Ten Statistics About Manchester City and Tottenham

Matches against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium haven’t gone in Tottenham’s favor but maybe that could soon change this season.

Leading up to Tottenham’s latest journey to the Etihad Stadium, a place where Spurs haven’t won since Peter Crouch’s 82nd minute header sealed the Lilywhites’ place into their first-ever Champions League berth on May 5, 2010.

Five visits following Tottenham’s last win at the Etihad Stadium, a consistent theme has cropped up: Tottenham don’t win when they face Manchester City at their place. But with Mauricio Pochettino getting his young team to perform above and beyond what they’re normally capable of, the winds of change could blow in Tottenham’s favor this Sunday.

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Taken from The Independent, this article has listed 10 statistics which highlights a very one-sided match-up that favors Manchester City. And they are as follows:

Man City and Spurs have combined for 41 goals in their last 9 Premiership games
Man City have won 8 and lost 2 of their last 10 Premier League meetings against Spurs, winning 5 in a row at the Etihad Stadium
The Citizens haven’t beaten any top 6 team this season (0W-3D-4L)
Sergio Agüero has scored 10 goals in 8 Premier League appearances against Tottenham
Agüero has scored 4 goals outside the box this season but 7 have been on target
Agüero’s minutes per goal rate is at one goal every 108.2 minutes, the best of any player with at least 5 goals scored in Premiership history
Man City have scored 23% of their goals from outside the box, the highest percentage this season
Tottenham have conceded a league-low one goal from outside the box
Mauricio Pochettino has defeated a Manuel Pellegrini team only once in 12 meetings in the Premier League or La Liga (1W-2D-9L)
Dele Alli has contributed to 11 combined goals in his last 14 Premier League appearances for Spurs (6 goals, 5 assists)

Again, a majority of these statistics which are at six, clearly favor Manchester City leading up to Sunday’s showdown. However, there’s a belief that things will change because of three match facts.

1.) Manchester City haven’t beaten a top six club this year

This is a pretty big statistic to take note of and not brush aside so easily just because Tottenham haven’t beaten Man City in their previous five visits to the Etihad Stadium. Right now, Manuel Pellegrini’s side, for whatever reason, haven’t been able to beat a top six club this year and have been outscored 13 to 6.

Here are the results against top six clubs this season:

September 19 — Manchester City 1-2 West Ham United (loss)
September 26 — Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 Manchester City (loss)
October 25 — Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City (draw)
December 21 — Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City (loss)
December 29 — Leicester City 0-0 Manchester City (draw)
January 23 — West Ham United 2-2 Manchester City (draw)
February 6 — Manchester City 1-3 Leicester City (loss)

It’s very possible that this season, which has seen very big surprises occur quite regularly, continues once more with Manchester City remaining winless against top six clubs this year.

2.) Tottenham have conceded a league-low one goal from outside the box

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Not necessarily a big stat to follow, as shooting from long range typically doesn’t net many goals in the first place. But the fact that Sergio Agüero has managed to score four goals from distance — even if seven of them have been on target — shows how effective the Argentine striker is.

Containing the 27-year-old forward is of the utmost importance and with Jan Vertonghen sidelined with injury, Kevin Wimmer and Toby Alderweireld will need to be on top of their game to prevent a high scoring City team from getting on board.

And so far, since the Austrian-Belgian partnership began in the Premier League (but first in the Europa League), they have only conceded four goals in all competitions: one goal against Qarabağ FK, one goal against Monaco in European play and two goals against Leicester City in the third round of the FA Cup.

In the Premier League, Wimmer and Alderweireld have yet to concede, which is encouraging when Tottenham travel to the Etihad Stadium and take part in a high scoring game which has produced a staggering 41 goals in nine Premier League meetings.

3.) Dele Alli has contributed to 11 combined goals

Perhaps the best indication that Tottenham have a chance to win this Sunday against Manchester City is the form that Dele Alli has been on lately. Ever since Alli served a one-game suspension on November 29 when Spurs and Chelsea drew 0-0, the 19-year-old midfielder has scored five goals and gotten five assists in only 11 games.

Those fixtures, where Dele Alli has contributed with either a goal or an assist has seen Tottenham win every single one of them and help Spurs’ title chances. Not to mention that Alli has managed to score six out of his seven goals this season away from home. Meaning it’s almost guaranteed at this point that when Dele Alli scores, Tottenham are playing on the road.

Next: Spurs' Pochettino: Man City 'important, but not decisive'

These three statistics which helped form a total of 10 match facts by The Independent leading up to Sunday’s match between Manchester City and Tottenham, showcase an up-and-coming Spurs’ team who could not only pull off a double on the Citizens. But continue to dampen Manuel Pellegrini’s hopes of claiming his second Premier League title in three seasons and Man City’s third Premiership title in five years.