Pundits says ‘brave’ Tottenham Hotspur ‘deserved’ the point against Manchester City
Jermaine Jenas and Leon Osman were quite impressed with the way Tottenham Hotspur played against Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday.
Spurs and City played out a thrilling 3-3 draw, which had its fair share of exciting moments for both teams. Ange Postecoglou has brought with him a fearless style of play at Spurs.
His full-backs play wide, the team looks to stretch the opponents, and they play a very high line. They are also brave in committing men forward and don’t sit back to defend when the situation doesn’t call for it.
Sometimes, they don’t even sit back when the situation does demand it. Case in point, the 4-1 loss to Chelsea where we played a very high line despite being down to nine men, ultimately conceding three goals to Nicolas Jackson to give a remarkably easy hat-trick.
Spurs were brilliant
So, some would have wanted Spurs to change that style against City, given their attacking prowess and the fact that it was played in Manchester. But as it turned out, Ange’s team played in their trademark fearless style, and Jenas was pleased with that. He said on BBC Match of Day 2:
“The one thing Ange Postecoglou has said to his team is to have belief in the style of play since his arrival and he is intent on continuing to play in the same way. The topic in this game was going to be whether he was going to do that at the Etihad with the state of the squad.
“But, what a brilliant game of football. Tottenham rode their luck in the first half, but the bravery on the ball, the individual performances from players like Lo Celso, they deserve the point.”
Osman, the former Everton midfielder, added:
“Ange is so intent on stretching the pitch and playing out from the back, you can see how brave Tottenham were. Manchester City were sitting with that three at the back, pushing one of their midfielders centrally and Spurs said ‘we don’t mind.”
That’s a good thing. This should be Tottenham’s identity — a team that plays attractive football, not just against the lower teams but against those they aim to challenge for trophies.
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It is in stark contrast to the approach Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte would take during their time here as Spurs boss. It is a welcome change.
