16th win in a row for City in Etihad goalfest
Record-breaking Manchester City will be gunning for a 16th win in a row in all competitions when they host psychologically and tactically vulnerable Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium in the early Saturday evening Premier League fixture. Pep Guradiola has been without both Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Agüero for large swathes of the campaign, but this has not the deleterious impact on their results as might have been anticipated. The defence has been shored up, and the attack remains potent despite often lacking a central striker. José Mourinho cannot let his troops fall any further off the pace; having led the way as recently as December, they are now down in 8th, 14 points off their opponents with a game in hand. Read our preview here:
Phil your boots
Undoubtedly, one of the best performers in 2020/2021 foe the hosts has been Phil Foden. Whilst comparisons between the academy graduate and David Silva are both unhelpful and unwarranted, it's plain to see that his importance to the team has increased tenfold this season. Head coach Pep Guardiola was heavily criticised for his gradual, sometimes glacial introduction of the Stockport native to the senior level over the past couple of years, but it is now paying dividends, especially in such a packed schedule where City are still involved in four competitions. The 20 year old has played in eight different roles, ranging from central midfield to nominally being the sole striker, and it is the latter position which he will take up on Saturday. Toby Alderweireld and Joe Rodon will have to get their marking strategy just right, as he will not play as a conventional forward. Instead, he will attack the space in between the lines, and as he demonstrated so ably against Liverpool last week, he's more than capable of taking on defenders and getting shots in from unfavourable angles.
Dier straits
The Gareth Bale drama aside, another player whose confidence is shot is Eric Dier, according to Mourinho. In reality, that will mean he won't line up for the unenviable task of stopping a supremely confident City, so Rodon will almost certainly partner Alderweireld, although Davinson Sánchez, who scored a brace in the thrilling 5-4 defeat to Everton in the cup during midweek, is another option. Either way, the defence as a collective are not covering themselves in glory at present, and the 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion last time out in the league merely papers over the cracks. Harry Kane should return from the outset to resume his deadly partnership with Heung-min Son in attack, but the dysfunction lies further back. Ben Davies is a conservative choice at left-back, Moussa Sissoko is erratic and ill-suited in a double pivot, and only Tanguy Ndombele is performing anything like to his normal standards in a more offensive midfield role.
Pep talk
The best forward duo in the Premier League will give City's backline a thorough examination on the break, but other than that, there is little for Guardiola to be particularly concerned about. The Spurs squad is full of strife and unhappiness, as is often the case with teams under Mourinho when things start to go badly wrong. By contrast, Pep's men have rallied outstandingly after a painfully mediocre start to the campaign, and a win on Saturday could put them eight points clear of rivals Manchester United for at least 24 hours, with a game in hand to boot. 888sport are offering odds of 2.50 for over 3.5 goals in this clash.
