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Liverpool will face Tottenham at Anfield in an extremely important match in the Premier League. Liverpool are the league-leaders with 76 points in 31 matches, whereas Tottenham is at the third position, 15 points behind their opponents. Jurgen Klopp's men desperately need a win, in order to keep the pressure on Manchester City.
On the other hand, Tottenham would like to come out with a draw at least to boost their chances of finishing inside the top four and thereby ensuring qualification for next season’s Champions League. Mauricio Pochettino would try to improve his team’s poor record against the big teams in the Premier League.
The encounter promises to be an absorbing battle between two top teams in the most competitive football league in the world. We would look at the 3 key factors, which might determine the outcome of the match:
#1 Sadio Mane’s good form and Salah’s lack of it:
Sadio Mane, Liverpool’s left winger, is in red-hot form at the moment, and has scored a brace each against Bayern Munich and Burnley. He again scored against Fulham to take his tally to five goals in the last three matches. The Senegalese forward has already scored 20 goals in 38 matches in the season and is the man to watch out for against Tottenham too.
However, in order to accommodate Roberto Firmino in the starting line-up, Klopp would have to start Mane on the left-wing again, when it is pretty obvious that he is more lethal while playing in a central position. Ideally, he should start as the centre-forward in a 4-3-3 or as one of the two strikers in a 4-4-2, but that is very unlikely to happen, as Klopp is unlikely to leave a player as important as Firmino out.
Mohamed Salah’s lack of form should also be a matter of concern for Klopp as Liverpool usually depend a lot on the Egyptian forward. Salah has already scored 20 goals this season so far but has not scored any in the last few games. While he provided a vital assist against Bayern Munich, the Liverpool supporters expect a lot more from him.
Should Salah regain his form on Sunday, Tottenham might find it very difficult to handle him. The combination of Mane and Salah is one even the best defenders in the world are bound to struggle against.
#2 Harry Kane’s good form and Son’s fall from grace:
In an identical scenario, Tottenham is also coping with the mixed fortune of their forward line. Harry Kane has been regularly been scoring goals since his return from injury, but Son-Heung-Min has been struggling to find form for the past one month or so.
Kane scored against Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund, apart from scoring for England in both of their qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Montenegro. He has now scored 24 goals in 36 matches for Tottenham this season and will look to add to that tally against Liverpool. It is very difficult to contain him, as he is fast, strong and quick to react.
However, Son, who was absolutely superb in the first half of the season, is struggling to score since his return from doing national duty in the AFC Asian Cup held in UAE. He has not scored any goal in the last five games for club and his poor form has been one of the biggest reasons behind; Tottenham’s poor run in the Premier League in the last month. The Korean would hope to put his struggles behind him at Anfield.
#3 The midfield battle
Tottenham is likely to start with three-man midfield with Christian Eriksen, Eric Dier, and Mousa Sissoko in the middle of the park. However, Liverpool would have to choose between Jordan Henderson and Fabinho as picking both of them in the starting line-up would imply a very defensive mindset.
Jurgen Klopp could start with either Henderson or Fabinho as the defensive midfielder and Giorginio Wijnaldaum and James Milner as the two wide midfielders in his three-man midfield. The veteran and versatile Milner has been great for Liverpool this season but does not possess enough attacking skills to trouble a team like Tottenham.
That is precisely the reason Klopp should start with Xherdan Shaqiri in the midfield, as the latter’s pacey runs might unsettle the Spurs back-line. He would help stretch the visitor's defenders wide with his runs through the right flank. Salah and Shaqiri could combine to expose the defensive vulnerabilities of Pochettino's men.
On the other hand, Tottenham would rely a lot on their right wing-back, Kieran Trippier, to generate attacks through the flank. Trippier is an excellent crosser of the ball and can combine very well with an attacking midfielder like Alli. Therefore, Pochettino might consider starting with Alli instead of Dier and play Sissoko as the defensive midfielder.
