“Worst Prem footballer”, “Emblematic of the decline of this club” - Manchester City fans slam ‘garbage’ player after 2-0 loss to Spurs

Manchester City fans on X have criticized Rico Lewis after he struggled to make an impact during their 2-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur. The two sides locked horns in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, August 23.

Minutes after Guglielmo Vicario made a sharp save to deny Omar Marmoush in a one-on-one situation, Brennan Johnson tapped home from close range on the other end of the pitch. Despite initially being flagged for offside, the referee's decision was overturned in the 35th minute following a VAR review, handing Spurs the lead. Joao Palhinha then doubled the visitors' advantage following a massive error by James Trafford (45+2'), securing an impressive win for Tottenham.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola opted to start Rico Lewis at right-back. Even though the 20-year-old created one chance going forward, he struggled defensively, losing six duels, being dribbled past once, and winning one tackle from two attempts. Lewis was also unable to get back in time to prevent Johnson's opener and didn't have the best of link-ups with Oscar Bobb.

One Manchester City fan posted:

"Rico Lewis worst prem footballer ever"

🪁

@Benoit3ii

rico lewis worst prem footballer ever

Another fan tweeted:

"Giving Rico Lewis a 5 year extension is emblematic of the decline of this football club. Nowhere near good enough."

⭐️

@KM_v002

Giving Rico Lewis a 5 year extension is emblematic of the decline of this football club. Nowhere near good enough.

Other fans reacted below:

"Rico Lewis starting week in week out in the Premier League should be a message to kids that you dont need talent to make it," one fan commented

"Nobody will ever convince me that Rico Lewis is good," another added

"We simply cannot play a full season with Rico Lewis as our right back," one fan insisted

"Rico Lewis hype is one of the worst things about this league," one fan typed

"I do not understand rico lewis. I just do not get what he is supposed to be," another chimed in

"I really don't understand what Pep see in Rico Lewis. He is such a garbage of a player . I won't field him even if we short of players," one fan stated

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How did Manchester City fare during their 2-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur?

Despite kicking off their Premier League campaign with an impressive 4-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester City suffered a 2-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, extending their poor form against Spurs.

The Cityzens dominated possession with 61 percent of the ball, completing 434 passes with an accuracy of 86 percent. Meanwhile, Tottenham had 39 percent possession and completed 252 passes with an accuracy of 78 percent.

Manchester City were arguably more threatening going forward, but were unable to make the most of their chances. They landed 10 shots in total, with four being on target. However, they missed two big chances, garnering an xG of 1.51. Whereas, Spurs mustered 12 shots in total, with five being on target (xG of 1.02).

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Disclaimer: The above stats were taken from FotMob on August 23 at 7:25 PM IST. They are subject to change.