Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is available for the first time since Boxing Day after recovering from a long-standing calf problem.
David Silva is also fit but Fabian Delph is out for seven weeks with an Achilles injury and Bacary Sagna has a knee problem.
Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli is expected to be recalled, having featured as a substitute last weekend.
Kevin Wimmer will continue to deputise for the injured Jan Vertonghen.
Editor’s Note: The second of two huge matches this Valentines Day Afternoon, who ever was in charge of the fixture computer needs shooting. There will certainly be no love lost between these two sides as Manchester City will aim to get back in the title hunt and also look to atone for the 4-1 thumping that Tottenham handed out to them earlier in the season.
City were outclassed by high flying Leicester last Weekend in a game where they were second best to everything. In all departments City were made to look normal, they couldn’t handle the pace from Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez neither the aerial domination of Robert Huth. It was simply an Afternoon to forget for the blue half of Manchester.
That defeat and subsequent other results saw City dropped to 4th this season and now 6 points off leaders Leicester. It was a massive win for Leicester and an ever bigger defeat for City, if results go against them this Afternoon then they could be as many as 9 points behind and then you will have to seriously question their title credentials.
Part of the reason they now find themselves in 4th is their inconsistent form, they haven’t managed to string two wins together since December but their patchy form could be helped by their return of their Captain Vincent Kompany. It’s no secret that City have been a different Animal since Kompany has been out injured. Manager Manuel Pellegrini must be cursing the decision to bring Kompany on as a substitute against Sunderland only to see him get a resurgence of his injury and out for a further 6 weeks. Where it not for that injury then City could have been pushing all the way to the top by now.
Another reason they find themselves in 4th is due to the form of Tottenham, 4 Premier League wins in a row has seen them move up to an unprecedented 2nd in the table. Last Weekend they ran Watford ragged all Afternoon. The scoreline may have only suggested a tight game but the statistics couldn’t have been any further from that. Tottenham had over 20 shots on goal whereas Watford had 1. A simply ruthless performance by the North London side.
Again it was a real test of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad last Saturday and it was the full back positions that were in the spotlight with Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies performing lung busting runs up until the 90th Minute and it was one of those runs that saw Trippier slot home the winner thanks to Substitute Dele Alli’s cross. Such is the strength of the squad that there isn’t even a guarantee that the performances of Trippier and Davies from last week will be enough to see them start Today.
One player who is likely to start is Dele Alli, the young man who seems to love the big occasions. Column inch after column inch has been written about the lack of second Striker at Tottenham but the partnership between Harry Kane and Dele Alli almost shows that they don’t need one. It was Alli’s extra impetus last Saturday that allowed Spurs to kick on even further and get that crucial goal. A Spurs side of old would have drawn that 0-0 but this is the Spurs of now and what an exciting time it is at White Hart Lane.
Their performances are almost sitting under the radar, maybe that’s the perfect position for Spurs right now. The pressure isn’t on them as no-one really expects them to win the League so the focus and the spotlight is well and if that means that Spurs can pick up the pieces when everyone crumbles around them then the plan is going just fine at the moment.
Now is the start of a difficult run of games for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, a run which is ultimately going to define how this season pans out. It’s a season where they could still finish anywhere between 1st and 5th and you really can’t predict how it’s going to end up. Today is a massive test for this young Tottenham side but if they can overcome this one then that ever growing confidence is going to get even higher as we move into the final third of the season.
I have a feeling though that City will be a wounded animal from last week and will look to bounce back from their drubbing last week. They can’t afford to lose but then a draw will do them no favours either. Sergio Aguero versus Kevin Wimmer is going to be a key battle, one that would be a lot more even had Jan Vertonghen be playing. I think City are going to just edge this one it was is going to be quite a tight and nervy encounter. Tell your Girlfriend to go in the other room for 2 hours, a Home win for me.
