Tottenham went man-for-man in midfield, denying Manchester City passing options from the start, and the visitors never appeared tempted to go longThe concept of pressing has never been so revered in English football and this meeting between the Premier League’s top two teams was largely about compressing space and winning possession quickly. Related: Dele Alli leads vibrant Tottenham to inflict first loss on Manchester City Continue reading...
Tottenham, with the South Korean to the fore, disrupted Manchester City with their relentless pressure to earn a 2-0 victory over Pep Guardiola’s sideSon Heung-min left the pitch just before full-time at White Hart Lane to a huge, concerted ovation. By that stage Tottenham Hotspur’s stand-in No9 was so utterly spent, so drenched in goodwill from a cooing, gurgling home crowd that, as Andre Marriner shooed him off, Son mistook the referee’s gesture for one of congratulation and tried to shake his hand.On the bench there were backslaps and hugs for a performance of prodigious energy and craft, a significant turn not just in this 2-0 defeat of Manchester City but in City’s wider attempts to adapt to new rhythms...
Touré’s treatment at Manchester City is regarded by Dimitri Seluk as a declaration of hostilities but Guardiola is winning matches, hearts and public relations warsDimitri Seluk is right about one thing, and perhaps only one thing. Pep Guardiola is the king of Manchester at the moment, operating from a position of strength.So if Yaya Touré’s agent sees the treatment of his client as a declaration of war, and prefers to fight back rather than make the necessary conciliatory gestures that might see the sidelined Ivorian pull on a Manchester City shirt again, he must accept that his situation is strategically weak, bordering on hopeless. Guardiola is occupying the high ground. Related: Guardiola says Touré will not play for Manchester City...