Champions League Quarterfinals: Panic In the Streets of London

THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RETURNS WITH THE 1ST LEG OF THE QUARTERFINALS BECKONING, SO...WHO GIVES A DAMN WHAT ANYONE HAS TO SAY, IT'S THE FOOTBALL THAT DOES THE TALKING....RIGHT???
     BUT UNTIL THEN ....WE MAY AS WELL...
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         THE RABBIT HOLE 


TOTTENHAM V CITY

This should be an outstanding domestic clash full of quality, brutality and endless pressing and counter-pressing, just don't expect a bunch of goals. 
     Expect Pochettino to set his men up to deny easy City possession, as well as use their own spells on the ball as a crucial form of defense against City's nonstop attacking force. 
      Also, expect City to be wary of the threat Kane, Eriksen and Alli pose on the counter attack, meaning they'll likely be playing a more conservative possession style in fear of being exposed while their fullbacks push up the wings. 
     City can be had at the back, maybe not as easily as some clubs, yet we've seen Gundogan and Fernandinho being targeted by more athletically superior midfielders in Champions league knockout round ties (last year's quarterfinal loss to Liverpool expertly points this out)....but Fernandinho, for his own reputation, is just back from injury and was playing his best football before he went down the last month.
      However, City are whole when it comes to their midfield at the moment, with David and Bernardo Silva receiving rest recently and the welcome return of Fernandinho and Kevin De Bruyne from injury and their participation in previous matches is a boost for Guardiola. 
      But is the tandem of De Bruyne and Fernandinho  fit enough to be able to go up against the speedy, creative, gigantic and athletically graceful Moussa Sissoko, Delle Alli and Eriksen in midfield for Tottenham?
       Besides the obvious work ethic of Alli and Sissoko, surprisingly Christian Eriksen has been working hard in midfield this season too. And although out for months, Delle Alli looks fresh and Sissoko has been Poch's workhorse, the long, agile legs of the Frenchman breaking up play without the ball and flying up the center of the park using long strides while in possession.
     The question seems like I'm putting you on, right? 
     Can Manchester City's all-world midfield compete against Tottenham's all-star group? 
     Obviously they can dominate them, we're not saying City can't or won't, most people expect City to thoroughly dominate and get through Tottenham. 
     But it's never that simple, especially when contesting familiar opposition who have a cohesive squad and manager who prepares his team better than 99.9% of European clubs.
     City could be found out by this Spurs midfield, a group that lacks chemistry together (as the Moussa Sissoko midfield transformation is a new development at Tottenham and Alli just returned), yet have far more stamina and athleticism off of the ball in comparison to Man City, with Harry Winks another player that could be called upon in the mechanical area of midfield. 
     Guardiola's squad have the more creative midfield and the experience, yet Tottenham have players with something intangible to prove. 
     In fact, there may just be a sense that they're playing for the very future of their club, their status within that structure and their manager's place at the helm of it all...or potentially risk losing this framework of the best Tottenham squad and manager in club history due to higher ambitions and wage scales that will (and have) come calling.
     Forget the rumors, the truth is: Daniel Levy never buys anyone Poch wants and he never helps out his players or Pochettino, an annoyance that will come back to bite him when the manager he's been spoiled with for half of a decade leaves and takes two or three of Spurs' best players with him.   

    That said, it feels like Tottenham are playing for their lives in the Champions League, battling for their very reputation as footballers...something which will give them the edge when they're having to scrap for possession against a team like Manchester City.  
       But the three goals Tottenham scored against Barcelona over two group stage legs and their 1-1 result at Camp Nou, give me cause for pause...those results should provide a few worrying signs for City fans, especially when watching the flow of those matches. 
        Has Guardiola's recent rotation of the two Silvas been enough for them to win one on one physical battles against a larger, more tactically robust Spurs midfield? 
        Has the return of De Bruyne and Fernandinho come too late for City? 
        Will they even be able to maintain the fitness to play at their highest levels against a domestic opponent that is well and truly familiar with Guardiola's City in every aspect?
        De Bruyne has shown encouraging signs lately, with goals and assists and an abundance of chances created, resuming his station at right center mid in a roaming #10 role...
      But we've seen this all season: De Bruyne comes back for a few matches and is spectacular, scoring and assisting and then suddenly, he's hurt again for months, then he comes back and does the same thing again, each time with Pep rushing the Belgian back. 
      But on this, his 3rd injury recovery of the season, his Catalan manager seems to have found the right balance in rotating De Bruyne and Fernandinho as of late. 
     Where will all of these pieces fit in an XI against Spurs, though?
      Sane, Sterling, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, David Silva, Bernardo, Mahrez....who will start? 
     Will Pep go with the pace and fury of Sane, Sterling and Aguero up top and in midfield De Bruyne, Fernandinho and either Bernardo or David Silva? 
      Or will he excise a striker altogether, a stupid idea and one Pep has done before in the name of utilizing his young attacking talent on the wings with an edict to get central. 
        The smartest choice is this: Aguero Sterling and Bernardo up top (with Bernardo an attacking mid / forward / center mid hybrid) and in midfield: De Bruyne, Fernandinho and David Silva, with Leroy Sane coming off of the bench around the 60th minute to replace David Silva and punish Tottenham's tired legs.
       This first leg will have so many passages of tactical brilliance, like a chess match between two grand masters. 
       Spurs must control the moments of transition or they risk losing to City, as we all have seen an explosion by this Guardiola side (at one time or another) with 3 or 4 goals in a matter of minutes being more common than not.
       If it happens in this competition, if you don't control the loose play of transition, you will suffer against anyone.     
       But against Barcelona, City or Liverpool?
      You'll be crucified.
      Even if you can bridge the gap, usually you'll run out of time before completing the comeback, because although we've seen many comebacks from 1st leg deficits, the only one that was pulled off, with the opponent scoring in the 2nd leg, was the 6-1 Barca comeback over PSG.
      If Spurs can take over the moments of transition and break on City, catching them out with a bad pass at the back, or from Kane pressing Ederson away from delivering through balls and turning them into clearances out of bounds, or better yet, loose balls in midfield for Spurs, they not only would have a chance, they would be in a fantastic position. 

