JUST two games in, it feels premature to form any concrete opinions on Thomas Frank’s Tottenham, but certainly the early signs are positive.
In the Super Cup last week, Spurs gained a two-goal advantage and looked in control for the most part against a side crowned champions of Europe in May. Out of possession, a five-man rearguard limited a formidable PSG front line to just a single shot on target until the 85th minute. Going forward there was menace, even if most efforts came from distance or set pieces.
There was a balance to proceedings that was all-too-rarely seen under Ange Postecoglou, and after the game Frank – always an honest and revealing interviewee – summed up their performance well. “We showed we could be tactical and pragmatic. High pressure, low defending. We had them exactly where we wanted for 80-something minutes.”
Granted, ghosts from their recent past came back to haunt them late on, but this was a highly encouraging start for what is potentially a new era.
Three days later, in their Premier League opener, a different, more offensive Spurs was on show. Lucas Bergvall and Brennan Johnson were brought in and both impressed, the former a nuisance throughout, the latter scoring. Across the park, Mohammed Kudus enjoyed a debut to remember, assisting twice and racking up five key passes. It’s worth noting he has form for troubling Manchester City, even amidst heavy defeats for West Ham. Richarlison, meanwhile, was simply sensational.
All of the above therefore prompts both an acknowledgement and a query. We must appreciate that Tottenham are already a decent proposition under Frank, even if they would benefit enormously from a signing or two to strengthen their squad. And we must question which approach the new manager will take as they head to the Etihad this Saturday.
Revisiting Brentford’s away encounter with City last term goes some way to answering that. The Bees set up as a 5-3-2 and worked diligently, with two-thirds of the player duels won evidencing this. Yet there were scant examples of a low block, the visitors instead looking to attack at every available moment.
By the contest’s end, Brentford had accrued five shots on target, one goal, and City were mightily relieved to ultimately take the points.
Which, if we’re being honest, was not that uncommon for the Blues last season, a campaign that saw them slide into insecurity after several years of cast-iron dominance.
Indeed, before we focus on the present, it’s necessary to look back at this exact fixture last November, a 0-4 home loss that shone a glaring spotlight on City’s problems at the time. There had been stumbles leading up to the game: away defeats and fortunate three points. This however was a spectacular implosion.
Admittedly, there are different circumstances now – enough to relegate that low point to a quick talking point on TNT Sports in the build-up this weekend before moving on – yet still previous meetings in Manchester are worth staying with. That’s because it is never dull when Tottenham take on Pep Guardiola’s side on their home soil. And something surprising always occurs.
In recent years there has been an exhilarating 3-3, a basketball contest in football boots. There was Harry Kane’s 95th minute winner, to make it 2-3, after Riyad Mahrez’s 90th minute equaliser. Two years back, Spurs went into the break two up only to be pulverised in the second period, yet another thrilling affair ending 4-2.
The common denominator across all these games, of course, is goals, and plenty of them. Their last ten clashes at the Etihad have produced 4.5 per 90.
Tottenham contributed 44% of that haul, but to what extent they can hurt what appears to be a revitalised, reimagined City this Saturday is up for debate.
Naturally, two more goals to add to Erling Haaland’s vast collection and an immaculate league debut for Tijjani Reijnders took the headlines at Molineux last week, but pertinently, the Blues began 2025/26 with a clean sheet, their defence composed and solid throughout.
It is too often forgotten, distracted as we are by Guardiola’s fantastical football, that so much of City’s success has been founded on shut-outs in recent seasons, registering clean sheets in 53% of games across their four back-to-back title successes.
The return of John Stones last week played a big part in their latest one, notably partnering Ruben Dias who complements him so well. The pair have started 69 matches together since Dias joined in 2020. City were breached every 144 minutes in those games.
Yet of course we must highlight too Reijnders, a player who unashamedly evokes that most tired of cliches, of being compared to a Rolls Royce. In the Midlands, he ran the show from start to finish, scoring, assisting, and pre-assisting for good measure, and had City signed last season’s Serie A’s best midfielder of 2024/25 a year earlier, would they have struggled last time out? Early evidence suggests not.
The Dutchman is a decent price to be at the forefront of a home victory this Saturday, a statement win against a side clearly on the up, who have given them all manner of headaches in recent times.
Please remember to gamble responsibly. Visit our Safer Gambling section for more information, help and advice.
