Nuno Espirito Santo finds himself in distinguished company. Only Jurgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had registered three Premier League wins against Pep Guardiola before his debut victory with Tottenham. Only his immediate predecessor, Mourinho, had triumphed against the Catalan with two clubs.
Nuno’s feat felt all the greater given the backdrop. Guardiola’s description of Spurs as “the Harry Kane team” is increasingly infamous. In the absence of Kane, “the Son Heung-min side” seemed an alternative tag. Lacking a specialist striker, Nuno pressed Son into service as one. “Sonny is a killer,” he reflected afterwards.
A killer offered a glimpse of life after Kane, should he go, and especially if a striking target, such as Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez, proves elusive in a frantic end to the transfer window. Kane and Son proved a record-breaking double act last season but some of the South Korean’s previous scoring spurts, in January and February of both 2019 and 2020, occurred when the Englishman was absent. Until they combined for 14 goals last season, there was a theory that Son was better as a striker. It could be put to the test again.
If Son’s career-best season last year – of 17 goals and 10 assists – underlined his stature and Spurs’ underachievement in coming seventh, Kane’s tallies of 23 and 14 showed what a huge hole he could leave.
Nuno offered the first evidence of his blueprint to fill the void against Manchester City. Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura proved eager and effective counter-attackers, operating either side of Son. It was similar to a Mourinho gameplan: both wingers were favourites of Spurs’ first Portuguese manager, partly due to their devotion to their defensive duties. A meeting with City, where Tottenham only had 41 per cent of possession, called for such qualities but it was partly a physical effort based on tactical discipline. Bergwijn completed 12 passes and no crosses, though Moura offered more incision in the final third.
And different games will call for other attributes. In Mourinhoifying Bergwijn, Spurs’ former manager stripped the Dutchman of some of his threat. He did not score in his first 33 club games last season. Moura has more scoring pedigree but a return of three goals in 30 league matches last season was meagre for a man with a Champions League semi-final hat-trick to his name. If Son’s burden is not to be too heavy, Spurs will need more goals from the flanks especially as Gareth Bale, last season’s third most prolific marksman, is gone.
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TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Hugo Lloris: 6 - The goalkeeper had little to do but looked shaky on occasion when coming out to collect aerial deliveries. -
Japhet Tanganga: 9 - Tasked with keeping both Grealish and Sterling quiet, the youngster did his job well. He would often go tight to the two wingers, making sure he was aggressive to stop them before they had a chance to turn towards goal. -
Davinson Sanchez: 8 - With a lot of the threat coming down his side, Sanchez sweeped up behind Tanganga well and denied City on many occasions. -
Eric Dier: 7 - Dier had a relatively comfortable game, leading well from the back and not having to make any last ditch efforts to keep his side from conceding. -
Sergio Reguilon: 7 - The left-back had the job of denying Mahrez from cutting in on his cultured left foot and did so on most occasions. He kept the winger quiet throughout but had few chances to go on the attack with his side. -
Oliver Skipp: 6 - Skipp had a shaky start to the game, much like his side on a whole. He made a few rash challenges to begin with but he grew into the game as it wore on. -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 7 - The Danish international continued his good form from last season, controlling the midfield well both on and off the ball. -
Steven Bergwijn: 6 - The winger was the quieter of a front three that caused problems for City on the counter but he still looked dangerous when given a chance to run into space. -
Dele Alli: 7 - The midfielder had little impact earlt in the game but grew in influence, picking up the occasional pocket of space and launching counters. -
Lucas Moura: 7 - The 29-year-old was a big asset to Spurs on the counter. He would often drive his team forward after picking up the ball in the midfield to start an attack. -
Son Heung-Min: 8 - The forward started the game apprehensively, not taking on his man one-on-one. However, his influence grew in the game and he rounded it off with a great finish from the edge of the box. -
