Later today, when Jürgen Klopp’s team plays a Spurs team that has started the season far better than most anticipated given the transfer of star player Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, Liverpool might make a statement in the Premier League.
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Prior to the start of the game, we spoke with Liverpool supporter Nick Sapia from LFC Boston about the Reds, especially their forthcoming meeting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the in-form Darwin Nez.
Alexander, TrentArnold is once again available, and Ibrahima Konaté triumphed over Leicester. Would you reintegrate both into the Spurs team?
They both belong in Liverpool’s starting lineup for tomorrow, in my opinion. Trent hasn’t played in such a long time, so it’s a challenging match for him to enter, but I know he can handle it. In his last two games, Konaté also had a good appearance.
In contrast to last season, when I would have argued that Trent and Konaté were the two most crucial players in the inverted full-back system, one of Liverpool’s most amazing things about this season’s opening stretch is that they have played for extended stretches without them. When other people filled these positions, the team’s ability to remain cohesive was amazing. The thrilling resurgence of Joe Gomez and Joel Matip is another benefit of having a top midfield once more. In the reversed role, Gomez has excelled; he isn’t trying to be Trent, but rather playing the part well in his own manner. I thought it really showed against West Ham.
What can we expect from Liverpool this season based on this game? Spurs have had a great season so far.
It ought to be quite illuminating. First, it will reveal a lot about Klopp’s personnel and strategy for the trickier games, notably those played away from the top six teams.
The two biggest problems Liverpool has had this season are giving up the early goal and being caught on the counterattack. They have gotten away with defensive lapses that would have been punished by superior teams a couple times this season. Spurs will be able to make up for those defensive mistakes.
What can we expect from Liverpool this season based on this game? Spurs have had a great season so far.
It ought to be quite illuminating. First, it will reveal a lot about Klopp’s personnel and strategy for the trickier games, notably those played away from the top six teams.
The two biggest problems Liverpool has had this season are giving up the early goal and being caught on the counterattack. They have gotten away with defensive lapses that would have been punished by superior teams a couple times this season. Spurs will be able to make up for those defensive mistakes.
This season, especially in the second half, Liverpool has been successful at integrating into the game, finally controlling the play, and imposing their will. See if they can defeat Spurs in that way. If that’s the case, it will be a huge indicator of where this team stands.
Currently, Darwin Nez seems to be in excellent shape. How pleased are you with his start to the season?
Yes, it has been quite impressive. I’ve always believed that the discussion surrounding Darwin’s finishing was exaggerated; like most other attackers, he creates a lot of chances and will both score and miss some. Not as bad as some would have you believe, nine league goals from 12 xG last season. He’s outperforming himself on that statistic this year, so I predict we’ll just write off last year as a string of bad luck. He is tied for first place in the league with Erling Haaland this season thanks to his incredibly high average of 1.27 non-penalty anticipated goals plus expected assists per 90 minutes.
Darwin did the same thing to create the first goal against West Ham, releasing Luis Daz and then quite literally sprinting past everyone to get into the box to get a touch on the misplaced pass that ultimately led to the penalty. We discussed how impressive the second goal at LASK was thanks to Darwin’s work holding up the play.
Jürgen Klopp held him out of the team towards the end of the previous season because he was clearly working hard to improve his comprehension of what he needed to do on the defensive side of the ball and was pushing much better.
His rapid development into a far more complete player and constant danger are demonstrated by the facts this season. It can’t have been easy to wait on the bench last season and then have to enter games as a substitute at the beginning of this one, so his attitude has been commendable as well. Right now, he is the team’s top centre forward because he has proven himself.
Ange Postecoglou, a Liverpool supporter, has so far done a fantastic job at Spurs. Is he a candidate who might someday be taken into consideration to succeed Jürgen Klopp?
He resembles Jürgen Klopp somewhat, don’t you think? They both appear to be gushing over one another and are obviously supportive of each other’s efforts. He is an excellent motivator, and the players’ attitudes have changed as a result. It was fairly impressive to come back twice at Arsenal last weekend to earn a point. Who knows how the management scene will change in three years, but let’s see if Postecoglou is still in the running. If so, things will probably have hit a rough patch by the time he becomes available, but he could turn the Spurs project around.
It’s difficult to consider who will lead Liverpool in the future (Jürgen, if you’re reading this, please remain forever). It will be difficult to find someone who can foster the culture in the locker room and on the practise pitch while motivating players and developing talent like Klopp can. The good news is that the following manager simply needs to continue what Klopp started, not create it. I believe Liverpool will continue to be able to scout and discover players, and the club’s foundation should persuade a great manager to assume control when that unlucky day arrives.
