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Tottenham's limp performance in their Carabao Cup semi-final collapse at Liverpool was ripped apart by Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp - with the display branded as "horrendous" and "shocking".

Spurs went to Anfield with a 1-0 first-leg lead but succumbed to a 4-0 defeat in the return fixture - with goals from Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk sealing the aggregate win for the Premier League leaders.

Spurs' response to that was zero shots on target - as they missed the chance to take on Newcastle in the March 16 final at Wembley.

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"I cannot remember a team in my lifetime go down with less of a fight with what Spurs did today," said former Spurs midfielder Redknapp.

"Not having one shot on target in the semi-final of a second leg when you're trying to change the course of your history?

"I feel sorry for those players. I think Djed Spence played 14 different positions tonight. I've never seen anything like it. You have young players, you're meant to protect them.

"Archie Gray and [Lucas] Bergvall, they're young men and trying their best. But I'm looking at the experienced players today to lead and try and set the tempo. They didn't do that one bit.

"There's been some lows - Palace, Ipswich and Everton this season. But when you look at that today, the scoreline? Just horrendous."

Asked to respond to those Redknapp comments in his press conference, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou replied: "Why you asking me? Ask Jamie, he's made the comment.

"I know people get excited about things like that, people on TV give opinions, that's what they are there to do. My job is to manage this football club. Whatever people think or don't think is irrelevant, it doesn't really matter.

"I don't put any emphasis on it, or who we are. Everyone is allowed to have an opinion and express it. My view is I don't need to respond to that or be affected by it. I don't care, it doesn't worry me, it doesn't bother me."

'It's Tottenham! They never shock you!' - Carra on Spurs' mental block

Meanwhile, Sky Sports' pundit Carragher said he never had belief in Spurs finishing the job off after their first-leg victory.

"It was never in doubt before the game," Carragher said about Liverpool's victory. "It's Tottenham! When do Tottenham ever win a big game? When do Tottenham ever go and surprise, win against the odds?

"The odds were massively in favour against Liverpool, they're at Anfield, they're the best team in the country, possibly the best team in Europe right now.

"But it's not just this Spurs team. They never shock you, never do something out of the ordinary.

"I'm trying to remember the last big game they won: it was probably that semi-final against Ajax in the Champions League [in 2019].

"I was in the stadium that night and I don't want to take it away from Tottenham, but they were very lucky! They were battered for most of the game, it was a freak and they got two goals in the last minute.

"Whenever they go into a big game as a club, nobody ever believes they're going to win. That's not me as a Liverpool fan, those Tottenham fans there tonight - not one of them believed they were going to win and to go Wembley! They just won't."

'Accrington Stanley gave more'

Former Liverpool defender Carragher added that he felt League Two side Accrington Stanley gave a better account of themselves when they visited Anfield for their FA Cup third-round game with Liverpool.

The numbers even back that up. John Doolan's fourth-tier side did manage one shot on target in their 4-0 defeat on January 11, while they conceded fewer shots and had more touches in the Liverpool penalty area than Spurs' attempt on Thursday.

"I'm not just saying this to try and make a headline but I think of an FA Cup tie Liverpool played at home a few weeks ago. Accrington Stanley gave more than Tottenham and caused Liverpool more of a problem in that game. That's not right.

"You're playing against the best team in Europe, no one expects you to go through but it's the manner of the defeat. Those three midfield players are big, strong, powerful lads who can run, but if I'm playing in a semi-final, I'm hitting Curtis Jones early on.

"We saw it from Newcastle [against Arsenal]. Newcastle were ready and were going to make it as tough as possible. Tottenham didn't make that tough for Liverpool. It was one of the easiest games they've had this season.

"Even when promoted teams come to Anfield, they don't play with that fear. They came with a one-goal lead as well. It just goes back to that stereotype we all have with Tottenham.

"I loved the [Mauricio] Pochettino team, it had steel about it, probably the best Tottenham team since the early '80s, and that team still couldn't get over the line. There's definitely a mental block with the club. It goes back a long time."

Postecoglou 'looks lonely' as Spurs senior players slammed

Former Spurs defender Michael Dawson believes under-fire Spurs boss Postecoglou "looks lonely" on the touchline - as this latest setback increases the spotlight on his position.

