It’s going to take something special to stop this Manchester City juggernaut. A David Silva-less side still made light work of Tottenham on Saturday, who looked rank amateurs compared to the Premier League champions elect. With the midway point of the season approaching, City are 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League table and in the midst of a record breaking winning run, many felt the welcome of Spurs was the final hurdle to overcome. In a 4-1 win over last season’s runners’ up, they cleared the obstacle with consummate ease.
That they missed four clear-cut goalscoring chances - that return has only been bettered on four occasions this term, two of which were by City - shows the final scoreline could have been even wider at the Etihad Stadium. For Spurs, it’s a return to square one as they look to dust themselves down ahead of the visit to surprise top-4 rivals Burnley. The Clarets have been excellent under Sean Dyche and find themselves one point ahead of Spurs as the midway point of the campaign looms.
The meeting presents Kieran Trippier with the opportunity to face his former club, but sentiment aside, the England international’s performance on Saturday showed why he should be relegated to second choice right-back under Mauricio Pochettino. Upon the big money sale of Kyle Walker to City, Trippier had done enough to prove he deserves to be one the first names on the team sheet. The meeting with City, however, underlines that the experiment by Mauricio Pochettino should be brought to a swift end.
In the wake of Walker’s exit, Spurs were expected to invest in another right-back, even allowing for the development of Kyle Walker-Peters. Serge Aurier was signed to provide competition with Trippier and allow Pochettino two quality options at right-back. Aurier’s performances may have come under the microscope on occasion, yet he is a much better fit for Pochettino’s Spurs than Trippier. Indeed, the latter’s showing at the Etihad Stadium adds further weight to those suggesting the 27-year-old should no longer be considered first choice right-back.
When it was confirmed Trippier would come up against Leroy Sane, Spurs fans were aware he would be in or a long 90 minutes. Sane has established himself as a key man under City and one of the best in the Premier League in his position having played a bit-part role in his debut season in Manchester, with the German youngster blending speed with a wonderful end product that has helped City to 52 of a possible 54 points after 18 matches. He combined these qualities expertly as he completed six dribbles and registered two assists from four key passes.
Sane’s pace down the left and ability to routinely get in behind opposing backlines saw Trippier endure a torrid 90 minutes against Guardiola’s side. He was dribbled past more times (6) than any other player in City’s 4-1 win over Spurs, a return that has been beaten on just five occasions in the Premier League this season. Even when pressing forward, though, Trippier struggled as he failed to make any of his four attempted crosses land. One of his best strengths is his ability to pick out a teammate with his wicked right foot, yet this quality to his game was lacking over the weekend.
No Spurs player covered themselves in glory at the Etihad Stadium, but with a majority of City’s attacks coming down their left flank (42%), it’s clear that Guardiola targeted Tripper as the weak link in the defence and capitalised on his lack of speed with ruthless efficiency. He’s no slouch, but as Spurs often look to implement a high line and rely on the full-backs to stretch opponents, Tripper was caught out when he did push forward and even when in defence, Sane was able to breeze past the Spurs man as though he wasn’t even there.
With a greater onus on speed in the modern game, Aurier would now be the better fit at right-back for Spurs in their bid to secure a top-4 spot. The former PSG man has a moment of madness in him, as proven against Real Madrid, but the pros outweigh the cons when compared to Trippier. His experience in the Champions League is an added bonus also and it’s likely that, in the long-term, Aurier will be considered first choice. If anything, Spurs’ 4-1 defeat may well convince Pochettino that, despite Trippier’s improvement to his game, he should no longer be considered the north London side’s starting right-back after the ease with which Sane routinely drifted past the former Burnley man on Saturday.
