EPL ROUND 7 16/17 TOTTENHAM VS MANCHESTER CITY

So similar to my last two game reviews this will be a two part series I am calling "Stick or Twist". It focuses on two games from early on in Pep’s initial season at City, when he was still finding his feet. This first game was City’s first loss of the season but it was somewhat of a false run as City hadn’t played any ‘big teams’ yet. Despite this, the cracks had started to show during the game before, a frantic 3-3 away at Celtic who were the first team that had the balls to press them. I think people had been sitting off expecting to be picked apart if they tried to press due to having watched Pep’s Bayern side. This season's City were a long way off the Centurions they would become the following. You could see the seeds, with inverted fullbacks and the 2-3-5 that almost every side uses in possession nowadays, but similar to this 24/25 season the squad was old and needed a refresh. Tottenham, after seeing this game plan from Celtic, adjusted their shape from their usual 4-2-3-1 and rattled City with their press early.

The reason I have picked these two games to focus on, is the eternal debate between being pragmatic or being dogmatic. Pep is often seen as the latter of the two, by people who don’t watch his teams week in week out. They don’t see that he is happy enough to go long if he thinks it will work, it’s just that when he thinks it will work, is different to when you or I might. I remember in the 23/24 season him using direct balls against Arsenal and he has often been happy to go long against a deadly press. I would like as a manager not to be seen as being in either of these camps as they both have costs and benefits. Both can get you fired, both can win you the league. The reason being a manager/head coach cannot be done by just anyone who has read all the books, is the same as any art, it is about using the right brush at the right moment, the right note for the right symphony. As baseball coach Yogi Berra once said, "In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is."

In the first game where Tottenham won, there was less pressure than against Barcelona who had just beaten City 4-0 two weeks earlier. City also had only one win in their last seven games with that being against a mid table West Brom side. Below we can see the run started by Celtic;

Fairly standard lineup for Spurs that season, minus Kane but that actually helped them be more fluid and also meant Pochettino had to think outside of the box. If they played their usual 4-2-3-1 it wouldn’t have worked as well. The shape here shown is somewhat incorrect as they morphed between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-diamond-2.

City with an atypical Guardiola lineup, De Bruyne and Sane would come in to the team in the next months for Fernando and Navas, although it wasn’t these two players or even the shape that cost them the game. It was the tactics and lack of adjustments. Stones and Otamendi are also shown wrong side here as are Fernando and Fernandinho.

Straight away we can see Rose on the ball, with four in midfield and two up top whilst the left/right wing slot for Tottenham is vacant.

City actually do go long early; Bravo doesn’t have a great game and although not responsible for either goal he doesn’t inspire confidence when on the ball. As Guardiola likes to say, "the quicker the ball goes up the quicker it comes back". This speed is more down to Tottenham choosing to transition quickly to put City under pressure. Some teams will counter here and others would play 10 passes at the back, I think it is too simple to say "go long get countered".

Here again you can see the back four and midfield diamond; who ended up at each point of the diamond was semi-fluid. Wanyama mostly at the base, Lamela mostly left, Sissoko right and Eriksen at the tip. I say semi-fluid as you see here Lamela, Eriksen and Wanyama are rotated clockwise one.

Spurs trying to play out and City winning the ball, the score might suggest a one sided game but City did have chances early.

Tottenham go direct fairly often and this doesn’t just mean going long, but playing forward quickly and getting from a throw in deep in their half to the opposition box in 10 seconds.

Here you see the diamond-2 shape and although it is Stones carrying, it shows Tottenham are allowing City to bring the ball forward in the fullback zones or out wide. Also keep track of the Wanyama fouls, these games I’m looking at might be about 10 years old but it doesn't stop me yelling at the refs.

When defending deep Tottenham would usually transition to a 4-4-1-1 shape. From right to left it would be (and similar to in possession) semi-fluid; Eriksen, Sissoko, Wanyama and Lamela.

This clip shows how quick Tottenham play forward again and also their press, you can also see that when Otamendi is on the ball, Eriksen has two players to press as Lamela and Sissoko are more worried about the fullbacks but the press is so aggressive that the pass cannot be found.

Tottenham start in their 4-4-1-1 with Eriksen and Wanyama as the pivots and Sissoko covering the right. The trigger is the back pass, Alli steps up and everyone follows him to adjust their shape. This gameplan is similar to Juventus where the high pressing shape and low block shape are different. Also Lamela presses Otamendi before sprinting back to press Zabaleta. Wanyama then teleports out of nowhere to put in a brilliant tackle which leads to another direct attack and this time a goal. The other funny thing going back to these games is gaining more appreciation for some players. For me Sissoko and Wanyama are the two that went up in my books due to this game. They were a little limited in possession meaning you had to play a certain way but if you’re flexible as a manager as Poch was/is you can find a role for them.

