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Anfield will witness a battle between two opposing playing styles tonight. Jurgen Klopp will unfold his heavy metal football and José Mourinho will press the mute button. Liverpool will keep the ball and try to be creative with it. Tottenham will build a wall in the back and look for a counterattack.
Some will say that it is negative for Mourinho, but it is also practical. It’s what took them to the top of the Premier League and saw them beat Manchester City 2-0 with 34 percent possession. Both goals in that game (see charts below) tell us what Tottenham could do to Liverpool tonight.
The first saw Harry Kane fall into a pocket of space. The city center-backs followed foolishly and left Son Heung-min with enough room to break back and score. The second saw Tottenham counter in numbers and Giovani Lo Celso found the net. That is what Liverpool must be careful of tonight.
Tottenham have produced the fewest number of crosses in the Premier League this season. That’s partly because Mourinho wants his full backs to do his defensive duties instead of flying forward, like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson do with Klopp.
When Liverpool attack, they have Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, but also Alexander-Arnold and Robertson. Mourinho will not want his defense to be overloaded, so we can expect Tottenham to establish themselves with five defenses out of possession. In recent games, Moussa Sissoko has dropped 10 yards from midfield to defense. If Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg joins him, we could see six behind.
Salah and Mane like to get inside, in that space between the central defender and the full back. But if Sissoko or Hojbjerg are there, they will be congested and Klopp will have to find another way.
That may leave Tottenham light in midfield but, in Tanguy Ndombele, Mourinho has a player who runs. Ndombele hasn’t completed 90 minutes in nine starts this season, possibly because he’s so shattered after an hour of stalking opponents!
Against City, Tottenham was tight and compact, forcing their opponents to break through. They were happy to let City make one cross after another, confident that Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld could handle those balls in the area. That game saw City produce the most crosses in a game this season.
When Tottenham gained possession, they instantly saw how they could turn a defensive situation into an attacking one. That’s where the movement of Kane, Son and Steven Bergwijn becomes so vital. Liverpool’s makeshift defense must be alert and aware of the dangers behind their high line. A ball over the top and they could be curtains.
This is how I hope tonight plays out. If Mourinho crashes at Anfield and gives a surprise playing expansive football, I’ll eat my hat!
MY PREDICTION: 1-1
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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