No build up thread for this game yet?? Obviously we are all feeling down about LFC after the Hull City cluster****!!
Winning this game will temporarily heal the pain from the recent results against the likes of Hull, Swansea, Wolves, Southampton and Sunderland. However, we all know full well that it isn't the results / performances against the top 6 teams that we are coming up short in.
Still - it will be good to see a reaction from the team. Also, they've had a full week on the training pitch so it will be good to see a strong, high-intensity, pressing performance from the team.
Also - after this game, the team have just over 2 weeks until they play their next game. This is a product of our recent failures but a good performance and result at home to Spurs leaves the team in good morale and with time to work on fitness, form and tactics. So I might be clutching at straws here but a win against Tottenham could set us up for a really positive finish to the season........hopefully the team will remember that we were robbed of 2 points when we drew with them at White Hart Lane earlier in the season.
Rumour is that Mignolet is going to be dropped for Karius again. And although Karius's inclusion isn't exactly a reason to be celebrating, I think it is only fair. Karius's couple of costly errors led to Mignolets reinstatement into the team earlier in the season. So after his 'asleep-at-the-wheel' moment against Chelsea for the free kick and his butter-fingers moment v Hull, then it makes sense that he should be back on the bench. Plus I thought that Karius did well against Southampton.
Apart from that, I never thought I would say this - but hopefully Lovren is back in the team!! Him and Matip need a run of games together. If nothing else, at least it will allow Klopp to make a decision on Lovren going forward. I personally think he is too liable to make regular **** ups (even if he has 3 or 4 solid games in a row, you just know his next error is in the post) but playing devils advocate, Lovren never really had a run with a single defensive partner. The only one resembling a regular partnership was with Sakho around this time last year - and back then it was pretty good. So hopefully Matip and Lovren can both stay fit and see how they get on for the rest of this season.
From an attacking perspective, I think 5 things might help us improve:
1. Improved freshness of Mane. He has played a lot of football in the last month, he has done a lot of air travel in the last month and an international tournament is mentally challenging too. Hopefully the week since Hull will have given him time to re-acclimatise to life at LFC and he can kick on again.
2. Fitness of Coutinho. Just back from injury and trying to play his way into form and fitness. Again, hopefully Phil will have had a good week of training, massages and rest and be raring to go.
3. Wjinaldum in for Can please. We are at home. And although we play a top team in Spurs, they can be got at. I would hope to see Can start on the bench - and he will be well placed to hopefully come on and help us hold a lead in the second half!!
4. Lallana in midfield please. Pressing from the middle of the park, he created lots of space for the likes of Mane, Coutinho and Firmino earlier on in the season. With Coutinho and Mane out of the team recently, that forced Klopp to change how he used Lallana. Hopefully we can rediscover the early season form of AL when he gets a run in CM again.
5. Spurs. I don't think that they will do a Hull or Sunderland and sit back. They will fancy their chances with their attacking options of Alli, Eriksen, Son and Kane. And why wouldn't they? However, hopefully this will allow LFC to really have a good go at them and create scoring opportunities.
So hopefully we will see something like this:
--------------------------------KARIUS--------------------------------
CLYNE----------MATIP-------------------------LOVREN-------MILNER
-----------LALLANA-----------HENDERSON-------WJINALDUM-------
--MANE----------------------FIRMINO-------------------COUTINHO--
And with a bench that has Origi, Sturridge and Can - then hopefully Klopp has something to change the game if needed - or something to hold onto what we have if needed.
It should be a good game.
Winning this game will temporarily heal the pain from the recent results against the likes of Hull, Swansea, Wolves, Southampton and Sunderland. However, we all know full well that it isn't the results / performances against the top 6 teams that we are coming up short in.
Still - it will be good to see a reaction from the team. Also, they've had a full week on the training pitch so it will be good to see a strong, high-intensity, pressing performance from the team.
Also - after this game, the team have just over 2 weeks until they play their next game. This is a product of our recent failures but a good performance and result at home to Spurs leaves the team in good morale and with time to work on fitness, form and tactics. So I might be clutching at straws here but a win against Tottenham could set us up for a really positive finish to the season........hopefully the team will remember that we were robbed of 2 points when we drew with them at White Hart Lane earlier in the season.
Rumour is that Mignolet is going to be dropped for Karius again. And although Karius's inclusion isn't exactly a reason to be celebrating, I think it is only fair. Karius's couple of costly errors led to Mignolets reinstatement into the team earlier in the season. So after his 'asleep-at-the-wheel' moment against Chelsea for the free kick and his butter-fingers moment v Hull, then it makes sense that he should be back on the bench. Plus I thought that Karius did well against Southampton.
Apart from that, I never thought I would say this - but hopefully Lovren is back in the team!! Him and Matip need a run of games together. If nothing else, at least it will allow Klopp to make a decision on Lovren going forward. I personally think he is too liable to make regular **** ups (even if he has 3 or 4 solid games in a row, you just know his next error is in the post) but playing devils advocate, Lovren never really had a run with a single defensive partner. The only one resembling a regular partnership was with Sakho around this time last year - and back then it was pretty good. So hopefully Matip and Lovren can both stay fit and see how they get on for the rest of this season.
From an attacking perspective, I think 5 things might help us improve:
1. Improved freshness of Mane. He has played a lot of football in the last month, he has done a lot of air travel in the last month and an international tournament is mentally challenging too. Hopefully the week since Hull will have given him time to re-acclimatise to life at LFC and he can kick on again.
2. Fitness of Coutinho. Just back from injury and trying to play his way into form and fitness. Again, hopefully Phil will have had a good week of training, massages and rest and be raring to go.
3. Wjinaldum in for Can please. We are at home. And although we play a top team in Spurs, they can be got at. I would hope to see Can start on the bench - and he will be well placed to hopefully come on and help us hold a lead in the second half!!
4. Lallana in midfield please. Pressing from the middle of the park, he created lots of space for the likes of Mane, Coutinho and Firmino earlier on in the season. With Coutinho and Mane out of the team recently, that forced Klopp to change how he used Lallana. Hopefully we can rediscover the early season form of AL when he gets a run in CM again.
5. Spurs. I don't think that they will do a Hull or Sunderland and sit back. They will fancy their chances with their attacking options of Alli, Eriksen, Son and Kane. And why wouldn't they? However, hopefully this will allow LFC to really have a good go at them and create scoring opportunities.
So hopefully we will see something like this:
--------------------------------KARIUS--------------------------------
CLYNE----------MATIP-------------------------LOVREN-------MILNER
-----------LALLANA-----------HENDERSON-------WJINALDUM-------
--MANE----------------------FIRMINO-------------------COUTINHO--
And with a bench that has Origi, Sturridge and Can - then hopefully Klopp has something to change the game if needed - or something to hold onto what we have if needed.
It should be a good game.
yeah i'd agree with that.
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