Premier League Preview: Manchester City vs. Tottenham Hotspurs
The premier league season is finally here and what a way to kick things off. The high spending Manchester City takes on the ever impressive Tottenham Hotspurs at White Hart Lane tomorrow. Much is expected from this opening fixture as both teams have a point to prove. A mouth watering clash can be expected when these two premier league heavy weights clash. Both these sides battled out for the number fourth spot last season. The Spurs had the last laugh when they defeated Manchester City at their home in the second last fixture of the season. City still managed to finish at a respectable 5th spot from a previous 10th place finish. However, they have become serious title contenders following the addition of some high profile expensive players.
Tottenham play Manchester City at home which gives them the obvious backing of the 12th man - the fans. Last year, Spurs thrashed City to a 3-0 victory at home and would want the same feat to maintain their superiority over the Blues. Manchester City under Roberto Mancini would be looking to extract some revenge from their arch rivals, who denied them the opportunity to feature in the UEFA Champions League just in the nick of time. The wounds would be fresh for the likes of Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor, who have tasted Champions league football with their previous clubs. Both of them form the forward line of City and would be hoping to get on the scoring sheet sooner than later.
Manchester City had one of the best finishes in the premier league last season, when they finished at the 5thspot. However, the club would be very disappointed to miss out on a Champions league spot with the kind of depth they had in their squad last season. The club owner however have put their trust in manager Roberto Mancini and provided him with a lot of finances to add some new players. City has thus been the most active club in the transfer window this season, signing four top players from Europe. David Silva, Yaya Toure, Jerome Boateng and Aleksander Kolarov have inked deals with the Eastlands this summer, establishing City as a huge force in the premier league. Bookies rate City as the third favourite to win the title this season, above the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspurs. English International James Milner and Italian Mario Balotelli are all set to join Roberto Mancini’s squad, strengthening the already strong squad. The formation would be a highly attacking one with a 4-2-4 combination. With Boateng and Kolarov featuring in City’s defence, the club would be pretty strong at the back. Barry and Yaya Toure will feature in the midfield, with Adebayor, Tevez, Bellamy and Johnson moving up front. This creates an extremely strong squad for Roberto Mancini, who would be looking to take an early lead.
With Tottenham, Redknapp is expected to employ the traditional 4-4-2 combination. Crouch and Defoe would be expected to start up front, with Lennon and Bale featuring on the wings. Luka Modric would join Tom Huddlestone in the midfield, while King, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Vedran Corluka and Dawson in the defence. Such a strong defence would give Spurs no problems at the back and Gomes is a very capable goalkeeper. Defoe and Crouch are both able goal scorers while the pace of Lennon and Bale may well prove difficult for City to handle. In all, Harry Redknapp would be looking to win the first fixture and have the advantage of the White Hart Lane.
An intense and high paced vintage English football is expected from these two hot shot clubs. Roberto Mancini would be under some intense pressure, having spent nearly 100 million pounds on securing the services of four new players. Redknapp would be looking to prove to everyone that the 4th place finish last season was not a fluke and they are there for a long stay. However, City’s individual stardom may well prove too much for the Spurs and a 2-0 win can be expected in Manchester City’s favour. The players are fresh and relishing to play in the new star studded squad. City has a much stronger squad and if they do synergize with each other, City can win the title this year.
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