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City win this one, and now are only two points behind Chelsea. Only early stages, but this season’s trophy already looks to the early hues of blue on it.
It’s fulltime at the Etihad, and it’s the result we were suspecting. Not the thrashing of the season past, but Sergio Aguero did enough personal damage to Tottenham Hotspur with four goals. Four penalties, two converted, two saved.
Aguero grabs the headlines, but both keepers had fine games in their own rights, in an otherwise inept defensive performance from both teams.
FINAL SCORE:
Manchester City 4
Tottenham Hotspur 1
The English Premier League resumes at the home of the champions, as Manchester City face Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 10:45pm (AEDT).
6-0. 5-1. A simplistic observation of this match is that Tottenham are set for a 4-2 loss to Manchester City, which would be marked as improvement.
It is not a thought that bodes well for a club that considers itself Champions League standard.
Much has changed though for Tottenham Hotspur in the post-Gareth Bale era. Where the Welshman’s departure saw a plethora of new faces come in, a year later the only significant change is manager Mauricio Pochettino, and the Argentine has been positive about his team’s opportunity to cause an upset at the champion’s den.
To do so, Pochettino may be without goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who suffered a knock during duty with France, which means he may turn to Michel Vorm following the Dutchman’s arrival from Swansea City.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Adebayor’s involvement against his former club is to be determined after a combination of poor early-season form, fitness and a short turnaround since his return from Togo.
The other major consideration will be to play midfielder Etienne Capoue in place of a number 10, likely to be either Erik Lamela or Christian Eriksen. The Frenchman’s presence will likely be the factor on how well Tottenham contains the Manchester City threat.
For the home side, manager Manuel Pellegrini’s chief concern following the international break revolves around the availability of playmaker Yaya Toure.
The Ivorian was only due back for City training on Friday, and given the travel, Pellegrini may opt to confine him to the bench. Should this occur, it’s likely that the underrated James Milner will occupy Toure’s role.
Otherwise, it is business at usual for the Citizens, who begin the next phase of the Premier League aiming to wrest back Chelsea’s five-point advantage on the ladder.
Pellegrini will be relieved to have found both Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero come through their international commitments unscathed, especially with Stevan Jovetic’s relentless injury issues.
Aside from their front two, City can also rely on the peerless David Silva and former Arsenal player Samir Nasri to inflict maximum damage against Spurs’ suspect defence.
Manchester City will find Mauricio Pochettino to be made of tougher teak than either Andre Villas-Boas or Tim Sherwood, which may well nullify City’s attacking qualities. But a Spurs upset against a side they shipped 11 goals to last season is a bridge too far.
Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 10:45pm (AEST). If you are following the action live, be sure to share your thoughts on the match in the comments below.
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