Manchester City’s defence was yet again at fault as they lost 2-0 to Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur, according to Gary Breen.
Pep Guardiola’s side dominated possession and created plenty of opportunities in the Premier League clash but were unable to make the breakthrough against Spurs.
While City were disappointing, the former Ireland international, speaking to Off The Ball, was impressed by the home side as the climbed to fifth in the league table.
“It wasn’t the level that we’ve seen in terms of those stand out performances we’ve seen over the years, but certainly there was definitely little instances of it. The fact that they were just staying in the game, waiting for a break.
“They got that with the sending off and took advantage straight away for the first goal. From that moment on, as much as City were able to cut Spurs open in the first half they just weren’t prolific and clinical enough.
“I just felt that Mourinho would make the tactical substitutions to make sure that his team protected that lead because we’ve said it so often, he knows how to do that.
“They’ve dropped no points from winning positions under him having dropped 12 under Pochettino earlier on in the season.
“So this is a different Tottenham team. There’s none of that expansive fullbacks going into advanced areas looking for a second goal.
“It’s protecting what you have and they did that and they stayed in the game. They got the first and invariably got the second and won the game,” Breen said.
Man City's defensive frailty
The former centre-back was not nearly as complimentary of City and stated that they will need to strengthen their defence if they hope to regain their form.
“I’ve learnt that you can’t hope to compete at the top of the Premier League if you haven’t got a defence to rely on.
“Going forward, I know they weren’t at their best today, they probably should have taken their chances and probably should have had that penalty, but they didn’t do that.
“But if you can’t rely on your defenders to keep the opposition out of the game you’ve got no chance.
“We’ve seen it time and time again this season, Manchester City have not got a defence you can rely on,” Breen commented.
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