Tottenham comeback costs Guardiola's Man City more points as title chances slip further for both

Pep Guardiola needed this.

The Manchester City manager was, for years, considered the best in the world. But just as soon as his side stumbled in his first Premier League season, a legion of critics raced to be the first to publish their takes on how overrated they thought he was, saying, “See? He was only good because he managed Barcelona and Bayern Munich.”

There’s a kernel of truth to this. Management is a simpler line of work when you have one of the all-time greatest club teams at your disposal, one at the absolute peak of a decade-long dynasty. And Bayern has systematically used its financial might to poach its domestic competitors’ best players, making it ever harder for anybody to beat the Bavarian champions.

But this also overlooks Guardiola’s contribution in implementing systems that enshrined these teams’ superiority. And the regression after his departure in both teams, however minor perhaps, underscores the added value he always had.

City, however, has been a job of a difficulty he had not yet faced.

For one, it isn’t the biggest club in its country, or even part of a duopoly. It isn’t even the biggest club in its own city. There are more than two clubs structurally in the title race in England. These days, it’s more like six. And City was a team with significant deficiencies. So success has neither been assured or immediate.

Son saved the day for Spurs. (Reuters)

After spending the first 10 matchdays in first place, the Citizens have slid to fifth place on the back of four losses in the last eight games. So they badly needed to win against second-place Tottenham Hotspur at home on Saturday to rejoin the pack chasing an imperious Chelsea – especially with Manchester United tying Stoke and Liverpool incomprehensibly losing to Swansea City earlier in the day. If Guardiola’s first season wasn’t going to be a wash, he needed the points. We’re past the halfway point of the season now. The jostling for the title chase is happening now, with the decisive months fast arriving.

Guardiola didn’t get the points. He got a point, after his Man City dominated the match – outshooting Spurs 17-6 and 7-2 with shots on target – but gave up a two-goal lead for a 2-2 tie, courtesy of some uncharacteristically shoddy goalkeeping by Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris.

City had Spurs totally pinned back in the first half. To go scoreless into halftime, Toby Alderweireld had to apply a superb tackle to diffuse a close-range Pablo Zabaleta shot. Lloris then saved well with a long dive on a David Silva shot. Zabaleta got off another pull from the subsequent corner that spun just wide the other post.

Spurs spent 76.32% of the opening 20 minutes vs. Man City inside their own half.

Harry Kane had just one touch in that time. pic.twitter.com/u6PUqePRr6
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 21, 2017

Guardiola’s men got ever closer. Before the break, Leroy Sane had a pair of dangerous headers and Sergio Aguero had a look that was closed down well by Alderweireld.

Just after halftime, City finally broke through. In the 49th minute, Kevin de Bruyne’s ball over the top caught Lloris out at the edge of his box. He hesitated and dove to head the ball. He didn’t get enough on it and the ball glanced off Sane’s arm and bounced into his path for an open goal.