Spurs' Dominant Victory Over City: The Power of a Coordinated Press

Cuti Romero Pressing Erling Haaland

Spurs’ victory over City is nothing new, but this time around the outcome felt different. While in the past, Spurs would often ride their luck against City, this time the win was comfortable and somewhat dominant, particularly when it came to ball possession. The win was backed up by the expected goals metric, and fans are now asking what exactly Spurs did tactically to make City look so toothless, and what’s going wrong with City lately.

City had most of the ball, so the focus is on what they did in possession, and how Spurs effectively nullified them. City built up with their usual back three, but there was a slight difference in that Lewis would come off the left-hand side instead of the right back, moving alongside Rodri, with Silva and Alvarez in front. Typically, Spurs would sit off City during the build-up phase, but this time they were brave and looked to press whenever it was to their advantage. This was thanks to their front three who were perfectly positioned to press the City back three when they had the ball, as well as their midfield, which was technically a man down but was brave enough to continue to press the double pivot.

If the press was well-coordinated, even if one of the pivots got on the ball, the pressure would be so intense that it would be difficult to find a player between the lines. The extra center-back in the back three also allowed for one of the defenders to potentially be committed between the lines if necessary. The press largely forced City backwards, although one successful outlet was Haaland dropping between the lines and receiving intricate passes from Ederson. However, Romero was ultra-aggressive as usual, and for the most part, he was able to slow down play, though he eventually got sent off.

It was the same press that led to the Spurs goal, so Conte’s mission was accomplished. Even when City was high up the field, their shape was roughly the same with a back three and two in the midfield, but this time around, Silva was more of an attacking midfielder with Alvarez either joining Holland in a genuine front two, or operating in the right-hand half-space. The key for Spurs was the coordinated press, where Kane would press, and Son and Kulusevsky would back it up, with Hojberg and Bentancur joining in. This pressure made decision making more difficult, leading to Rodri playing in Lewis, who was under a lot of pressure, and eventually leading to Kane scoring. The game highlights the effectiveness of a well-coordinated press and shows how it can disrupt even the most dominant teams.