Rio Ferdinand has revealed on BT Sport that he expects some Tottenham players to ‘cheat’ in their Premier League clash against Manchester City on Saturday evening.
The Manchester United legend named Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli as two of Mauricio Pochettino’s men who he believes won’t just sit back in the final third, but will push high up the pitch to join Harry Kane in attack and put pressure on the home side.
Pep Guardiola’s side are strong favourites going into the Etihad Stadium clash after winning 16 of their 17 Premier League matches this season but Ferdinand believes Tottenham will go into the match with genuine hope, as they have some outstanding players.
“I think Pochettino’s tactical vibe is not to sit back and wait and to pick for chances like a Mourinho team has done in the past,” Ferdinand told BT Sport 1 in the build-up to the broadcaster’s live coverage of the match.
“He will say, ‘we’ve got the players and the tactical nous to go at these’.
“I think he will have attacking players on the pitch who will cheat. They won’t be in their box, pinned back. He’ll have players who will cheat, the Eriksens, the Allis of this world, who will support Kane.”
OPINION
Ferdinand does not mean ‘cheating’ in the traditional sense of the term, but as a bona fide tactic to help Spurs gain an advantage over a team who are expected to dominate possession and attack in numbers. Guardiola’s team have destroyed all-comers this season with a cavalier playing style that has been both scintillating and, for opponents, scary. Tottenham are one of the few sides who will go to Etihad Stadium with genuine hopes of securing an upset. Eriksen, Alli and Kane will need to be at their very best for the visitors to do that, with all three capable of creating and scoring goals even against world-class opponents in the form of their lives.