In an otherwise unspectacular weekend in the Premier League, Tottenham vs Liverpool stands out as the biggest and most significant fixture. Two attacking sides confident in their ability to find the net and aiming to qualify for the Champions League as a bare minimum this season, we should see an open and expansive game at Wembley.
History tells us that Liverpool will be the victors on Sunday; Spurs have failed to beat them in their last ten attempts across all competitions. But to extend that run to eleven, Jurgen Klopp will have to find the answers to these four crucial questions….
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Are changes needed following the win over Maribor?
Before Jurgen Klopp gets into any specifics, there’s one overarching question he must answer first; are any changes to the starting XI actually needed after that resounding win over Maribor in midweek?
Of course, the Slovenian champions and Tottenham represent completely different ends of the spectrum in terms of quality of opposition, but there was a real feel-good factor surrounding the team after a match in which they looked finely balanced in midfield, confident at the back and relentless going forward.
With that in mind, it could make sense to simply stick with the same XI rather than disrupt the rhythm of a side who just achieved a record-breaking victory. That would mean leaving captain Jordan Henderson out of the team for Sunday’s game – a big call, but not necessarily one Liverpool fans would be disappointed with.
How can Liverpool capitalise on Tottenham’s Wembley woes?
Tottenham may have picked up their first Premier League win at their temporary home last weekend but all is far from rosy at Wembley. For starters, the Lilywhites scraped a 1-0 win over second-bottom Bournemouth which, added to their first three outings, makes it just five points claimed, three goals scored and four conceded from four games.
Hardly a resounding record for a team of Tottenham’s stature and although they appear more comfortable at Wembley than they did at the start of the season, it still appears to be a weakness for them. So the consequential question for Klopp is how best to exaggerate those doubts amongst the Spurs team and the supporters.
An explosive start with an early goal would certainly help, but the best thing Liverpool can do is make the match as drawn out and arduous as possible – silencing a crowd that already feels disenchanted and disassociated with the national stadium.
Who will benefit more from the system mismatch?
We’ve heard a lot about matching up in the Premier League over the last few seasons but Sunday’s clash will most likely see a contrast of systems.
Mauricio Pochettino has increasingly varied his playbook since becoming Tottenham manager – this season alone we’ve seen 4-2-3-1, 3-4-3, 5-4-1 and 5-3-2 – but it’s more than likely the Argentine will field his side using 3-4-3 this weekend. Liverpool, on the other hand, have hardly wavered from 4-3-3 since Jurgen Klopp took the helm and it would be a shock to see them line up in any other way at Wembley.
But who will the differences in approach actually benefit more in terms of the space it creates? Logic suggests 3-4-3, which has proved so successful in the Premier League as a reaction to systems with just one up front. Perhaps Klopp needs to make allowances for that.
What can be learned from the last ten meetings?
Rather incredibly, Tottenham have failed to beat Liverpool from their last ten attempts, losing seven and drawing three. Seven of those have come with Pochettino in charge of the Lilywhites, and the last four have been with Klopp at the Anfield helm.
Clearly, the factors stem beyond the men in the dugouts or the players on the pitch; it boils down to club philosophies and identities. But what’s important is that Klopp looks back on those last ten games as inspiration for his game-plan this weekend. Perhaps there’s a recurring error Tottenham sides make, or alternatively a tactic that’s repeatedly paid off for the Reds.
As alluded to, there will be one key difference though; the last five meetings all saw Spurs use four at the back, but it will almost certainly be a three this weekend. That could be what swings the tide in this fixture.