da blaze casino： Tottenham Hotspur need to keep picking up results. They’re currently in amazing form, unbeaten in their last eleven matches and winning a massive ten of those. There’s no rest though, not with the way Chelsea are playing, and if Spurs still believe they’re in with a shout of lifting the Premier League trophy then Saturday’s visit to Anfield is a must-win game.
da heads bet： For their top four ambitions a win is less vital, but no less valuable. Defeating Liverpool would see them open up a massive seven-point gap on the Reds in fifth place.
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That’s a very tasty and tangible reward on offer and given the state Liverpool find themselves in, Spurs fans must be anticipating a famous victory.
It won’t be easy though; the Anfield side are undefeated in their last nine matches against the Lilywhites and are proving tough to beat, even though they haven’t picked up a Premier League victory in 2017.
What’s Pochettino’s plan then? Who does he need to counter and who can he expose as a weakness? This is his THREE step plan for success on Saturday evening…
The big threat: Sadio Mane
Before heading to the African Cup of Nations, Sadio Mane was the catalyst for Liverpool’s success and fine form. Scoring nine goals and assisting four more before he left, he was fast becoming a threat that almost every defence in the country couldn’t cope with.
It could just be coincidence that his departure and Liverpool’s terrible January went hand-in-hand but we reckon that his international duty has had a big part to play in the Reds’ season going off the rails.
He didn’t exactly look himself at Hull, playing the entire 90 minutes of a dismal afternoon that saw Marco Silva’s side cruise to a 2-0 victory. But in front of his own fans, he should shine and he’s undoubtedly the biggest threat Spurs face on Saturday evening.
The absence of Danny Rose is a blow, with the left-back unavailable through injury. It therefore falls to Ben Davies to keep the attacker in check down Spurs’ left hand side. Is he up to the task? Time will tell, but what’s certain is that Pochettino will have to pay special attention to the Senegal international or risks seeing his side’s unbeaten run slip away.
The big battle: Mousa Dembele vs. Jordan Henderson
Mousa Dembele is proving again this season that he is an unstoppable force in the Spurs midfield when at the top of his game. He had a fantastic January, as a key component of the Lilywhites’ run of wins.
Perhaps his most impressive performance this season was against Chelsea, when he and midfield partner Victor Wanyama went toe-to-toe with a much hyped Blues midfield and came out well on top, showing that N’Golo Kante doesn’t have it all his own way in the Premier League.
That kind of combative and physical midfield display will be needed on Saturday when he matches up against Jordan Henderson in the heart of the Anfield pitch.
Henderson is having a fine season himself, providing the platform for Liverpool’s more creative players to flourish and punish teams in the final third.
Whoever wins this battle likely influences the game to a degree that provides victory. In Mousa Dembele, Mauricio Pochettino knows he has the man to get the job done.
The key weakness: Joel Matip and that ropey defence
Liverpool’s dismal defensive performance this season is the main reason they are struggling to keep pace with the top four and not challenging Chelsea at the top.
Conceding a massive thirty goals, the most of any side in the Premier League’s top eight, they’ve been the architects of their own demise on multiple occasions. Klopp can’t find a settled defensive partnership, or even a consistent performer in the entire backline, and it’s costing the Reds dearly.
Matip was exposed last week against what is usually a fairly ineffective Hull side, so up against the likes of Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, Liverpool fans must be fearing the worst.
Targeting this defensive weakness will obviously be Pochettino’s priority but singling out Matip in particular could be the key to victory.
Shots from distance could be the name of the game too with Liverpool’s goalkeepers continuing to have a torrid time between the sticks. If Spurs can force yet another error from Loris Karius or Simon Mignolet and expose the likes of Joel Matip, it could be a long night for the home supporters.