Only a Win Will Do for City
CosminIftode / Shutterstock.com
The biggest game of the weekend in the Premier League, sees Manchester City host Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium.
If you were to guess at the start of the season, which of these teams would be coming into this match in second place in the Premier League, chances are, you would have said Manchester City. However, it’s Tottenham Hotspur and City find themselves down in fifth place and with plenty of work to do, just to claim a Champions League spot, never mind win the Premier League title.
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, cut a forlorn figure on Sunday afternoon, as he watched on in horror as his team collapsed at Everton. Having gone in at half-time losing 1-0, everyone expected City to come out strong in the second half and put the hosts under pressure but there was no sign of that and inside two minutes, they found themselves 2-0 down and out of the match. City never looked capable of getting back in the game and Everton went on to complete a comfortable 4-0 victory. Reports have since surfaced that Guardiola went into the dressing room after the match and congratulated his players on the way they played. Either he has really lost the plot or it was some sort of attempt at reverse psychology.
With Manchester City in poor form, it’s a great opportunity for Tottenham to pull away from their rivals and give themselves extra belief they have what it takes to push Chelsea all the way this season. Mauricio Pochettino’s team recorded a comfortable 4-0 win over West Brom last weekend and have won their last six Premier League games in a row. They are a team playing with great confidence and their 2-0 win over Chelsea shows they have what it takes to defeat the top teams this season. Trends show Tottenham have won their last five matches in all competitions by a margin of 2 goals or more and this underlines their current excellent form. Furthermore, they have scored a total of 19 goals in their last six league games, at an average of 3.16 per game.
This will come as bad news to Manchester City, who looked a shambles in their 4-0 defeat at Goodison Park. The only glimmer of hope for City, is their home form, which has seen them win the last three Premier League games, including a 2-1 win over Arsenal. However, they have found life tough at the Etihad this season, losing to Chelsea and being held by Everton, Southampton and Middlesbrough. Tottenham’s away record has not been great either, losing at both Manchester United and Chelsea and being held at Arsenal. Having said that, they have won their last two games on the road, scoring 8 goals in the process.
Tottenham will believe they can score goals in this game. If you get at the Manchester City defence often enough, it will crumble. The question is, will City click into gear in the attacking third and give Tottenham something to think about? At this moment in time, everything is set for an away win.
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