     
      Tottenham can and will adapt their tactics as the match goes on, but what would City do if they went down 2-0 early in the match? 
      We saw that scenario explode in City's face last year against Liverpool at this very stage. 
      City will control the game if the more balanced, dual Silva formation is put forth rather than an all out attacking lineup, yet I have a feeling that Tottenham's innate patience and ability to win and smartly retain possession through the passing of their Belgian center back duo, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, will provide them the power to take the sting out of the game and to make City players hunt for the ball.
       I assure you, if Spurs can create a scenario in which Manchester City players are having to hustle around for the ball 25-30% more than they're used to, their final ball and finishing in attack will sour on them as their four tournament siege of the FA and Carabao cups, Champions league and their EPL title defense has spread them completely thin.
     However, if City can control the match, grind out a 1 or 2 goal victory on the road in the 1st leg in London (Pep will need to throw away any concerns about style points), then they can withstand the lack of fitness from De Bruyne and Fernandinho, saving them through possession domination and be able to have them at 100% for the 2nd leg at the Etihad.
     Or, Guardiola could do a far craftier thing and fore go using the gingerly (get it?) recovering De Bruyne and go with a more pass-happy, controlling midfield three with Fernandinho and the two Silvas', bringing the creative cutthroat brutality of Kevin De Bruyne from the bench in the 2nd half to find and punish holes in the Spurs defense.
      Whatever the lineups are, however the teams are shaped, the club that maintains the ball in an attacking-sense during the moments of craziness in transition will win the tie over two legs. And though City hold a talent and depth gap over Spurs, Pochettino's club are definitely not out of this tie if City hold a slim 1st leg advantage; the presence of multiple matches will play into the tactical subtleties Pochettino pursues in this 1st leg. 
       And what Poch chooses will be the decider in this tie: if he has his side flying into challenges and trying desperately to snatch the ball from City with intense, high pressure from the first minute, he'll need to have three perfectly executed substitutions to be able to pull off the necessary stamina and cutting edge to boss the ball away from City with a nonstop press.
       If Poch has his guys sitting back and allowing Fernandinho, Gundogan, the two Silvas or De Bruyne to orchestrate from deep, Tottenham won't win the tie.
       But what if they do a combination of the two?
       Poch needs his players to foster situations such as Kane pressing after Ederson, then he backs off once the ball has left his first press, then send Alli, Sissoko and one of the wing backs (Rose or Trippier, maybe Vertonghen) clear into the opposition half to force the ball wide to City's worst attacking players, their fullbacks. 
       Excluding Benjamin Mendy (who did feature for City last match) City don't possess good attacking fullbacks, a problem Liverpool exposed last year at this stage due to Mendy's previous  absence.  
       City may not have Kyle Walker, could have Danilo and maybe will be without Fabian Delph at fullback, that is unless Mendy will be risked in this 1st leg and Oleksandr Zinchenko makes a speedy recovery from injury. 

      That is where City can be exploited: by using their lack of a supporting  attacking threat on the wings  (especially if Sane is on the bench) their attacking midfielders, who love to cut inside centrally, will be left hanging without the overlapping runs freeing up space. 
       Without Mendy (or Mendy at half capacity) on the overlapping runs and Sane commanding the sole attention of two defenders at a minimum, it really could be slimmer pickings for a Spurs back five to monitor the movement of Raheem Sterling, or the interplay at the top of the box from Aguero. 
       With all of this swirling around.....questions arise:
       Who will win?
       How will De Bruyne play, if he plays?
       Will Sane continue his rabid form in the Champions League against Spurs? 
       Or will his boundless talents go ignored for too long on the bench? 
THE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER FOR EACH SIDE:
City: KEVIN DE BRUYNE
Spurs: MOUSSA SISSOKO

PREDICTION:
1ST LEG: 1-1 
2ND LEG: 2-1 (City go thru after extra time)