Manchester United face Manchester City at Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Man United picked up their first victory of the campaign against Burnley, while Man City have lost their last two league games, one of them against Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs produced a brilliant display to beat Pep Guardiola’s side 2-0, and United could use the same template to beat their local rivals.
Here are three things United can learn from Thomas Frank’s side ahead of this weekend’s clash with Man City.
Solid defensive spine
In the first half, Tottenham kept striker Erling Haaland and other Man City attacking players quiet, except Omar Marmoush, who was very lively on the left flank.
That continued in the second half, with City only registering the first shot on target after the break in the 76th minute.
Man United must emulate this defensive solidity to beat their cross-town rivals. The two central midfielders and full-backs in particular must work their socks off, with City expected to dominate possession.
Decisiveness in the final third
Despite Spurs having fewer expected goals (xG) than Man City, they outscored them due to their ruthlessness.
Forward Brennan Johnson scored from Tottenham’s first big opportunity of the game, and Joao Palhinha took advantage of City’s poor passing in their defensive third to score the second goal.
United scored three times in the victory over Burnley but were not clinical enough in the game – a flaw that has plagued them for a long time.
The Red Devils are unlikely to create as much as they did against the Clarets and must ensure they convert the few coming their way in Sunday’s showdown.
Use of long balls
Tottenham scored their first goal from a long ball with Pape Matar Sarr flicking the resulting header into the path of Richarlison, who put a low cross for Johnson to score.
Playing long balls is one way of breaching City’s high line. United used it to beat City last term as Lisandro Martinez played a long pass, and with Amad Diallo ran behind City’s high line to net the winning goal.