Manchester City 4-1 Tottenham: 5 talking points

Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino have often been called the two most tactically astute managers in the league. Their teams play dazzling football and their coaching and treatment of young players is the benchmark for others to achieve. So, when Tottenham and Manchester City clash, the entire footballing world is watching eagerly for both entertainment and learning purposes.

In the game of the weekend, Manchester City welcomed Tottenham to the Etihad and what followed was absolute decimation. The league leaders smacked Spurs for four, as goals by ?lkay Gündo?an, Kevin De Bruyne and two from Raheem Sterling were enough to give City three points in commanding fashion. A consolation strike by Christian Eriksen in the final minutes did nothing to spare Tottenham’s blushes as the enormous 4-1 scoreline was there for all to see.

Here are the 5 main talking points from the game.

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#5 Leroy Sane proves his worth, again

Sane was unstoppable on the left

Leroy Sane has often been billed as one of the most exciting young talents in the world and last night, Kieran Trippier found that out the hard way. The 21-year-old practically tore the Tottenham right-back apart throughout the 90 minutes. His eagerness meant he anticipated every loose ball and through ball coming his way. Kevin De Bruyne could literally make passes to the left flank without looking first because he knew for certain that the German would be making a run already.

The winger’s tireless running and excellent deliveries resulted in two assists for the team. On top of that, the 21-year-old amazingly completed 6 dribbles, made 38 passes, created 4 chances and provided 2 assists. The youngster has now scored 6 goals and provided 8 assists in 12 starts, numbers that put him up with the very best in the world.

#4 Danny Rose looks out of place

Rose looked out of sorts

Long-term injuries often have a way tampering with a player’s performance and for Danny Rose, his knee ligament nightmare has had a detrimental effect on his ability. The 27-year-old was on the sidelines for 260 days of this year, missing 33 games in the process.

The Englishman has only started 4 games this season but this one was undoubtedly his worst one of them all. Raheem Sterling turned the once-promising left-back into a comedy show down the right. Sterling simply skipped past him with ease, forced him to vacate his position and constantly made him chase shadows.

In the Englishman’s absence, Ben Davies has grown into a matured left-back that would have put in a far better performance than Rose did today. The 27-year-old was dispossessed twice, dribbled past once, committed 3 fouls and gave the ball away 14 times.

#3 Dele Alli and Harry Kane avoid certain red cards

Dele was lucky to stay on the pitch

At the Etihad, Tottenham were bruised, battered and embarrassed. From the very first minute, Mauricio Pochettino’s men didn’t really stand a chance and that realisation slowly began to sink in as the game went on. With that realisation came a burning sense of frustration within the Tottenham players, this was blatantly shown by their two key payers.

Both Harry Kane and Dele Alli should have been given straight reds for two equally dangerous challenges. The first atrocity was committed by Harry Kane, as he planted a high foot just above the ankle on Raheem Sterling. Luckily for him, the referee had his back to the situation and could only give a yellow card based on the uproar of the stadium.

However, there was no excuse for the second crime, a crime committed by Dele Alli. The 21-year-old left a crunching studs-up challenge on Kevin De Bruyne, leaving the Belgian in a heap of pain. Funnily enough, De Bruyne responded by scoring a game-winning goal a few minutes later. Talk about standing up in the face of adversity.

#2 Manchester City roll on

Man City have been ruthless so far

Every time we think of superlatives for this Manchester City team, they go and raise the bar again. On top of that, every time we think a team that can stop their unbeaten run, they fail woefully. Last week, a trip to Old Trafford was meant to be the ‘one’, this week the only other team with similar levels of the tactical organisation was meant to stop them, but they couldn’t either. Quite honestly, today, the league leaders made Tottenham look average.

A 4-1 scoreline accompanied by 453 passes and 20 shots on goal equates to total domination in every aspect of the word. We’re now 18 games into the season and City are on a whopping 52 points, having won 17 games. If that wasn’t enough, they’ve now convincingly beaten all of the teams that finished in the top six last season. Can ANYBODY stop this Manchester City team? A 16-game winning streak resoundingly says otherwise.

#1 Kevin De Bruyne masterclass

De Bruyne ran the show once again

At the start of the season, some were calling Kevin De Bruyne the best midfielder in the Premier League, today they can certainly justify that claim. The Belgian put in another masterful performance in another big game against another ‘title rival’. Without David Silva in the side, all creative responsibilities were heaped onto the shoulders of the 26-year-old and he fully lived up to expectations.

The Belgian had an unprecedented 77 touches of the ball, made 34 passes, completed 4 successful take-ons, created 6 chances, scored a game-killing goal and even in defence, he made 6 tackles. It’s the kind of performance that shows how complete a player De Bruyne is, putting him in a league of his own. And under Pep Guardiola’s guidance, the 26-year-old can only improve.