Why Defence- Midfield Partnership Will Be The Key For Liverpool Against Tottenham Hotspur

So far, the Merseyside club Liverpool have had some mixed results. They started their new Premier League campaign with a great fashion as they out powered the Emirates outfit Arsenal at their own castle, but soon after that, they failed to replicate the same form against a lowly side Burnley, who have recently been promoted to the Premier League.

As the fans were still talking about the defeat against the Clarets, the side gave an emphatic performance in the League Cup tie against Burton Albion. The Reds easily out-powered the Championship side with a thumping scoreline of five goals to nil, but now, a trip to the White Hart Lane has been scheduled for this weekend.

The Lilly-Whites too have faced some mixed results but they haven’t lost a game yet. Tthe North London outfit will be going all out this time against Liverpool, as they know how important the fixture is. Liverpool, on the other hand, as still in a phase of experimentation. Their manager may have found a perfect attacking trio to haunt the opponents, but the central part is something which needs to be sort out.

Burton was an easy test for the Reds, but as stated earlier, the White Hart Lane trip wouldn’t be. Tottenham are one of the fiercest attacking teams, therefore, the defence needs to be on their toes. With Emre Can likely to miss the clash due to his injury, the centre-halves will have less cover and that is where the Lilly-Whites can expose their defence.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is likely to play the new signing Ragnar Klavan against Tottenham, as he was rested in the game against Burton Albion. He indeed did a pretty good job against Arsenal, but his display against Burnley was heavily criticised. Unlike the Arsenal’s game, the Estonian lacked the confidence and failed to conquer easiest of tackles and it was him, who came off second best in a challenge with debutant Steven Defour on halfway and Liverpool were left exposed.

Overall, the Estonian defender had a night to forgot and practically speaking, he needs to get over it and have to give the players like Dele Alli and Harry Kane a run for their money in the following fixture. Klavan is a great passer of the ball and so far, he has managed a passing accuracy of 91%, but that surely isn’t going to be enough as the pace of Lamela and the agility of Kane could really haunt the Reds at times.

He surely will have a cover from Dejan Lovren, but in the modern football, the defence needs a protection from midfield as well. Liverpool manager might use Jordan Henderson for the spot and looking at his recent form, he is nothing more than a trouble himself. He might be a good passer of the ball, but defensive attributes are something which doubts his capabilities of skippering Liverpool

And in that case, the centre-halves are going to have a torrid time. Talking about Lovren, he is good enough, but sometimes loses his marker and that trouble the team at times and this needs to be sorted out as soon as possible. As stated earlier, an outing to the White Hart Lane isn’t going to be an easiest of trips, but a sense of optimism can really change the course of the game.