these days.
Spurs’ 14th league defeat to a City side that had lost half of its previous 10 games, in all competitions, and weren’t that great on the night, saw the fat fraud pull another coaching masterclass.
It’s amazing to think that the League Cup game saw City’s 14 game undefeated run to start the season end with Spurs’ victory. They followed it up three winless City games later with that 4-0 thumping. Since that game both teams have won the same amount of games in all competitions.
The Angesexuals though Spurs were back on track, because Ange now had all these players available, and had beaten the worst ManU side we’ve seen since the 70s and season long relegation fodder Ipswich. Well, I suppose that early loss to the latter meant it wasn’t exactly a given.
As for this City side, to show how bad they are, well Ipswich could have been, should have been, three up after just six minutes against Spurs, yet it took City half an hour to match that. Unlike Ipswich they were at least one up by that mark. 12 minutes in and everyone just left Haaland all on his lonesome in the middle of the goal, six yards out. I mean, didn’t they see him? Is he hard to spot and keep track of?
Of course Ange had done that thing he did the previous game, in playing two players out of position, when he could have swapped them about like he did later in that previous game and indeed later in this game, so that just one player is inconvenienced. This left Gray floundering as Porro was no help on the right of defence, while Udogie was missing on the left and Danso was getting caught out.
Spurs didn’t muster much in that half. It was much like the previous two games, games between two poor teams. Though City had the chances and were going through Spurs with ease. They still weren’t good. If it wasn’t for a late header from Danso, then Spurs would have had just one shot all half.
Ange saw it not working in the first half and went with the same players in the second. You know, as he does. It didn’t work much at the beginning of that second either. Odobert should have done better with a Porro cross, that Tel showed he wasn’t a number 9 by not getting on the end of either.
Ange then made changes, with that pair departing, along with Udogie and Bentancur. This meant Spence was on the pitch, finally, on the left of course, I mean you wouldn’t want to play him in his actual position. You also wouldn’t want to start him when you can start the defender who has played more minutes than any other Spurs defender. Son, Sarr and Kulusevski also came on.
Spurs had chances in that second half but again couldn’t score. The best chance came from a Johnson cross, which Son brought out at least a save. But apparently they haven’t scored a second half goal at home since December.
OK the performance was better but it wasn’t that good, it was just that first half was so bloody awful. And in the end it could have been worse, with Haaland having a second chalked off in added time, as he, Gray and Danso played pat-a-cake with the ball in the area before the Norwegian “scored”.
Awful performance by the team but still one topped in its awfulness by the manager. One where he couldn’t help himself. I noticed that snuck at the bottom of the subs list was a name. Werner. Now I asked who was running the book on when he would bring the German on, in jest, it was in jest Ange. But no, he did it, he actually did it. For the 41st time Ange thought, yes it’ll be different this time, he won’t stink the place out. It was only a little over 10 minutes on the park but he stank the place out.
And that’s Ange…