Individual mistakes once again cost Tottenham dearly in 1-2 loss to Reds

Individual mistakes once again cost Tottenham in a match that showed just how far the away side is from title contention.  

Serge Aurier and Danny Rose aren’t good enough to play at such an elite level, and it showed once more in a terribly frustrating match.

Slow and laboured, Aurier, who was favoured to clear the ball from danger, chopped down Sadio Mane on Liverpool’s eventual winner. And I can’t quite make out what Rose was trying to do on Jordan Henderson’s opener. Rose, inexplicably and inadvertently, knocked it into Henderson’s stride.

A game plan clear from the outset, Tottenham played 11 men behind the ball, soaked up the pressure and invited Liverpool on. And for large portions of the match it worked. Spurs weren’t able hold on to the ball, instead smashing it direct and hoping Son Hueng-Min and Harry Kane would be their salvation on the counter.

Son hit the woodwork twice, the second of which may have guaranteed Tottenham a famous victory. But we all know fine margins at the highest level are often the difference between glory and despair.

One can understand why Mauirico Pochettino set up tactically the way he did. He wanted to expose Liverpool on the counter, focussing on Dejan Lovren as Liverpool’s achilles heel. But inviting Liverpool on for 90 minutes takes unwavering concentration and a willingness to fight ruggedly in the trenches for what must seem like an eternity. And individual mistakes cannot happen in such a high risk, high reward strategy.

Players like Christian Erisken, who should have never started, simply don’t have the constitution for such a dogged affair. I can’t recall the Dane making one smart pass. Along with repeatedly wasting possession, Eriksen evaded his defensive responsibilities for most of the match. Sure, he was often in the right defensive position, but he wasn’t wholly committed to tracking back and sacrificing his body for the cause. But Pochettino should have never put him in that precarious position. He set the Dane up for failure on the day.

Disregarding for the moment an apparent lack of composure and quality, at least most players showed the commitment, passion and desire that has so often gone amiss in previous weeks. To go to Liverpool and batten down the hatches like they did bodes well for Pochettino’s side.

It’s obvious Spurs don’t have the quality, both in midfield and on the defensive wings, to go head to head with Liverpool in pure footballing terms, which in the end cost them what would have been a fantastic point.

Instead Tottenham leave Anfield with nothing, a common theme on their travels. It’s now 11 matches away from home in the Premier League without victory, a sickening statistic that speaks volumes.