What Went Wrong For Manchester City At Spurs

Though he avoided making a calamitous mistake like the ones he’s made in the past, Nicholas Otamendi’s performance didn’t inspire confidence either.

A third player that stood out for the wrong reasons on Tuesday night was Nicholas Otamendi. Though his match rating was the highest in the side, Otamendi’s performance didn’t inspire confidence either.

Guardiola chose Otamendi over Vincent Kompany and John Stones as the center-back to partner with Aymeric Laporte. Though this move made sense on paper, it’s worth noting his record in Manchester City’s big games over the past two seasons.

Otamendi has been a liability in many of those games, making mistakes that have contributed to goals for the opposition.

At Anfield last year, Otamendi made critical mistakes, both in their league game and in the UCL quarterfinal, that contributed to a Liverpool goal.

In their Round of 16 away fixture this year, he picked up a brainless second yellow card and forced Manchester City to play a man down for the better part of the second half at Schalke when they were already trailing 2-1. Only a late bail out job by Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling saved the day.

Manchester City have often looked nervy at the back when he’s been one of the two center-backs in a crucial game. Otamendi is prone to losing his composure, making rash decisions that leave the City defense exposed He also fails to communicate effectively with his teammates. His approach often leaves the rest of the team unsure of what will happen, and it translates into their performance as a unit.

With his inclusion, City looked nervous from the off. Right after the kick-off, Otamendi shanked a clearance that nearly fell to Harry Kane for a goal just seconds into the game. City never had a level of composure in their play with him at the back, either in their build-up play, or in their defending, yesterday.

He may be a good center back, but his lack of communication with others, and his over aggressive approach make the other City players uncomfortable. The team never looks quite at ease with him in the back line as they do with Kompany or Stones.

Even his selection, however, was  justifiable given that he’s been solid in many of his recent games, and City’s other options were returning for injury.

There was one player, however, who stood above the rest.