Entering October, the matches proceeded as usual. After facing Southampton, Manchester Cityâs next fixture was against Middlesbrough, a team that had finished in the lower mid-table the previous season.
Unexpectedly, Middlesbrough impressed back in the 1998 season had now climbed to fifth place in the current standings.
No problem though.
Manchester City secured a comfortable victory thanks to a goal from Trezeguet, who scored his eleventh goal of the season, cementing his role as the teamâs key striker this season, replacing the injured Ronaldo
The next matches include:
12. Home vs Middlebrough
13. Away vs. Derby County
14. Home vs. Coventry City
15. Away vs. Sheffield Wednesday
16. Away vs. Tottenham
For Derby County, the Rams peaked at 2nd place after winning 2â0 at home against Leicester City in their first six games. However, after their seventh fixture, they became more inconsistent and are now holding 7th place in the current standings
After selling Christian Daily to Blackburn Rovers for ÂŁ5.35 millionâcomfortably the highest fee Derby County had ever receivedâthe club faced another blow with the departure of Steve McClaren, manager Smithâs number two since he had taken over at Derby three years earlier.
After sold Christian Daily to blakburn rover fo ÂŁ5.35m, comfortably the highest fee Derby had ever received, anthe eblow for them is ther key departure Steve McClaren â manager Smithâs number two since he had taken the Derby managerial position 3 years earlier.
McClaren, after leaving Manchester City, unexpectedly accepted an offer from Derby County but eventually decided to rejoin Alex Fergusonâs Manchester United this season, leaving Derby to adjust once again without one of their most influential coaching figures.
The next match is against Coventry City. The biggest news of Coventryâs season was the announcement of their move to a new 45,000-seat stadium at Foleshill, which is expected to be ready by 2002
Easy win, but at a price.
Playing in a 4-4-2 formation, Trezeguet was paired with Henry, and the duo easily broke through Coventry Cityâs defense. Henry scored a brace, showcasing his lethal finishing, but in the 88th minute, he suffered a foot injury that is expected to sideline him for at least three weeks.
The other two goals came from Trezeguet and Zidane, both striking from long range to put the game firmly beyond Coventryâs reach. Despite the comfortable win, City will now have to manage without one of their key forwards for the coming fixtures.
The next match was supposed to be an easy one: Sheffield Wednesday.
Danny Wilsonâs return to Hillsborough as manager had many pundits predicting Sheffield Wednesday would be relegation candidates this season. Yet, unexpectedly, they performed reasonably well. By fixture 13, they had even managed to beat Manchester United (1-0), and in fixture 14, they became one of only four teams to beat second-placed Arsenal (1-0).
Sure enough, they carried that form into their match against City.
Despite a goal from Zidane, Manchester City could not overcome the in-form Sheffield Wednesday, who secured a 2-1 victory. The result was a tough blow for City, showing that even seemingly easy fixtures could prove challenging.
Because the next fixture is... yes, you guessed it: another Tottenham and another George Graham.
Talking abut the art of "bus parking."
And letâs be honestâeveryone hates it. Especially the fans, the strikers, and probably the ball.
The eagerly anticipated clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City in the sixteenth round of the Premier League left everyone frustrated.
White Hart Lane wasnât just lacking excitementâit was devoid of any spark.
OâNeillâs plan backfired. He sent out a replacement team, only to find themselves tasked with breaching a fortress-like Tottenham defense!
Half an hour in, Tottenhamâs attacks were reduced to individual efforts, far from the usual dominant display.
Graham probably didnât dare gamble on what lineup City would field, assuming they would come out strongâespecially for their recent performance.
Yet OâNeill boldly sent out his reserves, leaving Richard very confused by this decision.
Cityâs lineup:
Ashley Cole in
Woodgate in
John Terry in
Ronaldinho in
Etoâo in
Trezeguet in
Fans in the stands were equally exasperated. Tottenham supporters were fuming,
"Damn it, Graham! Theyâre just a bunch of twenty-something kids! Parking the bus at home? How shameless can you be? Donât let Tottenham lose face!"