Two things to highlight from this clip, the first is Tottenham‘s press actually leaves a 3v2 in City’s favour in the middle as the two wide players in the diamond are more worried about City‘s fullbacks. As City play down the right you see Sissoko on Spurs right closer to Kolarov leaving Silva free. When you have the Human Hoover that is Wanyama it doesn’t matter. Also peep the turn that allows Tottenham to spring forward a promising attack.

As Pep says formations are phone numbers and the difference is a few meters. You might say Tottenham will outnumber City in the middle but here, with how wide the outer midfielders are, I’d argue its actually a 3v2 in City’s favour, it’s a matter of meters but they are important.

Again two points, just to show the directness, and Bravo not inspiring confidence.

Sissoko or Messi? He does buy the foul at the end, but before that does very well.

City probably could have played short here, if Fernandinho’s movement was a bit better, he could have bounced it out to Stones. When you press early in a game, players assume it will be the same even when you don't, hence being uncomfortable even under no or less pressure. In the NFL they call it "seeing ghosts" for a quarterback who throws too quickly because he has been hit too many times due to holding it too long.

Stones dribbling up-field executes what I refer to as a "pick and roll". It is a very common way to shake off a high pressing striker, here you see Fernandinho drops to left centre-back but it could just as easily be Kolarov who takes the space after playing back. All for nought though, as Tottenham again press too aggressively for City to deal with.

So many things to highlight in this clip so I’ll do key points

1. Recovery pace is why Pep goes and buys Walker at the end of this season
2. Sissoko sauce
3. Directness of Tottenham
4. Victor ‘The Human Hoover’ Wanyama

Again to show off Walker and then also Alli at the end. One of the players I wish the best for (Alli not Walker).

Again, with the City midfield adjusting to play a double pivot, there is a free man but the movement to open the passing lane is not there, so they go back and we already know this is a trigger, so Tottenham press up from it.

Again, too many things so let’s summarise;

1. Fernando is not suited to play for Guardiola or at least when he plays this way
2. Look at Rose jump up to press where he thinks the pass will go, pressing you have to gamble like this sometimes and make educated guesses
3. Wanyama again. Olé! Olé!

4. Sissoko again. Olé! Olé!

I agree with the commentary here so they can give my typing fingers a rest.

Sissoko again but no olé’s this time, as he lacks that end product. There is a ceiling to this archetype. I love these kind of players personally but I don’t think he could start for a title winning team for example. Even at Tottenham who averaged 4th through his five season there he was only used for about 50% of the minutes available.

Wanyama gets a yellow, keep note of this for later.

You can see that all the backwards and sideways passes just put City under more pressure. There needs to be movement and third man combinations to play through the press.

Eriksen again goes very direct, before Otamendi plays back to trigger the press. City are saved this time by some excellent Stones dribbling.

All five Tottenham actions are forward passes/clearing header to start it off, even when one doesn’t come off they just do another one and make a forward run. If that doesn’t emphasise their intent what does?

Here, there is no need to play back as he could play Stones, Bravo could then play Stones who bounces to Otamendi. You have to make the press change directions, if you just play wide and around them this plays in to their hands, similar to the clip of Bravo and Stones forcing themselves deeper in to the corner.

In attack, the Spurs diamond also attacked in an unusual way, as the two outside players were winger types they tended to drift wide rather than stay narrow and wait for the overlaps. Here you see Sissoko and Lamela on each wing. It wasn’t a key to either goal but as you have seen from the Sissoko highlights it helps to have a dribbler in this position for this gameplan rather than a more passing focused centre-mid.

First sub of the game means Fernandinho sits with Gündoğan and Silva ahead of him.

This penalty save is the one redeeming moment from Bravo’s game, as he has looked shaky the rest of it.

This sub meant a change of shape as Pep tried to only now match Tottenham's shape; a case of too little too late at 65 minutes and 2-0 down.

Sissoko off for Dier due to a niggle which leaves two ball winners in the middle and Eriksen and Lamela out wide as Tottenham are pressing less now. This means the shape is more 4-4-1-1 than 4-diamond-2.

Here you see the change with Sterling shifting to right centre-mid to join the other midfield trio who adjust to accommodate him. Aguero and Iheanacho up top, just out of shot.

Tottenham's subs and being 2-0 up meant they stayed more in their block shape of 4-2-3-1.

Sane now comes on to play right centre mid.

Fernandinho has dropped between the CBs allowing both fullbacks to play slightly higher. Tottenham are in their 4-4-1-1 shape.

Just token minutes at this point, let’s be real.

Showing the City diamond defensively now.

And that is all she wrote. Similar to the other articles, I will talk about and show the adaptations to be the winning team, but that will be in the next article. In that game, City come up against a better possession side in Barcelona, who are still good at pressing but not to the level of this Tottenham performance. City decide a lot earlier in that game time to adjust tactics/shape, and stop trying to win the possession battle. Essentially, against Barcelona, they do what Tottenham did to them here.