A number of Tottenham players found it tough to get a foot in the game against Man City last weekend, as the match ended in a rather fortunate 2-2 draw for Spurs.
The very nature of Man City’s game under Pep, based around quick one-touch passing, makes it extremely difficult to close down the men in blue.
It takes a lot of energy and a lot of shifting from side to side to defend against their build-up play, which is not exactly what you want just two games into the season.
The Spurs lads will not yet be at peak fitness and that really showed at the weekend, with Darren Bent picking out Moussa Sissoko as one man who particularly struggled.
Bent claims that Sissoko didn’t serve much of a purpose in the match due to his lack of creativity on the ball, despite his ability to shut players down with force.
Bent said (Football Insider): “It’s a tough one because Moussa Sissoko, he does a lot of good stuff – he runs around, puts the tackles in, he’s got that energy but sometimes you just need that little bit more.
“You need more than just someone to run around and shut people down, maybe that creativity on the ball. It was tough for him and when you’re playing against someone like Manchester City, who keep possession and pass it around, he’s not really serving much of a purpose.
“That’s one area that Tottenham need to address, it was one of his quieter days.”
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