What: English Premier League
Who: Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur
When: Sunday 11th November, 2012, at 13:30 UK Time
Where: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
Mancini Under Pressure After Champions League Disappointment
Qualification for the knockout stage of the Champions League will have been a minimum expectation for Roberto Mancini and Manchester City this season. That they are set to miss out on that, and quite possibly the Europa League as well, is a damning indictment of their efforts on the continent, where they are not just second best – but rather fourth in the group of champions, containing Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax.
Resuming the defence of their Premier League title will give Manchester City the chance to refocus quickly but this season is threatening to turn into an anti-climax for the Citizens already, and they need to keep pace with Manchester United at the top. Mancini is already under pressure,and though his team remain the only side in the Premier League not to have lost, they have hardly sparkled.
The visit of Tottenham Hotspur will be a serious measure of their current level of quality, not least a defence which has looked shaky all season. This is not the same solid Manchester City of last season and their ability to keep possession is not what it was during the last campaign, not helped by the absence of David Silva. If not at their best, they will be vulnerable against Tottenham.
Spurs Battle Odds On Return To Manchester
Tottenham Hotspur have won their last three away games in the Premier League, but have not claimed four successive wins on the road since April 1989. They will remember with fondness how the last time they travelled to Manchester, they ended another unwanted record dating back to the end of the 1988/89 season, by beating Manchester United at Old Trafford for the first time in 23 years.
Andre Villas-Boas’ men travel north this time much weakened from the team which humbled Manchester United however. Moussa Dembele is the biggest absence and his injury has coincided with a turn for the worse in Tottenham’s domestic season, as they have lost to Chelsea and Wigan and been knocked out of the League Cup by Norwich. With midfielder Sandro doubtful, this could be a real struggle for Villas-Boas’ side.
Tottenham have used more players than any other side in the Premier League this season and that inconsistency of starting line-up is reflected in their muddled form. That said, this season’s Tottenham team is more comfortable on the road than at home and so they may just prefer to be making the trip to the Etihad Stadium after a disappointing defeat to Wigan at White Hart Lane last Saturday.
Recent form
Manchester City:
Manchester City 1-0 Swansea City (27/10; Premier League)
West Ham 0-0 Manchester City (03/11; Premier League)
Manchester City 2-2 Ajax (06/11; Champions League)
Tottenham Hotspur:
Norwich 2-1 Tottenham (31/10; League Cup)
Tottenham 0-1 Wigan Athletic (03/11; Premier League)
Tottenham 3-1 Maribor (08/11; Europa League
Key absences
Manchester City: Joleon Lescott (doubt); David Silva (doubt); James Milner (doubt); Micah Richards; Jack Rodwell
Tottenham Hotspur: Sandro (doubt); Younes Kaboul; Benoit Assou-Ekotto; Moussa Dembele; Scott Parker
Players to watch
Manchester City – Sergio Aguero: When Manchester City struggle, as they have done regularly lately, Aguero is the most likely to be able to turn a game in their favour. The brilliant striker’s finishing, as well as his movement and pace, are a real threat to opponents who often fail to deal with him. Aguero has a combination of qualities few other forwards in the Premier League possess and he is the most likely to be able to stretch the Tottenham defence and put them to the sword.
Tottenham Hotspur – Gylfi Sigurdsson: Sigurdsson has not had quite the same impact at Tottenham as he had last season at Swansea, but his passing and accurate shooting will be something Manchester City must be wary of. The champions have struggled against sides who can keep the ball against them and Tottenham are a team who will look to do exactly that. But in the absence of Dembele and with Sandro just coming back from injury, it is the Icelandic international who will bear most responsibility for keeping Spurs ticking in the centre. If he can do that, they can surprise the Citizens.
Match Prediction
Manchester City will seek to press Tottenham high and pressure them deep in their own half in this game, but that is also the way Villas-Boas likes his teams to play. They are likely to struggle to do that against this Citizens team though, so early in the Portuguese’s rein, and may instead take the pragmatic step of sitting back a little more than usual, to avoid exposing a defence which has looked weak of late.
Mancini’s men have lacked the edge that they had last season, having scored just once in their last two games, against Swansea and West Ham, teams they would have beaten comfortably a year ago. An organised Tottenham outfit should prove even harder to break through, giving the visitors a real chance, particularly if Sandro is fit, as expected, to keep their defensive shape in midfield.
If they do that, expect a Tottenham win. With the width and pace of Gareth Bale they can expose Manchester City’s full backs when they rampage forward. If Emmanuel Adebayor plays against his former team, his presence draws defenders, and Tottenham should have the quality in the final third to stun their opponents’ leaky backline. Manchester City 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur.
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