Tottenham vs. Manchester City: Kyle Walker to face former team
By Gary Pearson
All eyes will be glued on Spurs’ final game on their US tour, as Kyle Walker faces his former team for the first time only weeks after jumping ship.
Walker, signed by Manchester City for a world-record fee for an English defender -£53 million – has made two appearances for his new team since acrimoniously leaving Spurs. Many Spurs supporters are still aggrieved by Walker’s abrupt departure, angered by the defender’s lack of loyalty and money-first mantra.
Walker is expected to start for the Citizens tomorrow.
Rest assured, he won’t be welcomed hospitably by Spurs supporters watching in Nashville. That much is certain. It is, however, a perfect match to move on, leaving the ghosts of Walker well and truly behind.
Mauricio Pochettino and company have bigger fish to fry as they prepare for City, and more importantly, the season opener against Newcastle in just over a fortnight.
The dichotomy these two clubs currently represent in the world game couldn’t be more palpable. Pep Guaridola has spent over £200 million during the summer transfer window, a clear indication of what City is – and has been – about for years.
And then there’s Spurs, a team hellbent on winning the old fashioned way. Tottenham prioritize youth development, collective cohesion and accrued team chemistry. Those are rarely found tenets in football’s current landscape. But they are the tenets which made football the sport it is today. And it’s refreshing to see a team stick to their laurels, steadfast on winning the right way.
Though Pochettino won’t openly admit it, this contest will mean more to him than the other International Champions Cup matches. It pits one of the Premier League’s biggest spenders against a Spurs team driven by the status quo.
It’s also a match displaying two of football’s best managers, one of whom is intent on actually developing and nurturing his players into winners. The other, like so many managers of financially flush clubs, is happy to spend as much as it takes to field a title-winning caliber team.
Pochettino will also want to see his team perform well against Walker, Spurs’ outcast, who took some subtle parting jabs at his former gaffer – and team – upon arriving at City.
With those thoughts in mind – as well as it being Spurs’ last match on their US tour – look for Pochettino to start a strong team. Hugo Lloris and Christian Eriksen will likely get the nod after brief appearances against Roma, while Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele, Dele Alli and Harry Kane should also start the anticipated match.
Match details:
Tottenham and Manchester City meet at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Saturday, July 29. Kick-off is scheduled for 5.05pm CDT local time (11.05pm BST in the UK).
The match will be televised live on Premier Sports, with evening coverage starting from 9pm and lasts until 2am.
Next: Tottenham pair shine briefly but is it enough?
Team squads:
Tottenham: Toby Alderweireld, Dele Alli, Brandon Austin, Jaden Brown, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Ben Davies, Mousa Dembele, Eric Dier, Jon Dinzeyi, Christian Eriksen, Anthony Georgiou, Vincent Janssen, Harry Kane, Hugo Lloris, Will Miller, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, Tashan Oakley-Boothe, Josh Onomah, Kieran Trippier, Jan Vertonghen, Michel Vorm, Kyle Walker-Peters, Victor Wanyama, Alfie Whiteman, Kevin Wimmer, Harry Winks
Manchester City: Ederson Moraes, Daniel Grimshaw, Arijanet Muric, Tosin Adarabioyo, Vincent Kompany, Eliaquim Mangala, John Stones, Tyreke Wilson, Demeaco Duhaney, Nicolas Otamendi, Danilo, Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker, Joel Latibeaudiere, David Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Philip Foden, Kevin De Bruyne, Yaya Toure, Fernandinho, Leroy Sane, Patrick Roberts, Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Brahim Diaz, Samir Nasri, Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus