Preview of First Place Showdown: Liverpool v Tottenham

As Tottenham Hotspur travel to Merseyside to face Liverpool, this is about a battle of contrasting styles as much as anything else as the teams vie for first place in the Premier League.

After the draw last week versus Crystal Palace, it seemed unlikely Tottenham Hotspur would come into the showdown with Liverpool in first place. Yet first place is where Spurs find themselves as they make the trip up to Merseyside. With a potential six-point swing at stake, what can we expect in the Spurs biggest game of the year to date?

Form Meets Form

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are two of the hottest teams in the league right now. Collectively the two teams have only lost twice all season long. Tottenham last lost on opening weekend to Everton, a streak of 10 straight without a defeat. Whereas Liverpool last lost on matchday 4 to Aston Villa. Since that stunning 7-2 loss to Villa, Liverpool have not lost in eight matches.

Admittedly, both teams will tell you they have drawn more times already than they would have liked with four draws each. Those four points they each have are the difference between leading the table and being tied with five other teams for 5th place. If you cannot win a draw becomes acceptable when the circumstances are right.

Bottom line is both teams hate to lose and do not do it very often – at least this season. The biggest difference is in how the teams go about their football, which is a contrast in styles.

Old School vs New School

As José Mourinho and Tottenham bring a more conservative approach to the game to face Jürgen Klopp and his more aggressive pressing scheme, we very much have a matchup of contrasting styles. Both teams rely on the notion that they can capitalize on the opponent’s mistakes, it is just that Liverpool more actively seeks to create those mistakes and, in the process, dominate the ball.

Tottenham certainly can dominate possession, although it has been seen less during this vicious stretch of games Spurs are currently going through. By not working to press throughout the entire field and being willing to concede possession, Tottenham are hoping to have a step that maybe a Liverpool with their all-out aggressive style might not as the games pile up.

Based on how we have seen the two sides succeed this season, it is highly likely that Tottenham sit in a mid-low block and force Liverpool to break them down. While, not likely to concede the 75% possession that Fulham did this past week in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool; Aston Villa managed to put 7 past the Reds with only 30% possession. It is this Aston Villa blueprint that likely most has Mourinho’s attention.

Aston Villa are even MORE willing to concede possession than Tottenham having the fewest touches of any team in the Premier League. While a game in hand has impacted that, it still underlines the point that you do not need possession to win, even against top teams.

The real question is if Jürgen Klopp decides to make some changes to his style and defense with the mounting injuries in the back. With both Joel Matip and Virgil Van Dyke out for Liverpool, they have been playing either defensive midfielders or young players at central defense. The idea of abandoning the highline considering Tottenham’s attack would not be completely out of the question but does kind of go against Klopp’s desire to instill his will on each match. It is likely the team that diverges the most from what they do best is the one to make the slip and let the other in. The question is who blinks first.