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City took the lead inside 11 minutes as Rayan Cherki arrowed a low shot past Guglielmo Vicario after Yves Bissouma was dispossessed, before Antoine Semenyo doubled the visitors’ advantage on the stroke of half-time.
Spurs fought back after the break and levelled the score throgh a Dominic Solanke double – the second being a stunning acrobatic finish after a stampeding run from Conor Gallagher.
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Supporter protests are not going away
Spurs’ issues right now are not limited to on the pitch, and supporters are growing increasingly agitated with the direction of the club.
Back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since that game, a number of supporters walked out in the 75th minute in protest against the club’s board.
A Change for Tottenham spokesperson told Standard Sport this week that they felt the club was in a “dangerous position” and questioned their ambition in the transfer market.
“This window has been a complete failure. The club is in a dangerous position and the leadership haven’t done anything to stem the tide. Instead of being bold and ambitious in the market, we have seen more of the same failings. Fans have power and we can show that on Sunday.”
Frank was asked about supporters’ frustrations with the club’s activity in the January transfer market, and reiterated that the Lewis family are committed to funding a wholesale rebuild. He did, however, say that the club would not be forced into making snap decisions before Deadline Day, despite Spurs’ mounting injury list.
That could change, with Spurs missing 11 senior players against City, following injuries to Djed Spence and Kevin Danso, and there are concerns over Cristian Romero.
For supporters, though, it all feels a little too late with tomorrow’s 7pm deadline fast approaching.
Cristian Romero was forced off at half-time
REUTERS
Injury ‘curse’ continues to hamper Spurs
Thomas Frank may well have been right when he said Spurs are cursed.
Frank, half-joking, made that admission after Lucas Bergvall was ruled out for around three months with an ankle injury sustained after an innocuous challenge during Spurs’ 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
Things have not got much better since, and with Micky van de Ven, Spence and Danso not involved against City, while Cristian Romero was withdrawn at half-time, Spurs are down to the bare bones – the north London club are a goalkeeper away from being able to name a full starting eleven of injured players.
Frank said Danso’s toe injury was “extremely unlucky”, but after three years of fitness issues, serious questions need to be asked about the way in which the club approaches injuries.
Spurs’ state-of-the-art training ground and stadium are the envy of the Premier League, but their fitness facilities and practices are still some way behind where they would want them to be.
Frank has admitted that the club are looking to improve the return to play time for injured players and added that he felt the club’s medical department would be happy with the progress they have made this season.
To the outside world, though, it appears that Spurs’ injury issues are only getting worse.
Dominic Solanke scored twice
Action Images via Reuters
A tale of two halves for Spurs’ midfield
A heavily depleted Spurs side, adapting to a new system, were always going to find it hard against City’s experience.
Guardiola’s side were, though, a cut above in the first half, and that was no more apparent than in midfield, where Rodri and Bernardo Silva dominated every inch of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
First, Bernardo pounced to dispossess Bissouma for City’s opening goal before Rodri intercepted a stray pass from Radu Dragusin to allow Semenyo to double City’s lead.
It was all too easy for City to cut through Spurs in the opening 45 as they worked the ball from back to front.
By half-time, Rodri and Bernardo had taken 91 and 56 touches, respectively. Spurs’ midfield pairing of Bissouma and Gallagher, by contrast, took 51 touches between them.
The mark of a good manager is identifying and adapting to situations, and Frank showcased his adaptability by remodelling Spurs’ midfield after the break to take charge of a game they had, to that point, had no say in.
Pape Matar Sarr came on for Romero, and Spurs went to a 4-2-3-1 in a bid to get a foothold in the game.
Much has been made of Spurs’ powers of recovery, and powered on by the intensity of Gallagher, the home side battled back to draw level.
Gallagher’s second-half performance embodied everything Spurs had hoped for when they brought him in from Atletico Madrid, and it was his driving run and cross that allowed Solanke to acrobatically restore parity.
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