Manchester City vs. Tottenham: How Pep Guardiola is Planning to Stop Mohammed Kudus
- Thomas Frank is looking to record his first biggest win as Tottenham Hotspur manager against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City
- The seasoned Spanish manager needs to find a way to shut down Spurs’ dangerous midfield maestro, Mohammed Kudus
- Erling Haaland is poised to add more numbers this season after racking up 126 goals in 147 matches for Man City since 2022
The Premier League showdown between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, August 23, 2025, is set to be a captivating tactical duel between Pep Guardiola and Thomas Frank.
Both sides enter the match on the back of strong opening-day performances; City cruising to a 4–0 victory over Wolves, and Spurs securing a commanding 3–0 win against Burnley.
Source: Getty Images
Last season was a big failure for Guardiola's trophy-winning side as the Cityzens lost 17 times in 61 matches in all competitions and failed to win any trophies apart from the Community Shield.
Four of those losses were home defeats, and the Spaniard and his team cannot afford to bring back the ghost of their 2024/25 campaign when Tottenham visit the Etihad on Saturday, August 23.
The accomplished Spanish coach must devise a strategy to contain Spurs’ key creative threat, Mohammed Kudus, who issued a strong warning after his team's victory over Burnley.
According to Reuters, the 24-year-old, who joined Tottenham from West Ham this summer, laid on two wonderful assists for Richarlison to net a brace in Spurs' 3-0 opening day triumph on August 16.
Guardiola's tactics to stop Mohammed Kudus
James Trafford, Rico Lewis, John Stones, Rúben Dias, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Nico Gonzalez, Bernardo Silva, Tijjani Reijnders, Oscar Bobb, Jeremy Doku, and Erling Haaland all started for Manchester City in their 4–0 win over Wolves.
Ait-Nouri, who signed for Manchester City from Wolves ahead of the new season, shone at left-back while Reijnders and Jeremy Doku excelled as the left-sided central midfielder and left winger respectively in City's 4-2-3-1 formation.
Source: Getty Images
Heading into the weekend, according to talkSPORT, the Spanish boss is likely to drop Doku and hand Rayan Cherki a start after his debut goal against Wolves. In that case, Oscar Bobb is expected to switch to the left, with Cherki on the right.
These tactical adjustments would position Mohammed Kudus, expected to start on the right wing for Tottenham, directly up against Manchester City’s left-sided trio: full-back Rayan Aït-Nouri, midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, and winger Oscar Bobb, who would be poised to collaborate to smother Kudus' threat.
Against Wolves, Bobb offered a lot for City in terms of work rate and defensive contributions, areas where Doku fell short, and the 22-year-old Norwegian would be expected to repeat the form, especially when City are out of possession.
Meanwhile, check out the possible Manchester City starting line-up vs. Tottenham below.
Man City XI vs Tottenham: GK James Trafford, Rico Lewis, John Stones, Rúben Dias, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Nico Gonzalez, Bernardo Silva, Tijjani Reijnders, Oscar Bobb, Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland.
How Kudus can shine against Manchester City
YEN.com.gh earlier featured five possible ways Mohammed Kudus can shine in the Manchester City vs. Tottenham Premier League clash on Saturday.
The spotlight is on Spurs' summer signing from West Ham United for the right reasons following his impressive league debut against Burnley, matching a Tottenham record which was only held by James Maddison.
Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
