Premier League: Manchester City 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis

#2 Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden run the show

Foden was sensational

Guardiola handed a rest to David Silva for the crunch game against Spurs and opted for Phil Foden in midfield. Unsurprisingly, plenty of people were sceptical about the Spaniard’s choice. However, by the time the game ended, the City manager was vindicated in his decision.

The Englishman thrived on the big stage and displayed remarkable composure in the middle third. Many a time, the midfielder asked for the ball in tight areas and wriggled out of them adroitly. Moreover, he was willing to make the forward runs into the box and provide the Spurs defence with another headache.

Foden’s off the ball running led to the first goal when his run wasn’t picked up by any of the three central defenders. Unmarked in the box, the Englishman coolly headed past Paulo Gazzaniga.

Apart from the goal, the midfielder looked accomplished on the pitch and barely showed any nerves, despite starting only his second league game of the campaign.

However, on the day, he was outshone by his Portuguese teammate, Bernardo Silva.

The winger ran rings around Ben Davies for the entirety of the game and caused him all sorts of problems. The Portuguese drifted in-field at times while he hugged the touchline on other occasions. Thus, the Spurs defence couldn’t properly mark Bernardo throughout the game.

Additionally, the midfielder also played a major role in the winning goal. After receiving the ball on the right flank, he cut inside his marker and clipped a delicious ball to the far post. The cross was headed on by Aguero before being finished by Foden.

Through the course of the season, Bernardo has established himself as one of the first names on Pep’s team sheet. Moreover, he has been looked upon as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. And on Saturday, he just lent weight to that argument emphatically.