Premier League 18/19; Liverpool vs Tottenham: 3 crucial factors to watch out for

#3 The midfield battle

Xherdan Shaqiri

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.