Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur: two teams that filled our social media timelines every single day over the last week and a half. They played each other three times in a 10-day span. The first two were in the quarter-final of the Champions League; the last was matchday 34 of the Premier League.
In the first meeting of the 10-day trilogy, Pep Guardiola’s cautious approach failed to unlock Spurs’ defence at the brand-new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. On top of that, Sergio Agüero’s missed penalty in the first half gave more misery as City couldn’t get any away-goal advantage. Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs then took a precious 1–0 win via Son Heung-min’s strike late in the second half.
A week later, both teams went into a dramatic shootout. Four goals were scored just inside the opening 11 minutes. Drama unfolded in the last quarter hour of the game, with VAR the main star in the process. Fernando Llorente’s controversial equaliser and Raheem Sterling’s disallowed last-minute winner, both decisions given with VAR’s help, sent the teams into contrasting moods. Spurs then reached their first Champions League semi-final since 1962 thanks to the away-goal rule.
As fatigue and injuries hit both City and Spurs, they came into the Saturday’s match with depleted squads. City desperately needed a win to keep their title hope alive. Meanwhile Spurs were craving a victory so they could clinch a top-four spot as soon as possible. It was Guardiola’s City that came out victorious through Phil Foden’s first-ever league goal. This tactical analysis will break down how the match unfolded.
Lineups
Guardiola chose his preferred 4–3–3 in this match. Oleksandr Zinchenko and John Stones returned to the defence to play alongside Aymeric Laporte and Kyle Walker. In the engine room, 18-year-old Foden was chosen to start alongside Kevin De Bruyne and ex-Dortmund midfielder İlkay Gündoğan. Up front, there were Bernardo Silva, Agüero, and Sterling. City’s bench was filled with names like Leroy Sané, Gabriel Jesus, and Riyad Mahrez.
Meanwhile, Pochettino opted for a more defensive approach as his team played in 5–3–2. Juan Foyth and Davinson Sanchez were among the back five, next to Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, and Ben Davies. Spurs’ midfield line consisted of former Ajax man Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, and Eric Dier. As Harry Kane is out due to injury, ex-PSG player Lucas Moura was again given the chance to start alongside on-fire Son. In the dugout, there were Victor Wanyama, Danny Rose, and former Juventus striker Llorente.
