Manchester City enjoying ‘new vibes’ from refreshed squad on road back to the top
Pep Guardiola has early chance to test City’s revival against a Tottenham side that routed them 4-0 at the Etihad amid a torrid run of one win in 13 games In biblical rain nine months ago, a 4-0 hammering by Tottenham left Manchester City tactically shredded and Pep Guardiola devastated at a silenced Etihad Stadium 48 hours after he had agreed a fresh two-year contract with the club, the manager stating: “I cannot leave”. When Tottenham return to the scene of last November’s rout for Saturday’s early kick-off, Guardiola will send out a revamped side intent on wiping away the memory of that difficult day, and proving he was prudent to extend his tenure. The Spurs reverse was a fifth consecutive defeat that featured two other league losses, to Bournemouth and Brighton, that were no blip but rather the start of a slump that would feature one victory in 13 games in all competitions. The sequence all but ended City’s title defence, dumped them out of the Carabao Cup – also by Spurs – and included Champions League losses to Sporting and Juventus that indicated City European challenge would founder, as it did via a 6-3 aggregate playoff defeat to Real Madrid. Continue reading...
