Work to do after Spurs struggles, says Ake | OneFootball

Nathan Ake says City need to find a way to beat high presses after our 2-0 defeat to Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium.

Goals from Brennan Johnson and Joao Paulinho late in the first half saw us kick off our home campaign in the Premier League with a disappointing loss.

Under new boss Thomas Frank, Tottenham were aggressive high up the pitch and City struggled to find a way around it.

Ake, who was a first half replacement for Rayan Ait-Nouri, said the visitors made it uncomfortable for the Blues and that we need to find a way to deal with similar situations.

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“They played very well. They are a very good team with a very good manager,” the Dutch international said.

“We couldn’t really play out and that’s one of the main things. Maybe we should have looked more forward and try to create that way.

“Fair play to them but work to do for us. They pressed us really high and at certain points we tried to play out, but we couldn’t and that made us very uncomfortable. It’s not an easy game to play.”

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Spurs have been something of a bogey side at the Etihad in recent years, now losing just once in their last five visits while Frank masterminded his third win over the Blues.

After our opening day 4-0 win over Wolves, Ake said it was a reminder of the strength of the Premier League, with no easy games.

“It reminds us that the Premier League is very tough, and every day is a fight,” he added.

“It doesn’t matter what you did last week – you have to continue into the new week. Every team is top.

“We have to work hard again, make sure we get better and prepare for Brighton. We have to go again.”