Manchester City Vs Tottenham Hotspur [0-2] Premier League 2025/2026: How Thomas Frank Beat Pep Guardiola – Tactical Analysis

Both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City came into Saturday off the back of opening weekend wins. 

It was Thomas Frank’s first big Premier League test as the new Spurs manager, and he passed it with flying colours. 

Pep Guardiola has struggled against Tottenham over the years, as Spurs have become Manchester City’s bogey team. 

Since Guardiola took over at Man City, he is 11-3-10 against Spurs. 

Manchester City had some build-up issues during this match, and their high line cost them again. 

While Guardiola has a number of new signings, the defensive issues that plagued them last season have not gone away. 

In this article, we will examine both teams build-up structures, Manchester City’s issues out of possession, and how Spurs defended brilliantly in a low block. 

Tottenham Hotspur Build-Up & Transitions

Tottenham did try for a majority of the match to build out against Manchester City’s press. 

Thomas Frank had them building out in a 4-2 base with Rodrigo Bentacur and João Palhinha as the double pivot. 

They rarely tried to build out through the middle and almost always would eventually get the ball to the full-back. 

From there, Mohammed Kudus or Brennan Johnson would drop in to receive and try to pass a bounce back centrally to create a mini transition against City’s high backline.