Three Key Takeaways: Citizens Outplayed in 2-0 Defeat at Tottenham

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 02: Moussa Sissoko of Tottenham Hotspur (L) is put under pressure from David Silva of Manchester City (R) during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at White Hart Lane on October 2, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

Manchester City‘s unbeaten run to start the 2016-17 Barclays Premier League was snapped on Sunday as they fell 2-0 at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur.

Pep Guardiola‘s side were coming into Sunday’s showdown after a 3-3 Champions League draw in Glasgow on Wednesday against Celtic F.C.

After a physically draining match away from home, Manchester City had to gear up for a league match against the only other unbeaten team in the top-flight.

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With Kevin De Bruyne out with a hamstring injury, and Nolito serving the final match of his three-game suspension, Guardiola made some changes to his line-up ahead of Tottenham. Fernando and Jesus Navas came into the startling line-up while John Stones started with Nicolas Otamendi in the back-line. Aleksandar Kolarov moved back to left-back after starting at Celtic as a centerback. Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Fernandinho all played as attacking options for Guardiola’s side.

A win for Manchester City would see the Citizens go seven points clear of Spurs in the table heading into the international break. A win for Tottenham would see Spurs move to a point behind City.

Manchester City had a poor start to the match, especially when an Alex Kolarov own-goal nine minutes in gave Spurs a 1-0 lead. Danny Rose crossed in a ball that Kolarov sliced backwards and into his own goal.

Dele Alli slotted home a second goal for Spurs eight minutes before halftime, after Son-Heung min played the assist.

Manchester City improved after halftime, as Sergio Aguero was kept out twice by Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris. Aguero also had a shot go off the post. Spurs easily could have made it 3-0 but for a great penalty kick save by Claudio Bravo on Erik Lamela.

At the final whistle, Manchester City fell 2-0 on the road after a deserving victory by Tottenham Hotspur. Mauricio Pochettino‘s side made sure to pressure City throughout the game, which is the same thing Celtic did on Wednesday. The pressure worked as City didn’t look the same as in weeks past.

The Citizens led in possession 58%-42%, but couldn’t beat Lloris who made six saves in the clean sheet. Bravo made five saves in the defeat. According to BBC Sport, Pep Guardiola feels that the loss on Sunday can help his side improve. “I never thought that we would not lose a game, you can’t imagine that. It is normal to the process, sometimes it happens and it can help us improve.”

Here are my three key takeaways from the Citizens’ first loss in all competitions.

1.) Manchester City need to use this loss to improve.
Plain and simple, Manchester City looked a shadow of what they normally are. They did force six saves out of Hugo Lloris, but they were pressured constantly and couldn’t get going till after the second half. Sergio Aguero looked strong, but the rest of the team looked average. Losses will come, but Manchester City need to do a better job of getting something out of the matches vs top opponents.

2.) Manchester City’s midfield needs to step up big!
With Kevin De Bruyne expected to miss three weeks, players like David Silva, Raheem Sterling, Jesus Navas, and Fernandinho need to step up. KDB ran the offense and was able to make passes when needed. Tottenham’s constant pressure made sure that City’s midfielders were frustrated when they had possession. Yes they created chances, but it needs to be better moving forward.

3.) Playing out of the back needs work.
Another problem I noticed throughout the match is Tottenham made sure to pressure also when Claudio Bravo had the ball at his feet. Pep Guardiola likes his goalies to be able to play out of the back with their feet, but numerous times Bravo was forced to clear the ball out of bounds. After seven rounds, Manchester City have 31 league matches to go which is a lot of time for Bravo to become familiar with the group. Playing out of the back has its advantages but it can also lead to more offensive chances for the opponents. This is something that will get better with time, but it is a must on the training ground.

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Domestic leagues will take a week off due to World Cup Qualifiers, and the Premier League will return on October 15th. On the 15th, Manchester City will host Everton at the Etihad Stadium in what I feel is a must-win after the performance this past week. If the Citizens don’t get it together in quick fashion, they could see their spot at top of the table disappear.