Two Man City players fail to restore Pep Guardiola’s confidence against Tottenham – Joe Bray

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No Ken – City gains?

Harry Kane has missed Tottenham’s squad to face Manchester City, for what coach Nuno Espirito Santo described as fitness reasons. It looks like he’ll never play, and any suggestions could be a hoax. However, City will be the happiest of both sides to see Kane missing.

Not only were they relieved from facing last year’s top scorer and top assistant, they also didn’t stay put into the afternoon as Kane’s every move was the focus. They can move forward with the task at hand on the pitch, helped (on paper) by the absence of the main threat to Spurs.

The managers in the plush seats sure have discussed Kane’s transfer status in conversations that could determine where Kane plays football this season. Ultimately, that decision rests with Daniel Levy, but City will be quietly happy that Kane was not fit for this opener. By returning late into pre-season, Kane knows he took a small win over Levi by excluding himself from facing the team he wants to join. He won this battle, but time would tell if he would win the war.

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Ake and Mendy struggle to seize opportunities

Nathan Ake has announced his intention to have more game time this season after a turbulent opening campaign at City, and earned Spurs’ confidence alongside Robin Dias despite his mistake in the Community Shield last week. Pep Guardiola said John Stones and Aymeric Laporte could have been available to start if needed.

Similarly, Benjamin Mendy got the nod ahead of Alex Zinchenko after a full previous season, but none of the defenders were particularly impressed with Spurs targeting City’s left throughout.

Ake was solid if not surprising, but that might not be enough to keep him in the lead over the Stones and Laporte. Son Heung-min skipped him without difficulty in scoring, but was left completely isolated by Mendy who was far from his position and had been late to come back. There have been some improvements from Mendy, but a lot of inevitable mistakes to convince Guardiola that he has the tactical awareness to play in a four-way defence. Alex Zinchenko will definitely return when he is fit.

The city’s best summer signature quietly impresses

Jack Grealish will dominate the post-match analysis, and rightly so, as the first £100m Premier League player took to the pitch with his new side for the first time in the league.

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But while City saw the promise of a new signing, another summer deal showed why it was their best signing yet in the transfer window.

At Fernandinho, City have a natural leader who leads by example and highlights why a one-year contract extension will prove to be an important part of the job. Fernandinho will continue to keep the rhythm of City calm and read the game better than any other midfielder. Especially if Grealish is tasked more with going forward than a three-midfield midfield, Fernandinho’s reliability could be key to keeping the balance this season.

Title race effects

It seems silly to talk about the title on opening day, but City will be well aware that many of their rivals have strengthened. Matches like this, against a “Big Six” team, or at least a team able to snatch points from them, could prove decisive when the title is decided in May.

Guardiola expected a slow start due to City’s fitness issues, and held off a brilliant start for 15 minutes that proved right. On a weekend where United, Chelsea and Liverpool all won, he may have been bothered by the fact that his players didn’t surprise him because he asked them to come in at the end of the season.

One cylinder is stretched while the other is broken

One winning round was guaranteed to end on Sunday, as City traveled to Tottenham with a 10-game winning streak on opening day. To make it 11, they had to end a frustrating streak of three-of-three defeats at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

Once again, though, Son Heung-min and Steven Bergwijn proved to be City’s opponents, with Spurs claiming a four-game winning streak against City in their new home, and the Blues unbeaten on their first opening-day defeat since 2010. /11 when they tied with Tottenham are a stone’s throw from the old White Hart Lane.

Who needs Harry Kane?

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