Three Things to Look for in Tottenham v Liverpool Thursday

Tottenham Hotspur take on Liverpool for the second time since December in the Premier League. After Liverpool got the better of Spurs in a 2-1 win, Tottenham will be looking for a bit of revenge. That loss put Spurs in a little tailspin, not that different than the Reds find themselves in now, with only 3 points from their last five contests in league.

With two teams desperate to stay in top four and within shouting distance of the league leaders, here are three things to look for when Liverpool travel to north London and face Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs Must Fight for Possession

In their last match against Liverpool, Tottenham were out-possessed 76 to 24. We know Tottenham do not need a ton of the ball to create chances – frankly having the better chances on that day – you can better limit the opposition by controlling some possession yourself. While Tottenham are never going to be Guardiola’s Barcelona under José Mourinho, they do need to battle for the ball and work to keep the possession battle closer to 60/40 or better.

Tottenham do not need to win the possession battle, but must be competitive.

Sure Tottenham do not need a ton of possession to create those chances, but giving up that much ground to the opposition limits those opportunities. Even worse for Spurs, when they are completely dominated in possession as Liverpool did in the first match-up, they simply give up too many opportunities. Even when not clear cut, dozens of half chances are going to produce something, ask Wycombe.

Can Tottenham Keep Liverpool Down

The big problem for Liverpool has not been defensively, despite having the majority of the major injuries on the back half of the team. Rather the issue for Liverpool over the last month has been that the goals have dried up. Following a 0-7 thrashing of Crystal Palace, Liverpool have only managed 1 goal in League.

Getting shutout by Newcastle, Burnley, and Southampton shows that Liverpool can be stopped. And while the Reds did score two on the weekend in the FA Cup, they still gave up three to Manchester United and lost. In fact, Liverpool have only won once all of 2021, beating Aston Villa in the FA Cup Third Round.

Of course all that said, we know Liverpool can score with the best teams in the world. Further, Liverpool have had a very good record against Tottenham over the last several years. Whether that is enough to pull Liverpool out of their slump or not remains to be seen. Regardless of what the Reds do, Spurs need to look to be on the front foot and keep Liverpool down while they can. Like many a sleeping giant, you do not want to be in front of them when they arouse.

Expect Some Attitude on Both Sides

Tottenham and Liverpool are not Tottenham and Arsenal and are not Liverpool versus Everton. The derby match-ups are something different entirely. That said, Tottenham are not really big fans of Liverpool and we are pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

Following the last match-up José Mourinho had some words for Jurgen Klopp regarding who he thought was the better team. Do not expect for even a second that either manager forgot that ‘altercation’.  As if these players needed any more motivation, this could be a do it for Mourinho match-up.

This is not to say there is going to be any kind of brawl or even a red card, but we do need to expect the whistle to blow a bit. Tottenham are not going to back down from Liverpool and we know the Reds like to get under the opponents skin. Expect this one to be quite chippy at times, but in the end we see the new Spurs emerging more resilient and ready for the wars down the stretch.

If Tottenham are going to bring home the silverware this season – regardless of competition – they have to win big games against the best opponents. Regardless of current form, Liverpool coming to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is as big of a game against as good of an opponent as Spurs can face. It is now up to Tottenham to face them back and overcome.