathan Aké and Benjamin Mendy when John Stones, Kyle Walker and Aymeric Laporte were available.
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