Guardiola has run out of ideas, fearing opponents’ counterattacks; his breakthrough tactics fail as Man City lose 0-2 at home to Spurs.

At 19:30 Beijing time on August 23, the Premier League’s second round featured a big six clash with Man City hosting Tottenham.

In the first half, Marmoush created danger, Nuri was injured at 22 minutes, Aké came on but repeatedly exposed defensive gaps; Haaland’s through ball set up Marmoush who missed a great chance, Richarlison assisted Johnson to break the deadlock, and in stoppage time, Trafford’s error gifted a goal to Pariniya who doubled the lead, leaving Man City 0-2 down at halftime. In the second half, Spurs launched determined counterattacks while Man City’s attempts to break through were ineffective, with Guardiola having no solution on the sidelines.

In the end, Man City lost 0-2 at home to Spurs, marking another defeat for Guardiola against Flick, as Spurs start the season with two straight wins!

Man City vs Tottenham,Guardiola deployed a 4-1-4-1 formation with Haaland upfront, Bobb, Skirky, Reinders, and Marmoush forming the midfield four, Gonzalez as the lone defensive midfielder, Lewis, Stones, Dias, and Nuri in defense, and Trafford in goal; the starting lineup’s total market value was €612 million.;Flick set up a 4-3-3 with Johnson, Richarlison, and Kudus as the front three, Bentancur, Pariniya, and Sarr in midfield, Spencer, Vanderveen, Romero, and Polo in defense, and Vicario as goalkeeper; their starting lineup was valued at €387 million..

This match was a classic possession versus counterattack battle. Guardiola’s coaching issues are becoming more apparent, with a clear weakness being his fear of teams that play aggressive counterattacks—an issue highlighted by the Club World Cup loss to Al Hilal. Guardiola has no answer for this style, and his tenure at Man City feels creatively exhausted, especially since his divorce, which seems to have halted his tactical innovation. The loss highlights two problems: Guardiola’s possession style struggles against counterattacking teams, and new signings, though talented, underperformed. Goalkeeper Trafford’s mistake gifted a goal, Reinders missed an excellent chance by opting to pass rather than shoot. After praising Reinders following the first round, further observation is needed after this tough match-up.

With all Premier League clubs now wealthy enough to buy players suited to their tactics, Man City’s previous financial advantage has diminished. Coupled with Guardiola’s tactical stagnation, Man City now particularly fears teams with sharp counterattacks. Tottenham has become a “nemesis” for Man City, and Flick is the second Premier League coach after Conte to beat Guardiola consecutively.

Throughout the match, Man City’s possession exceeded 60%, but it was ineffective as they lacked breakthrough tactics and a true attacking threat. Man City had 10 shots, two fewer than Spurs, and 4 shots on target, one less than Spurs, indicating that despite dominating possession, Guardiola was powerless in this scenario, resulting in repeated defeats.