It looks like a rollercoaster of a season all the way to the finishing line
FIVE MAIN TALKING POINTS FROM THE
PAPY Mendy played so well during Wilfred Ndidi’s two months out that it was discussed among Leicester City fans, with no hint of irony, whether the Nigerian should get back into the team when he was fit.
Mendy was more composed on the ball and his neat-and-tidy performances at the base of midfield had helped City earn some big wins.
Now, it seems ludicrous that suggestion was ever put forward seriously.
Ndidi showed against Spurs that he is one of the best ball-winners in world football and takes City to another level.
His energy and reading of the game allowed him to recover 19 loose balls, more than any other player in a single Premier League game for more than a year.
More turnovers means more possession, which means more opportunities to attack. Seven of the recoveries were in Spurs’ half; he kept City on the front, and kept the pressure on the hosts. Nabbing possession deeper stopped Spurs from threatening and helped lighten the workload for the defence behind him.
In the 310 minutes he has played in midfield since returning from injury, City have not conceded a single goal.
In short, he makes a big difference in attack and defence.
Mendy’s contribution should not be devalued, but when Ndidi plays this well, and makes City play this well, he is a rival to Jamie Vardy for the title of the team’s most important player. He is that influential to the City’s success.
Brendan Rodgers made a point of outlining that what he wants from his wingers are numbers.
To be a winger in a Rodgers team you have to get goals and assists.
Last season, Marc Albrighton got the fewest among City’s widemen.
He does not have the pace of Harvey Barnes, the trickery of Cengiz Under, nor the finishing of Ayoze Perez.
He is the wrong side of 30, so is unlikely to make great strides in these areas either.
And yet, not only is Rodgers sticking with him – while Demarai Gray is set for an exit – he is becoming a key cog. Albrighton has made an appearance in nine Premier League games this term, and has won eight.
In the five games he hasn’t been called upon, City have lost four.
On Sunday, there were three moments that summed up what Albrighton offers.
Firstly, he ran 70 yards down the pitch to get back into his own box and intercept a cushioned lay-off just as Giovani Lo Celso was setting himself to let fly.
Then, he dribbled up the pitch, using the space well before clipping a cross onto Vardy’s head, the ball bouncing off Toby Alderweireld’s thigh and into the net.
Finally, with minutes remaining, he had the stamina to press Eric Dier into the corner and charge down his clearance, leading to a chance for Youri Tielemans that really should have been buried for 3-0.
He may not fulfil the brief that
Rodgers set out for wingers, but the City boss calls on Albrighton because he can be relied upon to make an impact at both ends of the pitch.
If you beat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 5-2 away from home, it’s quite likely that the performance of the season is already sewn up.
But in City’s win at Spurs, there is a challenger.
At the Etihad Stadium, Leicester were clinical in carving through Man City’s naive defence. At Spurs, it was different.
Rather than providing thrills in attack, this was about discipline.
This was about every player following their instructions to the letter to quell Spurs’ counter.
City did that in the first half, with the hosts’ only chances coming from set-pieces.
Then, once they had scored the opening goal that Rodgers said would be so important, the task
VICTORY AT SPURS
was to defend it. They did that too, again limiting Tottenham to opportunities from set-plays and nothing more, and still threatening when they moved forward with the ball too.
It was not a simple set-up. City started with a back four, but with James Justin as a withdrawn fullback so as not to give Son Heungmin any space in behind.
But there was a fluidity to the system as it sometimes became a back five.
Despite these frequent changes, City never looked disorganised.
They used the width well with Albrighton and Timothy Castagne stretching Spurs, while they got the ball forward quickly and pressed Jose Mourinho’s men to stop them escaping on the break.
For Son and Harry Kane, it was one of their quietest days of the season.
The tactics were devised and implemented in just a few days following the Everton defeat in midweek, and yet City got it spot on.
That’s why it may even eclipse the Man City victory when this campaign is reflected on.
But it’s not solely about the tactics, the players need to perform well too, and once again they showed they have developed a big-game mentality.
Last season, City earned nine points from their 12 games home and away against the traditional big six.
They have matched that tally this season in just four games.
Too often last season, sometimes just a week after they turned on the style against a side they were expected to beat, they offered a meek display against one of the big boys, disappointing supporters by failing to hit the heights everyone knew they could.
While there was evidence of that again this season as they barely laid a glove on Liverpool, there have been noticeable changes at Man City, Arsenal and Spurs.
City have performed differently in those three games, but in all of them they have shown strength in defence, have expressed themselves in attack, and have not let any setbacks prompt a drop in their performance.
When James Maddison’s goal was ruled out by VAR for what he said was just an armpit hair offside, that could have knocked City’s belief.
Having a goal scratched off could have added to their nerves as they sought to defend their lead.
But it had no impact whatsoever, and they quickly found the second goal that put them in the clear.
And so, 12 months on, City are second at Christmas again.
Last year, there was a real excitement over a potential title challenge, even though they were 10 points behind Liverpool, who had a game in hand.
This year, the gap to the Reds is just four points, and yet the anticipation is not quite the same.
Supporters know what happened in the second half of last season and won’t want to get ahead of themselves.
But also, they know how hard it is to predict anything in this bizarre season, with City producing the wildest set of results.
If you had told a fan that City would lose to Aston Villa, West Ham, Fulham, and Everton at home in the first 14 games, they’d be thinking their team would be in a relegation battle.
Instead, they are lifting spirits at the end of a pretty miserable year.
Who knows what to expect postChristmas?
The only thing for certain is that following City will continue to be a rollercoaster.