Liverpool made a huge statement in the Premier League title race this season with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham over the weekend.
The Reds have now won all five of their opening fixtures and should’ve enjoyed a more comfortable outing against Spurs had they been more ruthless in the final third.
Here’s a look at how Jurgen Klopp got the better of Mauricio Pochettino.
HIGH PRESS
Tottenham insist on playing the ball out from the back which gives them control in their build-up play but makes it a relatively slower progression up the field. Liverpool’s high-press focuses on cutting off passing lanes rather than closing down the man on the ball.
So when Toby Alderweireld tried to play out from the back for example, Liverpool’s front three blocked off his routes to one of the full-backs, the defensive midfielder and his fellow centre-back. That forced the Belgian to be more direct with his passing – which Pochettino doesn’t advocate.
Liverpool pressing high
This led to several turnovers in possession when the hosts tried to move the ball forward. Playing the ball into Christian Eriksen’s feet was difficult and required precise passes penetrating two lines of Liverpool’s pressing.
That prompted the Dane to drop deep, which did see Spurs gain more control of possession but didn’t open up any avenues going forward. Instead, it removed one of the few targets they had in the final third, leaving only Harry Kane and Lucas Moura to aim at, both of whom were closely marked by Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.
Eriksen forced to drop deep
SPACE BEHIND THE FULL-BACKS
So with the high-press having done all the hard work, Liverpool’s fierce forward line were handed great opportunities to attack Spurs. The spaces in behind the advanced full-backs were naturally the most obvious and vulnerable areas to exploit.
The devastating pace of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah allowed the visitors to get in behind the defence with ease. That came to the fore when the Senegalese international advanced into space down the left and was picked out by Andrew Robertson.
Mane and Salah attack the space
Mane burst into the box before his ball across goal was eventually slotted away by Roberto Firmino after a couple of deflections along the way. In the transition, Liverpool often enjoyed a numerical advantage against the Spurs back-line.
On one occasion, Mane drove at the defence with Naby Keita and Salah on either side of him, creating a 3 v 2 scenario. He played it to Keita in the end whose shot was saved.
Liverpool’s 3 v 2 scenarios in transition
