Nine months after a struggling Tottenham won 4-0 at the Etihad, Pep Guardiola is happy to have a fresh start but plays down revenge talk
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n biblical rain nine months ago, a 4-0 hammering by Tottenham left Manchester City tactically shredded and Pep Guardiola devastated at a silenced Etihad Stadium 48 hours after he had agreed a fresh two-year contract with the club, the manager saying: “I cannot leave.”
When Tottenham return to the scene of last November’s rout for Saturday’s early kick-off, Guardiola will send out a revamped side intent on wiping away the memory of that difficult day, and proving he was prudent to extend his tenure.
The Spurs reverse was the last of a run of five consecutive defeats that featured two other league losses, to Bournemouth and Brighton. This was no blip but rather the start of a slump that would feature one victory in 13 games in all competitions. The sequence all but ended City’s title defence, dumped them out of the Carabao Cup – also against Spurs – and included Champions League losses to Sporting and Juventus that indicated City European challenge would founder, as it did via a 6-3 aggregate playoff defeat to Real Madrid.
