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Manchester City Return Entertainment Value To The Etihad Against Tottenham
Leroy Sane scored Manchester City's first goal in their 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Saturday.
January 24th, 2017 | 11:52 AM | 867 views
ESPNFC.COM
Going to the Etihad Stadium hasn't been fun for Manchester City fans for some time. There are exceptions, of course, but generally speaking matches have been difficult to watch for a number of reasons.
Perhaps the results were not what supporters were hoping for. City's home record under Roberto Mancini was excellent -- with only nine defeats in the manager's 94 games at Eastlands. It slipped a little under Manuel Pellegrini, who lost 16 of his 84 home matches. Overall, there's been a downward trend in results in the last couple of seasons.
Performances, too, have been difficult over that time. From the point where City won the title in 2014, the team has frequently found it a struggle to break through their opposition. That could be down to tactics or the overall quality of the squad. After all, it can be seriously argued that the club's recruitment since their last Premier League-winning campaign has been awful.
Either way, the side has spent the majority of their matches since 2014 frustrated, unable to cut through their opposition like they had done in the recent past.
The away teams haven't particularly changed their style of play, either. Mancini and Pellegrini faced sides that sat deep, conceding possession to the home team and trying to battle for whatever they could get on the break. Both managers were able to beat that opposition comfortably for a spell, too.
But over the last two years, somewhere along the line, City became more vulnerable at home and developed a soft underbelly. That made a lot of their matches a slog, as the home side passed and passed the ball but could take a good 15-20 minutes to create a chance.
Of course, City still went on to win the majority of those fixtures, but it didn't make for particularly easy viewing.
Despite Saturday's 2-2 draw with Tottenham being a poor result in the context of the match and the home team's season so far, the performance left the door open for real change at the Etihad. There have been glimpses of this sort of display already, but for the first time in quite a while, football was fun again.
Pep Guardiola's side were highly effective in shutting their visitors down and they kept Hugo Lloris busy all evening, even if they were still stung by a couple of poor refereeing decisions and their own inability to defend against shots on target.
Just like in days gone by, City were creating chances by stealing possession back from their opponents high up the field. Their pressing game was the best it's been in years, as Sergio Aguero, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling in particular were key in getting the ball back close to the Spurs goal. It's those sorts of incidents that get the fans on their feet and the blood pumping again.
Equally, City broke with speed and got in behind their opposition on a number of occasions. It's a simple part of the game, but the pacey attackers in the squad -- and Guardiola went big on it with his front three of Sterling, Sane and Aguero -- find it so much easier to beat their opponent if they can get a run on them.
With Sterling on the right and Sane on the left, both wide players didn't have to slow down the attack to cut inside and onto their stronger foot. That kept City on the front foot when they had the chance to break through the Tottenham lines.
If Saturday's display is the benchmark for the rest of City's season, then the team could well have turned a corner. The problems in defence still exist, of course, as Spurs exploited weaknesses to pull themselves level, and the forward players need to take some more of the chances they create.
Despite those issues, though, the fans still left the Etihad feeling like their side had been greatly entertaining, even if they were disappointed with the result.
It comes with a word of caution, of course. Tottenham were probably a good side for City to play against to create an open and expansive style, with a high-tempo press and fast passing in the attacking third. Spurs didn't sit back and block their own box with 11 men behind the ball, meaning there was more space for City's attacking players to exploit.
Things could be slightly different when Swansea travel to the Etihad in the club's next home Premier League fixture. The challenge for Guardiola is to make that game just as entertaining, while also getting maximum points.
With only one or two notable exceptions, City have spent the last couple of seasons in the doldrums and the entertainment value of games at the Etihad hasn't been what it once was. There are positive signs that Guardiola is getting to the bottom of that problem and making steps to change it.
If Saturday is anything to go by, the Catalan coach could be making football a lot of fun again.
Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC
by David Mooney
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