After a cagey start to the new Premier League campaign, the London side Tottenham Hotspur will now be preparing for the bigger showdown. This time around, the Lilly-Whites will be welcoming the all confident Merseyside club Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s men recently faced a humiliating 2-0 defeat at Turf Moor against Burnley, but they came back to winning ways as they defeated Championship side Burton Albion with a thumping scoreline of five goals to nil.
On the other hand, the Lilly-Whites had a cagey start to their campaign as they played a 1-1 draw against Everton on the opening day, but they secured all three points against Crystal Palace last weekend. The new signing Victor Wanyama scored the only goal of the game against the Eagles late in the game.
“It feels special,” Wanyama told the club’s official website when asked about his home debut. (Cited by the Evening Standard)
“When you win the first home game I think you get confidence and you can build from there.
“It’s important that we build from this one and we will see in the next game,” insisted the Kenya international.
A sense of optimism is surely there, but they need to be consistent and the game against a team like Liverpool is always a stern test for any opponent. So, here is the predicted line up for Tottenham, that could face Liverpool this weekend:
Goalkeeper: Michel Vorm-
With the absence of their current number one, the Argentine manager will have to go with Michel Vorm. The 32-year-old Dutch International is no upgrade to Lloris, but the Lilly-Whites do not really have other options to choose from. Vorm did his part fairly well last time out, but he still needs to work more on his distribution.
Defence: Walker; Alderweireld; Vertonghen; Rose-
Kyle Walker will surely be the manager’s first choice right back for the side in the game, and in that scenario, he will be competing against Liverpool’s current number one, Philippe Coutinho.
On the left side, there will be non-other than Danny Rose. The little left-back is a typical English defender, who loves to out-power his opponents with his physical presence. Even in the game against Crystal Palace, he always got the better of the former Tottenham man, Andros Townsend.
For the centre-back pairing, the manager will surely be using this young Belgian duo. Vertonghen had an average outing at the Goodison Park in the very first game, but the defender came back strongly and gave a positive display against the Eagles. On the other hand, Alderweireld has been a standout performer for the side and his current form will take him to new heights, he just needs to build on it.
Holding midfield: Dier; Wanayama-
Lilly-Whites’ new acquisition, Victor Wanyama was unarguably the best performer for the side against the Eagles, and will be looking forward to build on that. He single-handedly controlled the course of the game and was a solid presence in the middle of the park. Mauricio Pochettino will surely be having a hard time once Demeble returns from his suspension.
On the other hand, the Englishman Eric Dier had a mediocre outing against Palace, but was not poor either. The game against Liverpool isn’t going to be a simple, hence, a match winning performance is expected out of him.
Attacking Trio: Lamela; Janssen; Alli-
Many believe that this will be the season Erik Lamela will start to produce consistent performances. The Argentine attacker will have to be a solid presence on the field and will most probably be facing Alberto Moreno or James Milner, either way; the competition on his flank is competitively simple.
On the other flank, the manager might drop Christian Eriksen this time around. There have been rumours that the Danish international has rejected the new deal from the club and is demanding a humongous pay rise, and who knows, this is the reason he isn’t performing to the level he is known for. So in his place, Pochettino might make use of the dynamism of Dele Alli.
Furthermore, the other new signing might play a false 9 role against the Merseysiders. The Dutchman was a great hit against Palace but lacked the end product, which he may find against Liverpool, who knows.
Striker: Harry Kane-
The Englishman had an average outing, but still, we cannot deny the fact that he is their current number one. A sure starter for the team.
