It is fair to say that November's international break came at a suitable time for an injury-hit Manchester City side that have lost each of their last four matches in all competitions for the first time under manager Pep Guardiola.
The Citizens have suffered 2-1 defeats in their last two Premier League matches against Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion, while they were also beaten heavily by Sporting Lisbon (4-1) in their last Champions League fixture.
City's four-match losing streak began with a 2-1 EFL Cup defeat away against Tottenham Hotspur, who will be hoping for more joy against the reigning Premier League champions when they travel to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening.
While Man City's dip in form has seen them slip five points behind Liverpool at the top of the table, Spurs are down in 10th place and are also seeking to return to winning ways after following up a 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray in the Europa League with a surprise 2-1 home loss against Ipswich Town in their most recent top-flight fixture prior to the international break.
Inconsistency has been a real issue for Ange Postecoglou's side. Indeed, five wins, one draw and five defeats have been posted across Tottenham's 11 Premier League games this term, while they have also won four and lost four of their last eight matches across all competitions.
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"Emotional" Spurs lack consistency
Man City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has labelled Tottenham as an "emotional" side, telling Sports Mole senior reporter Oliver Thomas: "I'm a fan of Postecoglou, but I can't deny that there's a lack of consistency with the team. It's not like they're in the midst of a massive injury crisis right now.
"I think he's got a lot of credit in the bank from Spurs fans because they like his football, but two losses in a row, after beating Aston Villa 4-1 at home... losing 1-0 away at Palace, they're such an emotional side. They're so up and down."
Spurs have reason to be optimistic of claiming a positive result on Saturday, though, as they have accumulated 17 points across their last 10 Premier League meetings with Man City, winning five times and drawing twice.
Under Guardiola, who has signed a new two-year contract extension, Man City have lost more Premier League games (six) and have conceded more Premier League goals (22) against Spurs than they have against any other opponent.
McInerney would not be entirely surprised to see Tottenham "prosper" in Saturday's contest, adding: "Spurs have always had a hold over Man City for whatever reason. We tend to struggle against them.
"Even though we beat them last year in the league on the way to the title, which felt like a big game - 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - I don't think City fans are ever going to feel comfortable playing Spurs."
McInerney is wary of the threat that Spurs' attackers could pose to Man City's disjointed and leaky backline that has been vulnerable on the transition, and he feels that City's issues in central defence and centre-midfield could be targeted by Postecoglou's side.
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City's back four in the loss to Brighton last time out was made up of Kyle Walker - who at the time was lacking match sharpness - teenager Jahmai Simpson-Pusey - who was handed his full Premier League debut - Josko Gvardiol - who has rarely played at centre-back - and Rico Lewis - who was tasked with playing at left-back and could not be rested by Guardiola due to the club's injury crisis.
Man City will hope to have the likes of Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji all fit and available for selection this weekend, after spells on the sidelines with injury and fitness problems.
Spurs are also dealing with a couple of injury issues, as they could be without their two first-choice centre-backs; Micky van de Ven remains sidelined with a hamstring problem, while Cristian Romero is doubtful with a foot injury.
Will home comforts give City the edge against Spurs?
McInerney believes that Man City "should be okay" against Spurs if the fitness levels of Guardiola's squad improve in time for this weekend's match, while he also feels that the Etihad factor could prove to be their "saving grace".
Man City have not lost on home soil for over two years and have put together an exceptional 52-game unbeaten run at the Etihad since a 2-1 defeat to Brentford in November 2022 - City have avoided defeat in each of their last 35 Premier League home games during this run.
The Citizens will therefore welcome Saturday's return to the Etihad after four successive away games, and they will hope to take advantage of Spurs' poor away form - the North Londoners have won just four of their last 18 Premier League matches on the road over the last 12 months.
Press play on the video at the top of this article to hear the full discussion ahead of Man City's clash with Tottenham in the Premier League.
Oliver Thomas
