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“Pep Guardiola’s BIGGEST THREAT, which Man City told to be Wary of”- Manchester City told to be in alert and careful with one Tottenham player which DISMANTLED Pep Guardiola’s Defense ahead of upcoming clash
During the international break, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola likely spent time reflecting on how to overcome Tottenham Hotspur and snap their four-match losing streak.
While recent results may be concerning, it’s premature to label Manchester City’s form as a crisis. However, another defeat or dropped points could start to worry their supporters.
Tottenham, despite sitting in 10th place in the Premier League, still possess undeniable quality. One player Guardiola and his team must be especially wary of is Son Heung-min. In their last encounter, City played a rotated side, but Spurs came out on top with a 2-1 victory.
Son remains one of the Premier League’s most dangerous forwards. In just eight league starts this season, the 32-year-old has contributed eight goals and eight assists. But what’s most worrying for Manchester City is Son’s remarkable record against them. Across 19 appearances in all competitions, he has scored eight goals and provided nine assists.
A recurring theme in Son’s goals against City has been his clinical finishing on the counterattack. Last season, he opened the scoring in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw at the Etihad, capitalizing on a perfectly weighted pass from Giovanni Lo Celso to slip the ball past Ederson. Another notable counter-attacking goal came in the 2020/2021 season when Tottenham defeated City 2-0 under José Mourinho. Son’s pace and clinical finishing saw him score after a ball over the top from Tanguy Ndombele.
Tottenham remains a formidable team on the break, with Son, Brennan Johnson, and Dejan Kulusevski all capable of exploiting spaces on the counter. Opta Analyst stats show that City are conceding 0.91 shots per game on the break this season—50% higher than their average during their title-winning campaigns. Furthermore, City have the highest xG (expected goals) per non-penalty shot conceded in the league at 0.15. Over 39% of the chances City have allowed this season have come through the middle of the pitch, the second-highest in the Premier League behind only Tottenham (42.3%).
Considering Son’s track record against Manchester City and the stats suggesting vulnerabilities in City’s defense, Guardiola’s side could be in trouble if they don’t address Spurs’ counter-attacking threat.
It may be worth starting Matheus Nunes against Tottenham, as his energy and athleticism could help strengthen City’s midfield and provide more defensive cover.
Guardiola himself has acknowledged Son’s ability to hurt Manchester City. After a vital save from Stefan Ortega to deny Son’s close-range effort in a 2-0 win for City last season, Guardiola admitted Son’s frequent threat to his side, saying, “You know how many times Son punishes us the last seven, eight years? How many goals they score with Harry Kane? Oh my God.”
Guardiola’s respect for Son is shared by others, including Manuel Akanji, who described Son as a clinical finisher. “Most of the time, you try to force attackers to shoot with their weaker foot, but not Son,” Akanji said. “He can finish with either foot.”
Manchester City’s defense and midfield will need to be tightly coordinated to contain Son. If they fail, the veteran forward could punish them once again, leading Tottenham to an unexpected victory over the Premier League champions.