Home fans booed their manager relentlessly, but Graham kept his calm, probably thinking:
âIf we lose to this bunch of youngsters, Iâll have no face left!â
Manchester Cityâs fans, came to White Hart Lane expecting a thrilling battle. Havenât Tottenham fans always felt superior?
Tottenham fans have always prided themselves on playing beautiful attacking football, but City brought passion instead fo revenge for their bad results. And tonight, they were ready to fight.
Thereâs hardly any animosity between City and Tottenham; at most, Tottenham might belittle Cityâs past relegation, while City responds with a bit of disdain for the rich (Alan Sugar).
Ironic, right?
But generally speaking, the point is fans are quite amicable.
Aafter thirty minutes into the game though, City fans were hoarse from shouting and finally couldnât resist tossing sarcastic remarks at Tottenham fans.
"Will you stop being turtles?!"
Tottenham fans were in tears, humiliated by the Cityzens.
When the second half started, most of the City fans were close to crying too.
"For Godâs sake, please be aggressive! Youâve built a wall around the goal that even a mosquito couldnât get through. Is this how you play? Youâre charging us half again for tickets compared to City. Have some pride!"
Tottenhamâs players werenât exhausted today; they were just in pain. How much did they spend this season? Almost ÂŁ10 million! And this is how they play?
Aside from forward Les Ferdinand, whose shirt still looked new, everyone else had retreated into the box, either defending tirelessly or making sacrificial blocks.
Richard was nearly pulling his hair out at White Hart Lane.
Todayâs attack comprised Trezeguet and Etoâo. Behind them were Zidane and Stankovic, with wide midfielders Ronaldinho (L) and Deco (R), but even they were getting lost in the congestion.
They werenât quite ready for the bus, and by the looks of it, all of Cityâs players were probably dizzy, not knowing where the goal was amidst the chaos.
Whenever the ball appeared, four or five Tottenham players would swarm it like a market crowd. Looking up, there were bodies everywhere; looking down, all you could see were feet. Who knows which direction was which?
Etoâo lacked the experience to break the deadlock, as he still needed to refine his technical skills. Trezeguet, meanwhile, wasnât receiving any service, so he stayed upfront without getting the ball.
Ronaldinho and Zidane? They were just as frustrated. Every striker, every City player, was swarmed by at least three Tottenham defenders. The strikers needed space and service; without that, they were powerless.
Manchester City missed Ronaldo too much!
Richard had happily envisioned, before the game, that based on Tottenhamâs usual tactics under Francis, City wouldnât need to rely too much on Ronaldo. With their speedy wingers, as soon as Tottenham attacked, City could launch a swift counterattackâlike cruising down an open road.
Never did he imagine, however, the challenge posed by Tottenhamâs fullbacks: Ashley Cole on the left and Jonathan Woodgate on the right.
âWas OâNeill experimenting, or what?â
Both were only 18 years old!
Tottenham Hotspurâs strategy against City today was total defense, and literally, "total" meant getting the ball and kick it high. In short, it was about clearances.
Les Ferdinand was initially active at the start of the first half, fighting for every ball, but soon resorted to strolling around out of sheer boredom.
Cityâs midfield relied too much on Zidane and Ronaldinho for creativity, but Tottenham had already anticipated this. As soon as the ball moved to the left, the defenders quickly crowded that side.
StankoviÄ was reliable as well. He was a model of professionalism, with stamina to spare and natural talent to back it up, making him fit enough to endure the entire match. Yet even he often had to pass the ball back when three white-shirted players closed in.
It wasnât their fault. Tottenham, desperate, was closing in around the box, and with a group of industrious players swarming everywhere, their efforts were constantly thwarted. Yet he still sought opportunities.
Mourinho could no longer sit idly. He headed to the sideline to call over Zanetti, Zambrotta, and Larssonâbut unexpectedly, OâNeill said, "Wait."
"We cannot wait. We need fresh legs to play."
"No, wait!" OâNeill still shook his head, frustrated with Mourinho.
Cannavaro, spotless except for an early attempt by Ferdinand that he easily negated, spent most of his time supporting midfield or chasing down clearances.
"Javier, Gian, Henrik, go up front. Play forward." Mourinho instructed.
"I said wait!"
Now the tension wasnât only on the pitchâCityâs bench seemed to heat up as well.