City show Spurs they need to improve

MANCHESTER: Manchester City’s 4-1 hammering of Tottenham highlighted just how much the London club need to improve if they are to play for the title, manager Mauricio Pochettino said after Saturday’s loss.

Relentless City picked up their 16th straight win after brushing aside a team who this season have beaten Real Madrid in the Champions League and who were tipped by many to be Premier League contenders.

“Of course you cannot say anything positive, because that is the mentality of football,” Pochettino told reporters.

“But for me, you can take some positives from the unbelievable experience for the team to realise that to play for the Premier League we need to improve, we need to learn, to work harder than before and of course we play again today a team that has a lot of quality.”

The Argentine noted some key moments that influenced the outcome, particularly the first goal was a massive gift for Manchester City,” Pochettino said.

“It changed completely all that you compare and wanted to develop on the pitch.

“We cannot concede in the way that we conceded, a lack of concentration and focus, and this situation changed the game.”

Spurs enjoyed a good spell of pressure after halftime and from the outset they attempted to attack City, but Pochettino said that City were just too good.

“Throughout the game we respected our ideas but they were better. We tried but in the end there is not too much to assess, not too much to say, we just have to try to lift the players and be ready to compete again next week,” Pochettino said.

“They are in a very good form and momentum. They are showing why they are the best in the Premier League.”

City manager Pep Guardiola said he had no words to describe the performance of midfielder Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgian inspired them to victory on Saturday.

De Bruyne was at the heart of City’s win, scoring their second with a blistering strike.

Beyond that he was a constant threat to Tottenham every time he had the ball, torturing Spurs with both his sweeping passes and his direct running at their defence.

He was brought down for the second-half penalty that was struck against the post by Gabriel Jesus and it was the Belgian’s burst forward that led to City’s third goal, which put the outcome beyond doubt.

“His performance today, I have no words, no words to describe what he has done with the ball, how many assists, his (ability to) switch play,” said the Spanish manager.

“The fact that he is one of the most talented players and you see him, how he runs without the ball, he is a good example for the young players, for our academy.” – Reuters