Liverpool face an awkward trip to Tottenham on Thursday night – we’ve got the view from Spurs ahead of the much-awaited Premier League clash.
The Reds had yet another disappointing result on Sunday, losing 3-2 away to Man United and exiting the FA Cup in the process.
It is a desperate run of form for Jurgen Klopp‘s side, who must get back to winning ways soon or risk their season falling apart.
Thursday’s trip to a north London could be one of Liverpool’s toughest games of the campaign so far, with Jose Mourinho turning his side into a typically well-drilled outfit.
In Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, Spurs possess two of the league’s best players in 2020/21, highlighting the difficulty of the Reds’ task.
With kickoff on the horizon, we spoke to football.london reporter Rob Guest (@RobGuesty) to get his thoughts on the hosts’ title hopes, Liverpool’s collapse and more.
How happy are you with Tottenham’s first half of the season?
All in all, I think it has been a good start to the season for Tottenham.
While they should be a lot higher in the Premier League table, having surrendered a number of leads, they are already in the final of the League Cup and through to the knockout phase of the Europa League.
Disappointing draws with Newcastle, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Wolves and Fulham have been a major talking point, given Spurs’ wealth of attacking options, yet they’ve only lost four games from a possible 31 in all competitions this season.
Despite a few dips along the way, Spurs are in a very good position to kick on over the next few months.
What’s the general stance on Mourinho now?
Jose Mourinho’s style of football is certainly not to everyone’s taste, as plenty have pointed out in the past.
While fans will put up with it if the team is playing poorly but picking up wins week in, week out, they won’t if they are playing badly and not managing to get points on the board.
Provided that he does indeed bring silverware to Spurs on a regular basis and keeps the team up there, fans will accept it.
There are always going to be some fans who aren’t happy with Mourinho’s style regardless of the results, though.
Who have been Spurs’ three best players so far?
The three standout players this season have been Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Kane has been in excellent form since the season kicked off in September, scoring 19 goals and registering 14 assists from his 27 games for Spurs.
He has proved just how good a footballer he is this term and that he is also so much more than just a goalscorer.
Son, meanwhile, has also enjoyed a very good season to date, scoring some outstanding goals, notably his strike against Arsenal in December.
He and Kane have been a joy to watch together, causing major issues for their opponents.
Hojbjerg has also been a major hit following his move from Southampton.
With some fans perhaps questioning the move to sign the Danish international, he has been outstanding in the middle of the park and provided the shield in front of the back line that was missing last season.
What do you think has gone wrong at Liverpool recently?
It’s hard to put a finger on what exactly has gone wrong for Liverpool.
They have some key players out through injury, which of course will have a huge impact on the team, but they still have quality players available who can get the job done.
Teams always go through a bad patch in a season and Liverpool are going through theirs right now.
In terms of the attack, it is maybe just a case of overthinking things and trying too hard, when in the past everything was without thought and just came naturally.
All it takes is for the attacking players to find the net again, whether that be a wonder strike or a scrappy finish, and all of a sudden things can be back to normal.
Do you still fancy them to retain the title?
No.
At the start of the season, I said that they wouldn’t win the Premier League title and I still stick by that prediction.
It’s extremely hard to win back-to-back Premier League titles and I thought it would be a step too far for them to go on and do that.
They may be there or thereabouts come the end of the season, but I would be surprised if they went on and won it for the second year on the trot.
Liverpool now look beatable, when last season they didn’t.
Looking ahead to Thursday’s game, who do you fear most for Liverpool?
It has to be the front three of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, and Roberto Firmino.
Although the trio have struggled of late with the team having a major dip in form, they still have the quality to hurt opponents.
Mourinho will know this and he will be drilling it into his players ahead of the game on Thursday.
It is going to come together for them at some point, but hopefully it won’t be against Spurs!
Where do you see the key battles taking place?
I think it’s going to come down to how each defence manages up against their attacking opponents.
With Liverpool not at full strength across the back, they are going to have their hands full against Kane, Son and Steven Bergwijn.
Likewise, whoever Mourinho opts for in his Spurs back line, which has changed multiple times this campaign, will also have a major job trying to nullify the Reds’ attack.
Both sides have a wealth of attacking options, but it will come down to how each defence fares across the 90 minutes.
Finally, hit us with your prediction…
It will be a tight game, but I think Spurs will come out on top, having failed to do so in the reverse fixture back in December.
Mourinho knows how to manage these games and the team will come out of it with a 2-0 win.
Fan Comments