After gifting Crystal Palace and Ipswich their first league wins of the season, will Dr Tottenham strike again to cure Manchester City's four-game losing run?; watch Man City vs Spurs on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm
Wednesday 20 November 2024 18:59, UK
Dr Tottenham will see you now, Manchester City.
The Spurs surgery has already remedied Crystal Palace and Ipswich this season, gifting them their first league wins of the season.
And now Man City will hope for a cure from Dr Tottenham to end their four-game losing run on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
The irony is that Ange Postecoglou's side hurt City last month by beating them 2-1 in the Carabao Cup fourth round to start their malaise.
That defeat has seen City boss Pep Guardiola suffer the longest losing run in his managerial career.
Tottenham have long been a bogey side for the Spaniard too. Under Guardiola, City have lost more Premier League games (6) and conceded more Premier League goals (22) against Spurs than they have against any other opponent.
But even with the stats in Spurs' favour, a timely rehabilitation for City would be in keeping with this Dr Tottenham season.
The term Dr Tottenham is the idea that teams lacking in confidence, form and points will suddenly be healed with a positive result against Spurs.
The recent miracle cures of Palace and Ipswich has only given further credence to the phrase.
The Eagles ended their eight-game winless start to the season with a 1-0 win at Selhurst Park, while Ipswich celebrated their first Premier League victory in 22 years after a 2-1 win in north London.
But surely two winless sides earning their first victories of the season against Spurs has never happened before? Do not doubt the power of Dr Tottenham, because it has.
In 2010, Wigan were thumped in their opening two league games at home by an aggregate score of 10-0 following defeats to newly-promoted Blackpool (4-0) and reigning champions Chelsea (6-0). Yet Spurs somehow found a cure for Roberto Martinez's side, who won 1-0 at White Hart Lane.
A month later Dr Tottenham struck again, this time helping London rivals West Ham. The Hammers, who were bottom and had just one point from their opening five games, claimed a 1-0 victory at Upton Park.
Even in the 1990s, Dr Tottenham was healing.
The present-day losses to Palace and Ipswich are the first time that two teams have picked up their first win of the season against Spurs at least five games into the campaign since 1994, when Southampton (Matchday 5) and Leicester (Matchday 6) did so.
Thirty years on, the Spurs surgery remains fully open with a couple of sickly patients up next.
Saturday's opponents City have not won in November and are in desperate need of mending. Spurs go to the champions having won just two of their last 11 Premier League away games (D2 L7), while since the start of this spell in March, no side has lost more Premier League away games than them (7).
But if Postecgolou's side can avoid another Dr Tottenham moment and rejuvenate themselves after that Ipswich upset then they will have the hurdle of poorly Roma in the Europa League five days later.
The Italian side look ripe for a dose of Dr Tottenham.
They are bang out of form, having made their worst start to a Serie A season in two decades, while they sit 20th in the Europa League table (Spurs are in the top eight).
Roma are also set for a new manager bounce, having appointed ex-Leicester and Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri as their new head coach during the international break.
Roma and City feel like two typical Dr Tottenham revivals.
The Spurs surgery must be shut down by Postecoglou.
