Tottenham played probably their worst game of the season at the weekend. In not the most important competitions, Postecoglou tries to conserve energy, which is why there are a lot of bad games. So in the last round of the League Cup, Spurs defeated Coventry with great difficulty. Their last two games in the Europa League ended with only minimal victories.
Manchester City have regained their Premier League lead. But the League Cup is not the kind of trophy that can cause excitement in Manchester. Especially in the early stages, the club has a cool attitude towards it. Neither in the current nor in previous seasons, Guardiola has not fielded a main squad for the first opponents. A year ago, they were punished for that by Newcastle.