Nuno Espirito Santo had a dream debut as Tottenham manager on Sunday as the Spurs beat the reigning Premier League champion Manchester City 1-0 in their season opener.
The Portuguese manager couldn’t count on Harry Kane as the Spurs and the Citizens are in negotiations on a potential transfer of the England captain who reportedly was in attendance in North London.
Son Heung-Min scored the winning goal for Tottenham 10 minutes after the break.
Nuno’s fierce defensive discipline was visible from the opening minute and it paid off as the hosts managed to keep a lean sheet against City who had Jack Grealish making his debut.
The new Tottenham manager didn’t hide his excitement after the match.
“Amazing! It was a good day. Hard work for the boys, they worked really hard, the distance they covered, the balance, the fight,” said Nuno after the game.
“Still a long way to go but most of the things the boys did well. It has been good, it has been hard work. Every time you come, new dynamics. We are knowing each other better and it is about creating this energy between us to keep us moving forward. There is always something new and always something to improve.”
On the other side, Pep Guardiola was aware that his team wasn’t on the recognizable level in the opening match.
“We allowed them too much, we could not control it, especially the simple thing when you lose the passes in certain positions it is always more difficult. Football is goals, Son Heung-min scored the goal, we could not,” said Guardiola.
“It is normal for a season with not much preparation. The spirit was good but we lost. I am more than surprised how good we have done many things.”
