SPURS-MAN CITY PREVIEW

That 6-0 annihilation at the ETIHAD cannot be forgotten easily by members of the Spurs team. The day Navas, Kun Aguero and Negredo ran riot. It was the beginning of the end for Andre Villas-Boas who lost his job not long after.  New manager, Tim Sherwood has come in and steadied the ship, bringing back Emmanuel Adebayor from obscurity and changing the formation which has best suited the team. They have since won five and drawn one in their last six league outings thus making Sherwood a darling of the Spurs' faithful. Tonight, the lilywhitres hope to avenge the damaging defeat v Man City in front of the demanding White Hart Lane fans.


                                                                                   


Manchester City are a team in ruthless form. 106 goals in 35 games spread over all competitions and the chance to win a first ever quadruple has made them absolutely unstoppable.  Brimming with confidence, they have torn EVERY team apart especially at home and today's opponents can testify to that glaring fact. Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo have formed arguably the best attacking partnership in Europe and with Yaya Toure behind them, things are beginning to look really good for Manuel Pellegrini. When Arturo Vidal said he's the best CENTRAL MIDFIELDER in the WORLD, I almost agreed, until I remembered a certain Gigantic Ivorian in the City set-up. The 3-time African Footballer of the year is head and shoulders above everyone else in his position and his form this season has been borderline bionic. With Fernandinho providing the needed defensive cover in midfield, Yaya has gilded through the opposition rearguard like a moving train. He is perhaps the most important player in the City team and his manager is aware of that fact. Tonight, he faces a Tottenham team not short of confidence themselves and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Spurs don't have a Yaya, Kun or Negredo but they can boast of talents such as Eriksen, Adebayor, Lennon and Walker. A far cry from the names on the City team sheet, but very effective.  Emmanuel Adebayor is the main reason why Spurs have regained composure and spark in recent weeks and his goals have come in handy. The win at Old Trafford signaled intent and raised hopes of achieving a top 4 finish this season. Danish playmaker, Christian Eriksen has contributed goals and assists too and cemented his position in the starting line-up. This has relegated Lewis Holtby to the bench and the German cannot complain too much about it. Paulinho's absence is a big blow to the team but they can cope without him as they have done in previous games. Moussa Dembele is a very impressive footballer but lacks the abilities of a great midfielder. The likes of Aaron Lennon and Nacer Chadli have flattered to deceive and Erik Lamela finds the EPL difficult to settle in. The 'Gareth Bale replacement' has cut a forlorn figure since his arrival from Rome. Despite all the setbacks, the liywhites have done well since Sherwood took over. A win tonight will endear him more to the Club's Hierarchy.


PROBABLE LINE-UP

SPURS:

Lloris, Walker, Chiriches, Dawson, Rose, Sandro, Dembele, Bentaleb, Eriksen, Adebayor, Lennon

Vlad Chiriches was pictured in a drunken state at the weekend in Romania. If Sherwood is to punish him for his misdemeanor, Capoue could deputize at centre back. However, the Spurs' coaching crew will be aware of his inadequacies and recent showing last month when Luis Suarez and co destroyed the North Londoners at home. A result that cost AVb his job. Nabil Bentaleb is doing a good job in midfield and there has been no space for Roberto Soldado in recent selections. The 26 Million pound man only scores penalties apparently and his club is not guaranteed one every match it seems. A place on the bench is most likely the case again for the 'RS9' brand. Tim Sherwood is not likely to make any changes to his starting 11 except of course it/they is/are enforced.


MAN CITY

Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov, Fernandinho, YAYA, Silva, Navas, Aguero, Negredo

I think the team all but picks itself nowadays. If there are no injuries, we know the expected line up. However, with Nasri out of action for a long time, Jesus Navas should come in and form a foursome with Silva, Kun and Negredo. 'The front four' is a beauty to behold in full flow and I doubt if Spurs have enough in their tank to prevent them from netting today. A team that has EDIN DZEKO on its subs bench is just out of this World.

City go into today's affair knowing that a win will take them to the top of the pile and with the crunch tie v Chelsea coming up soon, nothing other than victory will do. Spurs will try to make things difficult for them and find ways to curtail the RO-DO partnership upfront. The devastatingly lethal pair possess some of the best goal scoring stats in European football this term. Kun's 14 EPL goals in 13 appearances is only bettered by EL PISTOLERO SUAREZ's 23 in 19. Should be an interesting watch.


Ohireime P Eboreime
@ohiskaka1990