Premier League Matchday 22

Manchester City FC vs Tottenham Hotspur FC
January 21st, 2017 12:30pm EST NBC
Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England

Cheerio everybody, and happy Tuesday to you all.  Last week’s marquee fixture between Man United and Liverpool didn’t disappoint.  It was an up and down affair, particularly in the second half, producing some quality chances and leaving us at the edge of our seats as both sides pushed for the elusive game winner that never came.  This week however, I have my eyes still focused on the EPL with a match that is sure to be a crack’ah”.  It’s Manchester City versus Tottenham!  I’ll set the stage with team table rankings, reveal my squad keys to the game, and provide a prediction for this highly anticipated match.

EPL Table Rankings

As the EPL heads into matchday 22, Manchester City and the Hotspur are two teams trending indifferent directions.  The Citizens started this campaign flying on the front foot, winning its first six matches.  But matchday seven brought the club its first true test of adversity as Man City lost at White Hart Lane 2-0.  Yes, it was none other than Tottenham, that ended the early streak, and since then, the Citizens have been slowing tumbling down the table, from first to at present fifth. Even still, Man Cit is tied with sixth place Man U on points.  In addition, last weekend’s defeat at Goodison Park was the largest loss in Pep Guardiola’s legendary managerial career.  A 4-0 loss to an Everton club that featured two teenagers, Tom Davies and Ademola Lookman, with both finding the back of the net and embarrassing the former Toffee, John Stones, in the process.  Things were so dire, that after 2-0 down, Guardiola appeared to be in such absolute, shock and disgust with his side’s performance, that he wasn’t even paying attention to the action. Rather Pep was seen starring into the abyss, naturally, daydreaming why on earth did he leave Bayern Munchen, where the Bundesliga Title had their name etched on it before the campaign even started.

Conversely, the Spurs are in fine fettle, as the club has won its past six matches in league play, and is currently sitting second in the table, tied with third place Liverpool in points.  The only team above them in the standings is Chelsea, who the White Lyllies beat earlier this month 2-0, ending the Blues record tying 13 game EPL winning streak.

Squad Keys to the Match

Tottenham’s recent success can be attributed to two men in particular, Dele Alli and Hugo Lloris., which makes them my keys for Tottenham.  The tender aged 20 year old Brit, Alli, has sparkled this season, producing 10 goals in 20 appearances including netting both scores in the Chelsea win a few weeks ago.  It’s his blundering pace and power that he provides while pushing forward into the opponent’s penalty area that makes him so difficult to handle.  Couple that with his tremendous heading skills, Alli is able to make great use of every inch of his imposing 6’3” frame.  Expect the England International to play a big role on crosses into the box against City. He may even slam one past the poor performing Claudio Bravo.  

As for Lloris, he’s the heart and soul of the Spurs’ squad.  As one of the world’s finest goalkeepers and club and national team captain, Hugo organizes his defense, makes outstanding saves, motivates and leads his club and country.  Tottenham has produced three clean sheets during the current six match winning streak, and have only allowed one goal in each of the other three fixtures.  This is attributed to Lloris, who must make sure his men in front are in position and holding a tight back line, as this City squad is explosive when it wants to be. 

Speaking of City, the two players that went absent against Everton at the weekend are my City keys to the game.  Who are the two men in question? Sergio Kun Aguero and Claudio Bravo.  Kun is one of the league’s best strikers, as he’s the fastest player to reach the 100 goal mark.  With that said, however, Aguero was simply non existent against the Toffees. When he’s not scoring, the Citizens seem to sputter offensively, which is exactly what happened.  Hopefully against Tottenham, though, we will see a bounce back performance by the Argentine International, as City will desperately need it.  Now regarding Bravo, he saw four on target shots headed his way from Everton, and do you know what he did?  Allowed ALL four of the balls to get past him. With the final goal, a nutmeg as icing on the cake.  Bravo might as well not have even taken the field, ‘cause he didn't stop a single shot.  This performance isn’t anything new either; as he hasn’t played well all season.  It’s a bit of a head scratcher though, because prior to transferring to City this season, Bravo had performed magnificently for Barcelona.  In the 2014-15 treble-winning year for Barca, Bravo headed a defensive unit that led the league in clean sheets with 18, and allowed the fewest goals overall. With City facing a potent Tottenham team, led by Dele Alli, Bravo better dip into his form of old, or City will be left in the dust once again.

LSB Prediction:

The Spurs won the first fixture between these two earlier in the year at White Hart Lane 2-0, but this time the match is in Manchester at the Eithad.  Meaning City will have its supporters behind them, but for just how long?  If the Citizens come out slow, will the home crowd turn? After seeing what’s transpired over recent events, it wouldn’t surprise me.  You’d think that Man City would have desire and purpose about them in this match, wanting to bounce back and stay in the hunt of the top four, but I just don’t think the squad has the quality, particularly at the back, to do so.  Thus, I think the in-form Dele Alli coupled with forward Harry Kane are going to expose the well-past their prime defenders in Zabaleta and Sagna, as well as the over-hyped and often times out of position youngster John Stones.  All of this will lead to a goal or two, and a long day for Bravo.  Lloris meanwhile will be cool, calm and collected at his end as Kun Augero’s chances will go begging.  In the end, Pep will wish he had stayed dreaming about Bayern, since when he awakes his real life nightmare will have continued as his City squad drops to sixth in the Premier League. 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur FC