The last three match ups have all concluded in Liverpool thrashings, but with both sides rediscovering their form in recent weeks, history appeared futile.
With the two clubs boasting youthful managers, and squads that are eager to press higher up the pitch, a back three against a four-man defence was intriguing. Brendan Rodgers’ side produced arguably their best performance of the season at White Hart Lane this season, operating in a midfield diamond, which brought the best out of Mario Balotelli and Daniel Sturridge. Tuesday, however, was different, with Lazar Markovic, and Philippe Coutinho behind Sturridge, whereas Harry Kane led the line for Spurs.
Pochettino’s downfall at White Hart Lane initially served as a premature wake up call, but overall, Spurs improved all-round, which could explain victories over Chelsea and Arsenal in 2015. The away side was far more organized without possession — in comparison to Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood’s fixtures with Liverpool last season — yet Spurs still encountered preventable issues that nearly resulted in goals.
More so, Liverpool didn’t carve their way through Spurs back-line. It was a combination of sloppy passing and Liverpool’s pressing that witnessed Erik Lamela, Ryan Mason, Christian Eriksen and Nabil Bentaleb create chances that Sturridge and Markovic squandered. Although Raheem Sterling’s pace was genuinely missed, Sturridge’s presence upfront to play off the last defender’s shoulder stretched Spurs’ back-line. Likewise, his ability to link play with his back to goal was pivotal to Markovic’s opener.
Spurs, on the other hand, created minimal clear-cut chances over the weekend, and failed to retain possession at Anfield. Rodgers’ men effectively closed down Pochettino’s back four, while Coutinho and Markovic shared the duty of tracking Bentaleb. With so many bodies in central areas, Lamela and Eriksen were unable to influence the match and locate pockets of space between the lines, whereas Kane was often isolated up front. Bentaleb equally performed a diligent job on Coutinho in midfield, and Moussa Dembele stepped forward to negate Gerrard’s threat in deep positions to limit Liverpool’s threat in open play.
Nonetheless, Pochettino’s side relied on transitional individual slaloms from their own half, and quick combination play to build attacks. It was Bentaleb who shrugged off Coutinho before Dembele found Eriksen between the lines, seconds prior to Markovic’s opener. Subsequent to falling a goal behind, Vertonghen cut out a pass and powered through midfield before locating Eriksen, but Emre Can made a timely block.
Kane’s equalizer, though, highlighted Liverpool’s issue without a natural ball winner in midfield. Simple movement and fluid passing between Eriksen and Lamela to get behind Gerrard and Henderson saw the Argentine direct the ball into the path of the Spurs striker to beat Simon Mignolet.
Still, Liverpool’s main threat stemmed through Jordon Ibe’s pluck down the right. The 19-year-old constantly got the better of left-back Danny Rose to deliver quality crosses into the box, and his determination to surge into advanced positions saw Sturridge force Hugo Lloris into a quality save, whilst back heeling the ball off the post at the stroke of half-time.
This was a logical move by Rodgers due to the absence of Sterling, and Rose’s defensive deficiencies – the Spurs left-back was torched by Danny Welbeck in the buildup to Arsenal’s opener over the weekend. Pochettino reacted to the issue in the second half by instructing Eriksen to drop deeper and protect Rose, but the left back still fouled Sturridge to concede a penalty, while Ibe’s delicate ball between Bentaleb and Rose met Adam Lallana, who created Mario Balotelli’s winner.
The pattern of the match remained in the second half: Spurs’ best chance — excluding Dembele’s goal — resulted in Mason driving through midfield before Mignolet denied Lamela’s superb shot. But with Ibe’s threat partially nullified, Coutinho’s influence increased when he dropped deeper near the halfway line to receive the ball to play two quality passes to Alberto Moreno and Sturridge, but they failed to convert their chances.
Spurs are currently blessed with Kane’s imperious goal-scoring form, but teams are consistently exploiting Rose’s defensive insufficiencies at left-back. Although Liverpool’s creative options in midfield were stifled, Ibe’s direct running created countless opportunities for Rodgers’ side, whereas Spurs rarely threatened in open play.
The performance and form suggest Spurs are headed in the right direction under Pochettino, but there are still areas that may need to be addressed to secure a top four finish.
