It feels a long time since the days when Manchester City had a stranglehold on the Carabao Cup.
Between 2014 and 2021, the Citzyens lifted the trophy on six separate occasions, but Pep Guardiola’s side haven’t made it past the quarter-final stage since their most recent triumph. Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur ensured that won’t change this season.
Injuries are starting to wreak havoc on one of football’s most talented squads and Guardiola was forced to make wholesale changes to his starting XI in north London. That didn’t aid team cohesion but some players have no excuse for their poor performances.
With help from our player ratings, here were Man City’s best and worst performers in defeat at Spurs.
Matheus Nunes: 8/10
Matheus Nunes looked to be a rare misjudgement from the Man City recruitment staff after an underwhelming debut campaign. However, the Portuguese has shown signs of life over recent weeks and has hit a purple patch at just the right time to ease Guardiola’s fitness concerns.
Nunes started in his new-look role on the left-hand side of a front three on Wednesday and added to the goal and three assists he had produced in his previous two outings against Sparta Prague and Southampton.
The Portuguese is a confident ball-carrier and was an important outlet for City despite their generally disjointed display. He took his goal well, keeping his foot over the ball to avoid firing high over the bar, and finished the match with more touches (91) than any other player.
Honourable mention
Savinho: 8/10
Savinho really is a joy to watch regardless of whether Man City win or lose. The energetic Brazilian provided the assist for Nunes’ effort, picking out the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man at the far post after beating Destiny Udogie for speed.
He managed a joint-high six touches in the Spurs box and was a constant menace down the right-hand side. Unfortunately for him and Guardiola, he left the field on a stretcher in tears just after the hour mark and could be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Ilkay Gundogan: 4/10
The return of Ilkay Gundogan to Manchester was celebrated but the ageing German has struggled to replicate the performances that made him such an icon at the Etihad Stadium. Wednesday’s dismal display highlighted that this is no longer the Gundogan of old.
Withdrawn at the break after a shocking first half in which he almost gifted Timo Werner a second goal of the game with a wayward pass, Gundogan was overrun in the centre of the park and constantly found himself chasing Spurs’ more agile and youthful midfielders.
Dishonourable mention
Phil Foden: 5/10
Phil Foden’s stuttering start to the campaign continued on Wednesday. The 2023/24 Premier League Player of the Season was utilised in a number nine role to fill in for the unused Erling Haaland, but he struggled to make any notable impact at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
He managed just 25 touches before being taken off before the hour mark and snatched at the promising moments that fell his way. Leading the line is obviously not his preferred function for Man City, but he didn’t even register a passable performance up top.
