Premier League: City Slickers To See Off Spurs

Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham head North for a Premier League clash on Saturday evening and I suspect they will return South empty handed after 90 minutes with Manchester City.

With Storm Eunice on the horizon high winds and snow are forecast to hit the north half of the country and Antonio Conte’s Spurs are likely to feel the freeze against a side in irresistible form. The Sky Blues come into the game on the back of a thumping 5-0 win over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, while a 2-0 defeat to Wolves was Spurs’ third league defeat in a row.

This match will be a huge test of Conte’s managerial prowess and his players’ rights to be considered employees of one of the ‘Big Six’. Can they succeed on Saturday?

I seriously doubt it.

Talking Points

The Blue Moon is rising higher still…

Manchester City drew a game away to Southampton recently to prompt questions whether or not they are actually catchable in the league. Since then normal service has resumed with four wins; two in the league, one in the FA Cup over Championship club Fulham and one on the Champions League. Only the Cottagers managed to breach the watertight City defence as the Sky Blues scored 15 goals. At the start of the campaign much was made of the club’s fruitless search for a striker to replace Sergio Aguero but it simply hasn’t been a problem as Manchester City’s array of brilliant creative players have all pitched in.

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The Sky Blues attack in numbers, often overwhelming their opponents with an ability to cut through with speed and incisive passing. Raheem Sterling is top scoring with ten goals, while Riyad Mahrez, Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva all have seven goals. A potentially tricky visit to Lisbon turned out to be a demonstration of Manchester City’s attacking flair as Silva scored two, Mahrez and Sterling were both on the score sheet and, oh, England star Phil Foden stuck away a cross from Mahrez. If you are wondering what De Bruyne was up to, well he teed up the opener for Silva with his customary precision.

Even then Pep Guardiola wasn’t entirely satisfied, saying: “The players they know me. They know that we can do better. There were a few players who still didn’t read well what we have to do in terms of build up. We can do better.”

The latest Premier League 2022 betting odds have dropped to 1.10 on a Manchester City title, the fourth in five years, with just Liverpool, at a SBOTOP price of 7.50, showing any threat to the Sky Blue dominance. Guardiola’s obsession with perfection doesn’t auger well for their rivals and, at 1.25 to beat Antonio Conte’s Spurs, it looks like another three points are on the way for the Manchester side.

Spurs need the old Kane

Tottenham are in a five way battle for fourth place and, having recently been favourites to grab that last available Champions League spot, Conte’s side has made it very hard for themselves with three defeats on the bounce. I have to say that at a price of 5.03 to draw and 11.08 to win, Tottenham have the look of a lower mid table side heading the Etihad with little or no hope. But how can that be with a manager of the quality of Conte, and players of the calibre of goalkeeper captain Hugo Lloris and England skipper Harry Kane?

Son Heung Min's goal wins Tottenham Hotspur's last Premier League match against Manchester City — Son Heung-Min celebrates after scoring Tottenham Hotspur’s second goal against Southampton

Well one big reason is the centre forward’s from this season. Kane has scored five goals in 21 appearances, a poor return for a previously prolific goal scorer. Spurs Premier League 2022 results initially picked up after the arrival of Conte and they could improve again if Kane starts to find his shooting boots. His manager’s demands that all players track back may be hampering him but he wasn’t on form under previous head coach Nuno.

Conte will hope his January recruits, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, can spark a revival, though the departure of Tanguy Ndombele has left a gap which Bentancur must fill without delay.

History

Spurs have won 27 of the 55 meetings with Manchester City in the Premier League era while the Sky Blues have won 20 and there have been just eight draws. In fact Spurs have won their last three games against Guardiola’s side on their home turf, including the opening day of the current campaign as Heung-Min Son scored the only goal of the game. Kane sat that victory out amidst furious speculation that he was about to join the champions. It was Son’s first of nine this season and he is currently Spurs top scorer.

Last season City won the meeting in Manchester by 3-0 as Ilkay Gundogan scored a brace after Rodri had opened the scoring from the penalty spot.

Manchester City have won their last ten games at the Etihad and I can see them making it 11 on current form.

Betting Tip

	Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur	Manchester City Asian Handicap -1.50 @ 1.84
	February 20, 01:30 (GMT+8)

Spurs are at a price of 2.07 with the +1.50 start but I’m just not going there. A repeat of the 3-0 win City enjoyed the last time the two teams met in Manchester is at odds of 7.14… and that seems more likely to me.