Jermaine Jenas’ guide to Tottenham vs Manchester City: City need Kevin De Bruyne at his best

Kevin De Bruyne could be the difference between Manchester City winning the quadruple and falling short. 

The Belgian midfielder claims he is not yet back to his best but, as his goal against Cardiff showed, it will not take him long to find his range. 

City have got Fernandinho back too. For how important the Brazilian midfielder is in providing protection for the defence, De Bruyne is that from an attacking point of view. 

David Silva and Ilkay Gundogan are great on the ball but, as a midfield player, you know they will look to play short six-yard passes. As an opponent, you know that you can just sit in. De Bruyne is different. He adds a completely different dimension. 

He can play those short passes but he can also shoot from range, he can ping long balls, he can curl crosses in behind defences. You cannot just camp back any more.

It reminds me of when I used to play against Frank Lampard. As soon as he got the ball within 25 yards, you knew he could either put it into the top corner or play in Didier Drogba. 

Suddenly, you have got to get out to him, make him pass. The moment he gets on the ball in space, you are finished.

De Bruyne’s quality and range of passing makes him extremely difficult to stop

Tottenham need big game from Hugo Lloris 

I would have lost trust in Hugo Lloris by now. We’re not talking about an average keeper. This is a player thought of as being in the top five in the world. 

He is a World Cup winner. If Lloris was honest with himself, he has not performed for two years. He has been way below the standards of what he is capable. We all go through these moments as players. When it is a goalkeeper, it is highlighted. 

Their mistakes cost a team goals, cost them points, positions and even Champions League places. We saw that for Liverpool’s winner. He has had too many of those moments. 

Yes, he has had his high moments. But I’m not sure these up and downs are what Spurs need now. They need consistency in their keeper. The defenders want to look back and think: ‘Yes, he’s going to come and catch this.’ 

There has been a breakdown between the defence and Hugo. That comes from trust, not from ability. Hugo’s displays have broken that trust. I’d have replaced him with Paulo Gazzaniga after the Liverpool game. 

I understand why Mauricio Pochettino gave him the Crystal Palace match, being the first game in the new stadium, and now the manager has made that call he has to stick with him.   

Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has broken the trust of the Tottenham team with his mistakes

Pressing can be a risky business 

When Tottenham inflicted a first defeat on Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager, in 2016, the key to that victory was Spurs’ intense high press. Mauricio Pochettino had his midfielders pushing up on to City’s defenders. 

The idea is that you are trying to keep the ball away from their best players, disrupt their rhythm. You have a better chance of winning the ball back off their defenders than you do from David Silva or Ilkay Gundogan. 

It is high risk, though. The key is timing. Every player has to buy into it. It’s all or nothing. If one person is not doing it 100 per cent, it becomes easy for a team like City. 

Before you know it, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane are running at your back four. Tottenham tried to do it again at the Etihad last season and lost 4-1. My worry for Spurs is I do not think they are capable of doing it. 

They do not seem as athletic as they were. Against Liverpool, they could not press high because they had five at the back with their wing backs deep. 

When they do that, they do not often get the balance right. If they sit too deep, they take Harry Kane out of the game. They get nowhere near enough numbers high up and he’s left on his own. They need a complete performance, you can’t afford a bad 45 minutes.

Pressing can be risky against City given the quality of Raheem Sterling (left) and Leroy Sane