5 Talking Points from Liverpool vs Tottenham
Three more points from a tough fixture
Regardless of how the wins come our way, they all bring along three points with them. The Reds are marching to the title crushing records along the way and this run has spoiled the fans. If you were looking at the fixtures early in the year, a draw at Tottenham would not be a bad result but the way Liverpool has dominated makes every fan expect three points from every game. Heck, some are not even satisfied that it was a tough grind to get the three points. This alone speaks volumes about what this team has accomplished
Tired but victorious
Liverpool was visibly tired in the second half and the style of play that is based on high energy suffers immensely when you have tired legs on the pitch. The hectic fixture over the last two months seemed to catch up with the team this game despite being rested in the midweek FA Cup fixture. How Klopp reacts to the lack of energy will be interesting to see as the Reds host their rivals Manchester United this week. The return of players like Matip and Fabinho might give him more options assuming the duo will have enough practice time under their belt to be ready for the game.
Return of players bring back squad depth
Klopp not complaining about injuries like his counterparts has created the illusion that Liverpool does not have major injuries. A squad once deep with players vying for playing time suddenly became one with only 13-14 senior players to select from. Additions of Minamino along with return of several players should solve these issues just like the return of Shaqiri did this week. An already tired team did not have a lot of options to come off the bench if it was not for his return. Even if they cannot go the full 90 minutes, it is extremely valuable to have players like Lallana, Ox, and Shaq to be able to play our high energy game.
Unsung heroes
This team has several players who do not get the credit they deserve, and Adam is one of them. Lallana’s resurgence gets overlooked but his return to full fitness has been extremely valuable for this team. Especially in the absence of Milner, he was the one who led the youngsters in the FA cup and he came in for Ox against Spurs to give valuable minutes off the bench. His calmness on the ball and high work rate is a huge help to a struggling midfield. It is very clear that Klopp sees Adam as a very valuable player and he would have been a key part of this team in the last two years if it was not for his injuries.
The Captain
Much like the rest of the midfield, Henderson did not have a great game. His relentless running is now to be expected but he also got caught on the ball a few times, creating dangerous situations for the defense. Similar to the rest of the team, he looked tired towards the end but kept working through it. I wanted to highlight his attitude as a talking point though. After the game as Klopp gives him his hug, Henderson is seen telling Klopp that the performance was just not good enough. Despite the team just crushing another record by winning an away game with a clean sheet, the captain is not satisfied with the result and how it was achieved. This is what I love about this team and why this team succeeds. When your captain is not happy with the win and expects more knowing it was a subpar performance, it trickles down to the entire squad. Henderson and Milner bring a lot to this team as captains. They are not the most skilled players in the squad but you know they will fight till the end and will make sure everyone else is fighting along with them.