Clueless Man City surrender tamely to Spurs
As the minutes ticked by, Pep was having long animated discussions with his coaching staff……There was a clear concern on his face and a never seen before intensity in those animated chats with his colleagues…..Man City were Playing Football from his worst nightmares….The passing and the movement were never there….It looked like a team of individuals that were playing against the fundamentals of Pep’s philosophy.
Lack of energy and desire was atrocious
Man City were moving the ball at the slowest pace possible. It was as if they were 3-0 up in the game and cruising to an other victory on the opening day. Even though City bossed the possesion charts, there was never any real control and tempo to their game. The usual intensity with which City press was non-existent. This looked like a team that was desperately crying out for inspiration and spark.
The Curious case of Benjamin Mendy!
Spurs were defending in a low block that was relatively narrow and it covered most of the bases. One thing that Spurs defenders were very confident with and did not bother to cover was City’s left hand side. They were so confident, Mendy was given the freedom of the left flank to himself. It was understandable why Pep played Mendy in today’s game. An attacking outlet on the left hand side was needed to break down the stubborn defense of Spurs. This was a match where Mendy could have proved himself and made a permanent place for himself in the team. Despite everything in his favour, mendy was dreadful, both defensively and in an attacking sense. The lack of attacking output from mendy will be of a huge concern for Pep and City fans who will now be thinking what is he useful for after all!
We have not lost the title with this defeat!
Title races are a marathon. They are long, hard and enduring. They test the character of a team inside out. Man City and Pep Guardiola have been in great title races and are far more experienced to realize that this is just an other bad day at the office with some important lessons . They will not even let the thought of panic cross their minds. After all, we have won the title by doing the impossible in the 2011-12 season.
We are Man City and nothing is impossible for us
