Tottenham’s similarities with Liverpool will embolden Jose Mourinho to cause an Anfield upset
The teams are designed in much the same way, prioritising the same qualities, which makes Spurs the toughest test for the champions at Anfield so far this season
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Your support makes all the difference.On Tuesday afternoon, the script followed a familiar arc. Jurgen Klopp, ever complimentary of his opponents in the dugout - though Chris Wilder may get the cold shoulder this season - saluted the talents of Jose Mourinho.
The Liverpool manager chiefly highlighted his counterpart’s ability to adapt to the quality at his disposal and strength in “not being bothered about style, only about results in the decisive moments.”
Mourinho had turned Tottenham into a “results machine” by Klopp’s estimation, with the league standings supporting that finding.
The Portuguese, ever wily, turned the compliment into an opportunity to spell out why table-topping Spurs - boasting the best goal difference, defensive numbers and away record in the division - travel to Anfield as underdogs.
“Our results are very positive,” Mourinho concurred, before then emphasising “but it’s too early and the period of good results is about a few months and a results machine is of course much more than that.
“A results machine is what Liverpool has been for the past couple of years, what my Chelsea was in the period we won the two consecutive titles.
“We are a good team that works hard but Liverpool is the result of, if I’m not wrong, 1,894 days of work with Jurgen. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong for a few days. And we are the work of 390 days.
“But these 390 days are fake because lots of these days were not even days of work, they were days of quarantine, being at home unable to work. So from almost 2,000 to 300, for us to be able to compete at the level we are doing, I can only give credit to the players and be very happy with what they are doing.”
Mourinho’s tactic of ensuring the pressure was on the defending champions, who have gone 65 league games unbeaten at Anfield, was typically skilful.
He made sure to repeat how long Klopp has had to work with Liverpool later in his press conference and when he was asked about the home side’s absentees, he slowly listed the world-class talent available to start for them.
All this was expected. The plot twist came during Klopp’s sizing up of Spurs and his conclusion that “their style of play, I see a lot of similarities with us to be honest. The way they set it up, the way they build up, they play football.”
Managers are often averse to viewing another team as a mirror of sorts to their own and will usually spotlight all the ways they are different.
If both are proponents of the high press, there will be a will to point out that it is utilised in contrasting ways with unique triggers.
As Klopp drilled further into his assessment, it was hard to argue that Mourinho’s men do share plenty of commonality with Liverpool.
Despite their explosiveness on the counter, neither team overly rely on it.
“If you watch their games, you see they have a proper football side,” Klopp said. “You see Harry Kane dropping in a way Bobby Firmino did, then two quick wingers right and left.
“To defend Kane in these areas is really difficult, then you have really advanced midfielders like a second No.10 with Tanguy Ndombele or Giovani Lo Celso, then two really strong physical and footballing midfielders in Moussa Sissoko and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, so that’s football, not only counter-attack.
“You cannot be top of the league only by counter-attacking. That’s why I just see what I see. And what I see, unfortunately, is pretty good!”
The attacking make-up of Spurs and the midfield, which has been core to their brilliant start, mimic Liverpool’s mesh of physicality, tactical discipline, tirelessness and technical quality.
It makes Tottenham, powered by the Kane-Son Heung-min partnership which is one goal shy of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton's 1994-95 record, an almighty challenge.
For his lengthy referencing of which players Liverpool can field in their XI, Mourinho knows the champions are more vulnerable without Virgil van Dijk, Diogo Jota, Joe Gomez, Thiago, with Joel Matip a doubt for Wednesday’s showdown.
The Merseysiders have dropped 11 points this season, just four fewer than in the entirety of 2019-20, in which it took them 35 matches to cede as much.
Klopp’s men have lost four league fixtures this year, the same amount as in 2018 and 2019 combined.
Mourinho will have credence that this is the time to take a swing at Liverpool and will be confident of reprising his role of spoiler-in-chief.
Tottenham’s supreme away form, however, will have to swat away the division’s strongest home record: the champions have won 10 successive Anfield games against established top-six teams.
Liverpool have won every league match on their turf in this campaign by an aggregate score of 18-6 - they’ve scored at least twice in each fixture.
Wednesday night’s ending is unknown as with so much this season, but we are certain to see two teams that are similar in design out to prove they are 2020-21’s results machine while trying to pull away as the pacesetters.
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