SUBS: Giovani Lo Celso (For Bergwijn 77’): N/A - The midfielder came on to bolster their bodies in the middle of the park as Tottenham looked to see out the game. He pressed well, being the fresher of the midfield trio. -
Matt Doherty (For Tanganga 83’): N/A - Doherty slotted into right-back for the dying embers of the game. He didn’t put a foot wrong, ushering Grealish on his side well. -
Cristian Romero (For Hojbjerg 89’): N/A - Romero made his debut from the bench for the injured Hojbjerg as he helped his side get over the line for the victory. -
MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson: 4 - The goalkeeper had little to do but could and should have done more to deny Son’s goal from the edge of the box. Instead, he didn’t move as the home side took the lead. -
Benjamin Mendy: 4 - The left-back was often caught out defensively in transition when Spurs looked to counter. A lot of the space was on his side where he wasn’t tracking back. He also offered little in an attacking sense during the game. -
Nathan Ake: 5 - With a lot of the threat down his side, Ake started well to deny Spurs on a few occasions but showed Son inside for his strike, allowing the forward to move the ball onto his left to score. -
Ruben Dias: 6 - The centre-back mainly had to cover and sweep up when dealing with counter attacks, making a few clearances and blocks when called upon for his side. -
Joao Cancelo: 7 - The right-back looked the most assured of the back line in defence and attack. He won the majority of his duels and looked threatening when bringing the ball forward. -
Ilkay Gundogan: 6 - Made a key block in the first half to deny Tottenham from taking the lead but his forays up the pitch often left his midfield partner stranded when hit on the counter. -
Fernandinho: 7 - The ball-winning midfielder did what he did best to stop the Tottenham counter, making crucial interceptions on several occasions. -
Jack Grealish: 6 - On his Premier League debut for Manchester City, Grealish showed glimpses of what he can do, bursting into the box with danger and intent. However, he struggled to find some end product. -
Raheem Sterling: 5 - On the back of an impressive summer with England, Sterling wasn’t able to replicate the form he showed at the Euros. He got into a few dangerous positions but couldn’t drive his team forward when they needed it most. -
Ferran Torres: 5 -The makeshift striker looked proactive in his approach, covering a lot of space, but unable to make chances count when he got a good opportunity to score. -
Riyad Mahrez: 6 - Had a quiet game for his club with a lot of the play going down the opposite flank. He tried to cut in on a few occasions to no avail but he still looked a threat before being subbed off. -
SUBS: Gabriel Jesus (For Sterling 70‘): 5 - Had little service after coming on in an attempt to change the game for Pep Guardiola. He wasn’t able to have a direct impact in the final third. -
Kevin De Bruyne (For Mahrez 80’): N/A - Following a summer of international football with Belgium, De Bruyne wasn’t fully fit to start but was hoping to make an impact when called off the bench. He had little time to do so. -
Oleksandr Zinchenko (For Mendy 80’): N/R - Replaced Mendy as they looked to come back. He couldn’t have the desired impact, crossing from poor positions.
The other in Sunday’s side with more potential for potency was in midfield. Mourinho’s treatment of Dele Alli proved utterly pointless, neither resulting in a big-money move or a return to form. A difference between Portuguese managers was apparent on the opening weekend: last season, Mourinho hauled Alli off at half time against Everton and did not grant him another Premier League start until March.
On Sunday, Nuno praised Alli for his excellence in a deeper midfield role; again, it required a willingness to sacrifice himself for the side and, like Mourinho, Nuno values positional sense. Yet other matches may offer an opportunity to unleash a player who scored 18 league goals in 2016/17. “He is a runner,” Nuno said. “He has this ability to go from box to box and we as a team should take advantage of it.” Arguably his Wolves side lacked a comparable figure. They were reliant on Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota for goals, a striker and winger who were their Kane and Son. And when Jimenez’s fractured skull cost them the services of their version of Kane, Wolves floundered. Nuno may hope the similarities with his past end there.
