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City must switch style to secure success over Spurs

Manuel Pellegrini needs to vary his style if Manchester City are to win the league this season. Changes are needed quickly, starting with Sunday’s fixture against Tottenham Hotspur.

Pellegrini has long been a believer that his ideas are right and that his style does not need tailoring towards any given opponent. His basic belief is incredibly simple, “If we do this right, we will always win.” In some ways, his rigidity and refusal to deviate from his principals is admirable. Sadly, though, it is a stance that is costing City dear in their hunt for the Premier League title.

If ever the manager is going to accept that his team have simply been worked out and that they need to show flexibility in their tactical approach, he has to do so now. Against Leicester City last week the Blues failed to account for The Foxes’ love of playing on the counter, made no plans for dealing with Riyad Mahrez and selected their slowest defenders to compete with the electric Jamie Vardy. City were shown up in that match; if they make the same mistakes against Spurs on Saturday, they will get the same result.

The Blues have looked vulnerable against teams that employ a pressing game all season. That should set alarm bells ringing ahead of Tottenham’s visit to the Etihad Stadium; they are arguably the best pressing team in the country. It’s hard to think of a side better equipped to exploit City’s weaknesses.

What can City do to address this? It’s been suggested before plenty of games this season – give Sergio Agüero a partner. At least have somebody playing just off him. With Wilfried Bony injured, Kelechi Iheanacho remains a good option. If he is employed to play as a second striker then the gap between midfield and attack will be reduced and will give City a much better chance of holding onto the ball when they push forward. As long as that gap remains, they will be susceptible to strong pressing.

As has been the case all season, the Blues have suffered crucial injuries ahead of this huge fixture. Bacary Sagna has been confirmed as missing the tie, but of more concern is the news that Fabian Delph will miss the next six weeks after suffering a problem with his Achilles tendon. With Eliaquim Mangala, Samir Nasri, Jesús Navas and Kevin De Bruyne also missing, Pellegrini’s men are in dreadful shape for the rest of what is an absolutely crucial month in the season.

It’s not just the injuries to key players causing City problems at the moment; the form of important players who are fit is also an issue. David Siva is the guiltiest party here. For five years, the Spaniard has consistently been one of the Premier League’s most exciting footballers and one of the greatest to have ever donned the sky blue. However, since returning from injury he has been a shadow of his best.

The reasons are not entirely clear. Could it be that he is still carrying an injury? He has had a bad ankle for a long time – it pre-dates him joining City. It is possible that years of being kicked hard by inferior opponents on an already-injured ankle has finally caught up with him. There is no question that he is currently suffering his worst period since moving to Manchester in 2010. Whatever the reason, matches are passing the little genius by at the moment. If he can regain his best form, it will be a huge boost to his team.

Yaya Toure is another curious case. The Ivorian increasingly looks cumbersome and flat-footed, meaning he is easily bypassed in midfield and is struggling to exert his influence on matches. He is not being helped by a manager who is overusing him; Toure no longer looks capable of playing two games a week, but Pellegrini doesn’t seem to have noticed. That problem is only going to be exacerbated by the injury to Delph which has severely limited the manager’s options in the middle of the park.

It’s not all doom and gloom for City. Captain Vincent Kompany is back from injury and could start. The return of the Belgian always comes with a note of caution though; on his last return he didn’t even last ten minutes before breaking down again. If he can remain fit, City will be better organised in defence and have a chance of shutting Spurs out; without him, such an occurrence is unlikely.

The manager must finally learn that persisting with one style is not going to earn City enough positive results to catch the teams ahead of them and that lesson has to have been learned this week. A bad result against Spurs and a Leicester win over Arsenal could see City almost out of the title race. However, a fresh approach and a positive result could re-invigorate the Blues just in time for the run in. There are no second chances now, City have to hit their stride immediately.