Pressing is risky but the best way to ruffle Pep Guardiola’s feathers | Jonathan Wilson

Tottenham came unstuck when they pressed high at the Etihad last season but it was preferable to their timid performance against Manchester City at Wembley

Tottenham would press them, push high up the pitch, even from goal-kicks. They’d be aggressive and adventurous. They’d stop Manchester City playing out from the back. This would be a proper test of Pep Guardiola’s side.

And they did. Nine days before Christmas last year, Spurs went to the Etihad and pressed hard and high. They did ring City’s box at goal-kicks. But City were not flustered in the slightest, even though they were restricted to just 53% possession against a season average of 65.5% to that point. Ederson just kept pinging long balls over the press: 19 of them, against a season average of 3.7. City won 4-1 and it could have been more.

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