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The Merseyside club and the London side don’t have a particularly fierce rivalry, however, when they meet on Sunday, we should expect fireworks. The table toppers will be playing to keep their spot at the highest perch of the Premier League table, while the visiting side is in a four-way battle royale for two Champions League places.
Historically, Liverpool has dominated this tie. In 53 previous meetings, Liverpool have the upper hand having beaten their soon to be guests 24 times, with 15 drawn games and 14 losses. Tottenham, however, will be determined not to cede ground as they’ll hope to prevent Liverpool from doing the double over them this season.
As the Premier League returns this weekend, after the international break, Sunday brings the latest installment of Liverpool v Tottenham in the Premier League. A tasty fixture as so much hinges on this game for both sides. Each side would put their best foot forward, and we attempt to pick out the best players for both sides.
A combined XI of the two sides would be a near unstoppable, but to us, it should help give us an idea of who are the players to watch in this weekend’s cracking game.
GK: Alisson Becker
The front runner for the Golden Glove (17 clean sheets) takes the spot in goal ahead of Spurs’ reliable French custodian. The Brazilian import has taken the Premier League by storm since his move to Liverpool in the summer. He’s likely to make the Premier League XI of the season as well thanks to his stellar performances in Liverpool’s title challenge. His composure in goal has brought about more assured defending for the Reds, which is appreciated by the players and fans alike.
Defence:
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold
A particularly difficult position to fill with both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier strong contenders for the place. Alexander-Arnold is clearly the better choice though, with the youngster’s superb delivery from crosses and dynamism going forward that Liverpool have missed when he was sidelined by injury. They both offer strong right feet, great set-piece delivery, and adventure going forward for their teams, but on both form and contribution to the outcomes of games, TAA has been the front-runner this season.
Note: TAA is a slight doubt for the game on Sunday with a back problem.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk
Having literally made one error this season leading to a goal, the Dutch beast Virgil van Dijk easily makes this spot. He has made 88 headed clearances and won 145 aerial battles this season showing his dominance in the air and ability cut out threats.
Van Dijk is also second in terms of passes made in the league this season indicating his heavy involvement in play for Liverpool this season, especially as teams tend to sit back against the title hopefuls. The immense centre-back is also hitting some goalscoring form for club and country recently as well; just another goalscoring threat for Spurs to worry about.
CB: Toby Alderweireld
The Belgian is having a good season in a Spurs shirt, but that's no surprise because he’s been a model of consistency for the Lily Whites since his arrival at the club. His proactiveness in defense has been his strength as he identifies danger and scrambles to put out fires when needed. Alderweireld leads the Spurs side in clearances and recoveries as well, highlighting his instinct to be in the right place at the right time.
LB: Andrew Robertson
In just a few seasons, Andrew Robertson has gone from an English Championship left back to a world-class full back. He makes it into the top 10 in the Premier League in terms of passes highlighting the skew in the amount of play that goes through the marauding left back (especially in the absence of TAA).
His sweeping runs forward whether on the ball or to press an opposition player have been cheered by the Liverpool fans in appreciation of the Scotsman. To put his importance in perspective, he has 8 assists this season, which is just three short of Eden Hazard, the leader in the assists table this season.
Midfield:
CDM: Fabinho
After weaving through a drop in standards for the Brazilian midfielder since his move to Liverpool, Fabinho has grown to fit the defensive midfielder role for Liverpool quite snugly. As he did for AS Monaco so efficiently, he not only breaks down opposition attacks but is quite adept at starting attacks for Liverpool as well, often trying dinks over the top to find the forward line.
RCM: Georginio Wijnaldum
A hidden gem at the heart of Liverpool’s midfield, Georginio Wijnaldum is key to the way they play. The Dutch midfielder is Klopp’s Gegenpressing personified, and when he wins possession, he’s proved immensely difficult to dispossess. His range of passing and ability to carry the ball forward safely up the pitch has been a regular feature of this Liverpool team. This season, he’s also starting to make some late runs into the box which we should see more of during his Liverpool career.
LCM: Christian Eriksen
Is it really a surprise that Christian Eriksen makes it? The only surprising bit is that Spurs have been able to hold on to the Danish midfielder for so long. A player who typifies consistency, more impressively so in the final third with his contribution in terms of assists and goals. He’s currently third in terms of assists in the Premier League this season (9 assists). A livewire at his best and quietly dangerous at worst, he’s going to be a handful for that Liverpool midfield to match.
Forwards:
RW: Mohamed Salah
With his performances under a microscope following the wonders of last season, Mo Salah has consistently produced magical performances that have made the difference for Liverpool. His blistering pace and sublime skill apart, the simple numbers indicate that he has had 24 contributions to goals in the league (goals and assists), a stellar contribution by any standard.
LW: Sadio Mane
The Senegalese has been the heart of Liverpool’s attacking threat this season. His intelligent runs and quick thinking have been a joy to watch. The form Mane is hitting this season is difficult to stop for any defensive unit and Spurs know that they will have to be on the top of their games to keep this attack from registering some goals.
ST:
Harry Kane
England and Tottenham’s talismanic striker has been Tottenham’s main source of goals since he made his senior debut in 2015. He’s Pochettino’s troublemaker-in-chief with his movement and quickness in getting shots away and making them count.
Interestingly, this attacking trio of Salah, Mane, and Kane are tied at second in the goals table in the league with 17 goals (along with Arsenal’s Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and only led by Sergio Aguero). This should be a great subplot in what we hope will be a thriller of a game with goals galore.
