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A difficult few months for Tottenham came to a climax yesterday against Manchester City at the Etihad. In a fixture that Spurs have enjoyed continued success in over the last few years, the tables were turned as Manchester City kept up their frightening pace.

First half goals from Gündoğan and De Bruyne, and a late brace from Sterling seen off Tottenham before Eriksen rifled in a stoppage time consolation. It was always going to be a tough ask to come to the Etihad and take points off of the runaway leaders, but the manner in which Spurs were dispatched must be a slight concern for Mauricio Pochettino.

This Spurs team prides itself on its defensive prowess and a never say die attitude, and while there are injuries to key players in Alderweireld and Wanyama, along with Sanchez serving the last of a 3 match ban, there were too few signs of Spurs’ defensive pragmatism on show.

Sané too hot to handle for Trippier

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Full back Kieran Trippier has come under criticism for his performance in the 4-1 loss, where on many occasions Leroy Sané seemed to have the entirety of the left flank to himself.

Some of the criticism is justified, stemming from the ease of which Sané was able to pass Trippier and create a chance, or a half-chance. Trippier struggled against the young German’s blistering pace and body feints, but on too many occasions he was isolated against City’s man in form – one of many.

With Tottenham forced to revert to a back four, Trippier was often on the wrong end of a 2v1 against Sané and co. Part of the Guardiola blueprint is to flood one side of the pitch before quickly transitioning to the opposite flank and isolating a full-back, which Trippier fell victim to on a number of occasions. Winks and Dembele were too often sucked in to the ball and leaving space behind, giving Trippier a tough ask each and every time.

To press or not to press

With this Manchester City side playing some of the best football the Premier League has ever seen, and Pep Guardiola encouraging his opponents to ‘play’ against them (See: the Nathan Redmond incident), the hot topic in England is whether the ‘Mourinho Masterclass’ should be a thing of the past.

Of course, that will never happen and its beyond naive to think that Southampton are going to bring the game to you at the Etihad, but it does pose the question: Should Spurs have taken a more pragmatic approach?

It’s no secret that Spurs best performances to date this season have come in games where they have forfeited the lions share of possession and blown teams away on the counter. Liverpool, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund have all been prime examples of how devastating Spurs can be on the counter attack, yet the game plan was the opposite of this at the Etihad.

Despite Spurs best efforts to get in the faces of the Manchester City back line, they were often left chasing shadows as the City players were comfortable in passing out from the back. This, epitomised by the stunning distribution of Goalkeeper Ederson – who often would take 5 players out of the game with a pinpoint 60 yard pass.

There is no guarantee that a more pragmatic approach would have resulted in a more positive outcome. However, with key players missing and the team not pressing as effectively as last season, it may have been a more sensible approach.

Adjusted expectations for the season

Just one month ago, despite talk of being in the title race long gone, a lot of Spurs fans were quietly confident that top four would be a formality given the progress this team has made over the last two or three seasons. However, they are bang in the middle of a dog-fight for a top four place now.

Surprise contenders Burnley don’t seem to be letting up, and with Liverpool and Arsenal picking up points again, the battle for a top four place looks like it is going to go the distance.

The festive period will be key in keeping pace with the rest, and with Liverpool meeting Arsenal on Friday night, the game at Turf Moor next Saturday is the perfect opportunity to put themselves back in a commanding position.