« on: September 30, 2023, 04:29:08 pm »
Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool, Saturday 30 September, 5.30pm
Referee: Simon Hooper
Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Simon Long. Fourth official: Tony Harrington
VAR: Darren England. Assistant VAR: Dan Cook
It hasn’t been a bad start to the season, has it? Last night’s win over Leicester made it seven wins on the trot, despite five of them coming after we went a goal down. It’s a sign the side isn’t fully settled, with Klopp still searching for the right group in midfield while injuries and suspensions mean we’ve had to keep chopping and changing at the back. But Alisson looks as sharp as ever, our forwards are in lethal form and I really like the fact our midfielders generally all offer something different. I don’t know if we can overhaul Man City this year, but things look the brightest they have in a while and I can see a very entertaining few months ahead.
Tottenham are also unbeaten (in normal time) this season while likeable new manager Ange Postecoglou seeks to fit his squad into a cohesive shape. James Maddison has looked excellent in the number 10 role, slotting right in next to Son Heung-min, who has five in six games in the league, while Yves Bissouma has recaptured his Brighton form and the likes of Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie and Pape Sarr have rejuvenated the team. The lack of European (and League Cup) football also means they can concentrate fully on the league, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them in the mix for top four when the weathr starts warming up again.
This has been a very rewarding tie for us over the years. It got us our sixth European Cup after all, but it also gave us a fleeting glimpse of that tantalising Sturridge/Balotelli strike partnership, a 20-year old Ronnie Whelan putting them to the sword in the ’82 League Cup final, a 6-2 win under Souness that gave Rushie his 300th Liverpool goal, two thumpings in the Suarez-inspired 2013-14 season and, of course, the scintillating 7-0 in 1978 that was arguably the peak of the Paisley era, and which still ranks among the greatest performances in the club’s history. In an interesting turn of events, we also played them twice in four days in 1963, winning 5-2 at Anfield before being spanked 7-2 at theirs.
I’d put predicted teams here but it’s a bit too early for either to say for sure. Thiago remains out while Trent is back in training, though he may stay on the bench for this one as Joe Gomez has looked bright the last few matches. On their side, Perisic is out for the season while Bentancur and Lo Celso remain sidelined.
I went to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a match last year and it’s a nice place, apart from the grotesque uncanny valley player graphics. We’ve scored three in each of our last five matches while Spurs have got at least two in every league game this season so far, which indicates this should be a high-scoring game. It’s possibly also our biggest test so far, with neither Newcastle nor West Ham able to resist the red swarm as the match went on. The result won’t determine the season ahead, but it may give a clue to where we are right now.
« Last Edit: September 30, 2023, 08:49:57 pm by SP »
Logged
“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
“Generosity always pays off. Generosity in your effort, in your work, in your kindness, in the way you look after people and take care of people. In the long run, if you are generous with a heart, and with humanity, it always pays off.”
W
