Tottenham Hotspur railed valiantly against the perception they are in decline on Sunday. They rallied to beat Manchester City. They resisted the club who would like to raid them for Harry Kane.
And yet there will be evidence on Thursday of how the mighty have fallen; how far and how fast, too. City were Champions League finalists this year. Tottenham held that status in 2019. Now they are inaugural members of the Europa Conference League. The first English club to lift a European trophy, when they beat Atletico Madrid in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963, could become the maiden champions of a competition none truly wanted to enter.
A distant scenario offers some spice. Jose Mourinho, the double Champions League winner who was hired to take Tottenham into the tournament that used to be his playground, is instead in the Conference League with his new employers, Roma. But the play-off round is populated by the sort of minnows Spurs rarely encounter; they might struggle to place clubs such as Fola Esch, Kairat, Flora and KuPS on a map. For the record, they are representing Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Estonia and Finland respectively.
Spurs’ hosts are not as obscure; certainly not to their Portuguese manager. When Nuno Espirito Santo began his managerial career with Rio Ave, Pacos de Ferreira finished third. Promoted in 2019, Pacos came fifth last season; it was one of the best in their history, but they then lost their manager, Pepa. Their European adventures are brief: they held Fiorentina at home in 2013 but lost in Northern Ireland last month to Larne, a club from a town with just 18,000 inhabitants, before overturning that 1-0 deficit at home.
But, for a club who tried to join the European elite, the Super League it is not. Nor, it should be said, was Tottenham’s last taste of continental competition, when they lost 3-0 to Dinamo Zagreb, whose manager Zoran Mamic had received a jail sentence. It prompted comments that the team whose manager was in prison were better coached than that led by Mourinho.
Now Tottenham’s aim will be averting fresh embarrassment. Nuno’s decisions will be scrutinised for non-footballing reasons. Kane has not travelled, after he was named in the squad Spurs registered with Uefa, though that will not render him cup-tied for other European competitions. Tanguy Ndombele and Serge Aurier were given clear indications that they do not form part of Nuno’s plans when they were omitted.
Nuno relied on a core of regulars when he steered Wolves on a marathon run to the Europa League quarter-finals two years ago. Tottenham possess more players, which affords more opportunities to rotate at the start of a European run which could encompass 15 games.
Spurs 1 Man City 0: player ratings
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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.
One of Spurs’ summer signings, centre-back Cristian Romero, made a brief debut in the closing stages against City. The others, winger Bryan Gil and goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini, could be given their bows.
Matt Doherty and Harry Winks, two who featured prominently in pre-season but who were benched against City, might come in but as Nuno alighted on most of his preferred players quickly and others returned later after summer international duty, there are some established figures who could benefit from the chance to impress the new manager.
Meanwhile, as Kane is the sole specialist senior striker on the books could mean the 17-year-old Dane Scarlett deputises for Son Heung-min in attack.
The priority for Nuno will be a different type of reunion, when he revisits Wolves on Sunday. It may represent a more glamorous destination than Tirana, where the Conference League final will be played. The winner will qualify for next season’s Europa League. Even that, however, would merely remind Tottenham of what they have lost.
