1) Spurs show the way to beat City
There is a blueprint for how to beat Pep Guardiola’s ball-hoggers and it is publicly available: Crystal Palace employed it in October’s 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium and Tottenham did the same on Saturday: adopt a low block, stay patient while possession is maintained by the blue shirts and when the moment arrives, pounce by racing in behind the sluggish centre-backs. For Palace, Wilfried Zaha’s pace terrorised City; for Spurs it was Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. Why don’t more teams try this? Perhaps because executing lightning counter-attacks in the one or two opportunities allowed by City’s supreme passing machine is tough. But in an era of attack coaches, forensic video analysis, speedy forwards and training-ground drills there should be no excuse for more teams not attempting to exploit the glaring vulnerability. It may not always work, but this is currently the only realistic way to dismantle the league’s dominant side. Jamie Jackson
