Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 vs Manchester City – Post Match Analysis: City cash-rich but deprived of form?
David Silva = 24 million, Aleksandar Kolarov = 16 million, Yaya Toure = 25 million, Mario Balotelli = 24 million, a top performance by a home-grown youngster = priceless.
It was another footballing lesson for the nouveau riche Manchester City, as they were made to realize once again that money in football can’t buy success.
Tottenham Hotspur welcomed Roberto Mancini’s upper-spenders at White Hart Lane for the opening fixture of the Premier League, and a multimillion pound starting line-up was made to look like a bunch of ordinary men as Tottenham dominated the proceedings from the word go.
Mancini handed Silva, Yaya, and Kolarov their Premier League debuts as he opted for a mind boggling three defensive midfielders in the middle of the park, with Barry, Yaya and De Jong handed the anchor roles in the midfield. Up front were Tevez down the middle and Wright-Phillips and Silva supporting him on the wings.
Spurs started the match with the same team (except for Vedran Corluka) that beat City at home at the tail-end of the last season to secure their position in the Champions League, and still Spurs were the better team in the match by a country mile.
Had it not been the heroics of Joe Hart in City’s goal, Spurs would have won the match comfortably but it was not to be as Hart stood like an iron wall between the Spurs attack and the City goal to make sure City came away from the match with their reputation somewhat intact.
A 0-0 score-line did not give the true reflection of the Spurs’ domination of the match but truth be told, it was a match that City did not deserve to share the spoils from.
City were given to settle as Spurs played fluid attacking football and deserved to win the match.
It was an outstanding save by Hart that kept City at level terms in the first half, and Hart was the saviour again a few minutes later, when he kept out a magnificently hit dipping shot by Tom Huddlestone shot from the edge of the box.
Gareth Bale was playing in inspired form as he tormented the City’s defence with his marauding runs down the left flank.
Bale was unlucky to be denied a penalty when Micah Richards felled him in the box but the ref waved off the penalty appeals.
City carried no attacking threat, as their midfield, which was packed with holding players, looked out of sorts. City failed to retain the ball in the midfield and offered no creativity going forward.
City’s only half-decent chance in the first half fell to Tevez, who hesitated in shooting and was dispossessed in the box. Yaya Toure and Kolarov also tried their luck from long ranges but were wayward while David Silva was mostly anonymous in the match as City looked light upfront.
City made a bright start to the second half and Yaya Toure’s looped ball over the defence should have been slotted past Huerlo Gomez but SWP hesitated and that proved to be his undoing as Assou-Ekotto dispossessed him.
Redknapp’s Spurs still looked more likely to come away with a win as Pavlyuchenko and Keane came on for Defoe and Crouch and made instant impact, but Pavlyuchenko’s attempts on goal were feeble and gave Hart no problems.
City brought on Adebayor in place of Tevez but he also failed to impress as Spurs continued to dominate the proceedings.
Spurs looked to have won the match when a sublime through ball from the midfield fell to Bale in the box but unfortunately it was on his weaker right foot and the defender fluffed the attempt, shooting miserably wide of Hart’s goal.
It proved to be the last chance for Spurs in the game as City would be happy to come away from the match unscathed.
Spurs had won all of their last six meeting with City at White Hart Lane but it was not their day today. However, cash-rich Manchester City seemed surprisingly deprived of form and would have to seriously rethink their strategy.
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