5 Key Talking Points From Tottenham vs Liverpool: Pressing Returns And It Looks Effective

Tottenham vs Liverpool: 5 Talking Points

The return of the Premier League after the international break was overshadowed by the second coming of the greatest manager in the history of modern football. We may be stretching it a bit, but the signing of Jurgen Klopp as the manager of Liverpool seemed to be the only topic worth talking about by everyone related to English football.

Tottenham were the first team that Klopp’s Reds were to face and the London team were looking to avoid a sixth straight defeat against the Reds. Liverpool though were rocked by a couple of injuries prior to the game with Danny Ings and Joe Gomez becoming long-term absentees. Liverpool were also without Daniel Sturridge, who got injured again and couldn’t face Tottenham.

Tottenham were unlucky not to score thanks to a brilliant performance by Simon Mignolet, the Liverpool goalkeeper. All in all, it was an entertaining clash, but neither team could score, with the game ending as a draw.

We look back at the entertaining draw and highlight the five talking points from the clash.

1. Pressing returns and it looks pretty effective

Before the game, Harry Kane stated in an interview that they would outrun Liverpool, well that didn’t happen as the Reds sprinted more than Tottenham and were the first team to do so this season in the league.

Klopp brought in his ‘Gegenpressing’ style to Liverpool and even though he only had one week to work with most of the squad, it seems to have given the team a lot of energy. Can, Lucas, Milner and Lallana were running like headless chickens but with a game plan. It did cause Tottenham a few problems at the start, especially with all the closing down, and it will be interesting to see how much of running the team can do till the end of the season.

2. Is Harry Kane a one season wonder?

Harry Kane still does a lot of running and closing down for Tottenham, he probably is the hardest working forward in the league, but the number of goals have dried for last season’s hotshot. He did have a great chance to score for his team, but somehow Simon Mignolet saved it.

It isn’t that Kane hasn’t had the chances to score, but things just don’t seem to be going his way. It often comes down to confidence at the end and when Kane does bang in a couple of goals, he should get back to his best.

3. Mignolet saved the Reds

While the Reds did start brighter than Tottenham, the only reason they came out with a point was thanks to a couple of superb saves from Simon Mignolet. The Belgian saved in each half from Njie and Kane, thus becoming the goalkeeper with the most number of clean sheets in the Premier League in 2015.

The Belgian does have his detractors and his distribution in the game wasn’t the best but if he continues to save shots like he did against Spurs, Klopp wouldn’t be thinking of replacing Simon yet.

4. Defensive lapses still remain for Liverpool

Mignolet might have saved the blushes of the Reds, but their defence still is a major cause for concern. Liverpool started with the duo of Sakho and Skrtel, probably the best centre-back pair they have but the Slovakian had an awful game.

Klopp should be under no illusions that things can be fixed easily at Liverpool, he has a lot of work to do at the club and the defence and goalkeeping situation must be at the top of his list.

5. Tottenham could be the team that breaks into the top four

Mauricio Pochettino’s team are on the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League, they are unbeaten in their last eight games, after the opening day loss to Manchester United. Spurs have not been into the top four since Gareth Bale propelled them into those starry Champions League nights and if Pochettino keeps his team playing like they did against Liverpool, he could easily break into the top four.

While Manchester City and Arsenal seem sure shots, at least for now, into the Champions League places for next season. The race is on for the other places with a hot of clubs, big and small vying; Spurs have a great chance with a lot of big clubs struggling and should be confident of their chances after this performance.

Tottenham vs Liverpool 0 – 0 – Jurgen Klopp… by hachemhajji1