Premier League: Battle at Etihad

Emphasize organization

Man City quickly asserted their superiority as a championship candidate when they crushed Wolverhampton 4-0 in the opening match of the season. Erling Haaland showed his usual "killer instinct" with 2 important goals while the two new players Reijnders and Cherki made a strong impression with their creativity and ability to connect the play. The rapid integration of new factors helps coach Pep Guardiola have more tactical options, especially in the context of the midfield lacking pillars such as Kovacic, Rodri and Foden.

The visitors Tottenham also had an impressive debut under new coach Thomas Frank when they defeated Burnley 3-0. Not only did he bring freshness to the "Roosters" playing style, coach Thomas Frank also conveyed a familiar philosophy: Emphasizing organization, balancing attack and defense, and making full use of collective strength.

Đại chiến tại Etihad - Ảnh 1. — Man City will have a fierce clash with Tottenham at Etihad (Photo: PREMIER LEAGUE)

On the trip to Etihad, Tottenham were not rated on par with their opponents, but that was the forte of coach Thomas Frank. During his years leading Brentford, he often made it difficult for big teams with his disciplined, tight and extremely annoying style of play.

Despite the absence of key players such as Maddison, Udogie, Kulusevski, Tottenham still possess important "trump cards": Romero and Van de Ven are the pillars of the defense, Porro and Spence bring mobility on the wings while the front line has Kudus, Johnson and Richarlison ready to take advantage of counter-attack opportunities.

Tactical battle

One of the highlights of the match will be how Tottenham limit the creativity of Tijjani Reijnders - Man City's new "conductor". Coach Thomas Frank will likely ask the midfield to drop deep, while arranging a "double shield" to suffocate the space that Reijnders often exploits. This idea reflects his familiar "supply lock" philosophy: blocking the flow of the ball from the center instead of focusing only on marking Haaland.

Meanwhile, coach Guardiola remains loyal to the high pressing style of play, tightly controlling and taking advantage of the explosion from satellites like Doku, Bobb or Cherki to open up space for Haaland and Marmoush. Therefore, this will be an interesting confrontation between Pep's "attacking machine" and the "flexible defensive wall" that Frank has worked hard to build.

Man City are very afraid to face opponents who play good defensive counter-attacks while Tottenham is a team with excellent transition ability. In the last six meetings in the Premier League, Tottenham won 2 and lost 2, which means they are not inferior to Man City.

Man City will focus on attacking first while Tottenham are clever in counter-attacking, capable of tearing the opponent's net apart thanks to the speed and sharpness of the attack line in which Richarlison is playing a key role.

Two other notable matches in round 2 on the evening of August 23: Brentford - Aston Villa (9pm), Arsenal - Leeds (11:30pm). Both Arsenal and Leeds won all 3 points in round 1.

The clash at the Etihad is not only a measure of ambition for both teams, but also a place for coach Thomas Frank to prove his tactical credentials. If Tottenham leave Manchester with a point, it will be a strong statement that they are ready to compete in the new era.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/giai-ngoai-hang-anh-dai-chien-tai-etihad-196250822205745821.htm