Spurs look to expose faltering City’s frailties
LONDON: It may be too late to stop Manchester City’s march to the Premier League title, but Tottenham Hotspur can further delay the title party and further embolden challengers next season by inflicting a fourth straight defeat on Pep Guardiola’s men on Saturday.
City have suffered their worst week since Pep took charge with three successive defeats for the first time under him.
Liverpool romped into the Champions League semifinals 5-1 on aggregate win by winning both legs of their quarterfinal, whilst City also blew a two-goal lead and the chance to win the title against local rivals Manchester United in losing the Manchester derby 3-2 last weekend.
City still boast a 13-point lead at the top of the Premier League with six games remaining. And they could even be crowned as early as Sunday with victory at Wembley allied to defeat for United at home to West Brom.
City thrashed Spurs 4-1 when the sides met earlier in the season in the midst of a record 18-game winning run that amassed their commanding lead at the top of the table. However, by conceding eight times in three games, Pep’s men unveiled a weakness that hadn’t been exposed by their Premier League rivals for the vast majority of the season.
Liverpool’s bold approach has contrasted to most when faced with the might of City’s attacking arsenal and Juergen Klopp has been rewarded with three wins in four meetings with the Premier League leaders this season.
Likewise, United scored three times in 16 minutes once forced to attack by a half-time deficit that could have been far greater had the hosts taken their chances.
City also looked like a side running out of gas as they let halftime leads slip away twice in the past week after blistering firsthalf performances.
Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur hold a 10-point lead over fifth-placed Chelsea, but insists his ambition is to succeed City as champions next season.
“We are in the race for top four and that for Tottenham is a massive achievement to finish in the top four for the third season in a row,” Pochettino told reporter on Thursday.