But there was also criticism towards Spurs' senior players - notably captain Heung-Min Son - who went closest to finding the net by hitting the bar in the second half. But the north Londoners were 3-0 down by that point.

"He looks lonely there on his own," said Dawson about Postecoglou. "He's going through a challenging time. The players have to give more than they're giving at this moment in time. The senior players.

"Son is someone we've talked about for years and years in this Premier League and how good he's been. But when the going gets tough, and we've all been through it, you have to look to your senior players and help them young players.

"But believe me, that was a low, low night for Spurs.

"It was always going to be backs against the wall but they didn't show any character in possession, out of possession and they didn't show any desire to keep the ball out of the back of the net.

"To come here and get beat 4-0 without any fight and without a shot on target, it's a damaging performance."

Asked if he feels lonely on the touchline, Postecoglou told Sky Sports: "It's not an emotion I feel. I'm disappointed we weren't able to give a better account of ourselves and get to a final.

"The players are very disappointed. We had a great opportunity and unfortunately we didn't grab it.

"Liverpool fully deserved the victory tonight. They were the better team. We just weren't able to get a grip in any part of the game defensively or with the ball. They were too good for us.

"We allowed them to get into the game, we weren't as aggressive as we needed to be. Again, we didn't start the game off on the right foot, it allowed them to get comfortable. Once they got comfortable, it was difficult for us to get some control back."

Redknapp also took aim at Postecoglou's tactics, even with a long list of injuries mounting up for Spurs. Their tally of absentees went to 11 with Richarlison limping off at Anfield in the first half.

"Yes, they have had injuries but there are still enough players there to cause Liverpool some problems," he said.

"There's been defeats to Ipswich, Leicester, Crystal Palace and Everton. Everyone seems to find a way of beating this Tottenham side.

"The manager baffles me with his tactics. I think he's completely lost in what he's trying to do.

"You have to adapt and you have to change. If you haven't got the personnel you want then you have to make sure your tactics are spot on."

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is confident Mathys Tel will stay at the club past his loan spell after stating he did not "bring him here for six months".

The 19-year-old was signed on an initial temporary deal from Bayern Munich on Transfer Deadline Day, with a £45m option to make the switch permanent included, after performing a dramatic U-turn on his decision to reject a move to Spurs three days earlier.

If the option to make the transfer permanent is triggered, Tel will sign a six-year deal, and Postecoglou is confident that will happen.

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"He will play a significant part in our end to the season for sure and beyond," Postecoglou said ahead of Thursday's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool, live on Sky Sports. "He wants to make an impact and I expect him to do that.

"He will be a Tottenham player. I think he will show everyone he will be a Tottenham player in the next six months. I didn't bring him here for six months."

Ange on 'selling' Spurs to Tel

As previously noted, Tel initially turned down the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before reversing his decision and joining on Deadline Day.

Sky Sports News reported this U-turn came about after a lengthy conversation with Postecoglou on how he would be used in the team, which reignited the player's interest in joining the club.

When asked about his powers of persuasion, Postecoglou played down claims of him "selling" the move and instead focused on the belief he has in the project as the reason why Tel chose to join.

He said: "There is something to be said for honesty and integrity. I think I have a pretty compelling story to tell because I think when I speak to players, I am not trying to sell anything that there isn't plenty of evidence for.

"It is not about smooth talking or selling. There is a good story here that I really believe in. I speak from a strong conviction that what I am saying will come to fruition."

When asked if any conversations with players had failed, Postecoglou added: "I don't need to do anything special. You hear the success stories but there have been plenty that haven't worked out. There was a couple this window!

"You know straight away that there is a disconnect. I don't have a 100 per cent hit rate. I walk away and think good player but won't be a good fit.

"I don't like having conversations unless there is real interest from both sides. I don't like to waste my time."

Tel could make debut vs Liverpool

Postecoglou also confirmed Tel and fellow new arrival Kevin Danso are available for selection against Liverpool but Micky van de Ven will miss out with the club looking to take precautions with his return after Radu Dragusin's ACL injury.

Van de Ven returned in the Europa League win against Elfsborg after missing seven weeks with a hamstring injury but was absent for the subsequent victory against Brentford last weekend.

Cristian Romero, who has been out since December with a thigh injury, will also be unavailable.

"Mathys and Kevin are both available," Postecoglou said.

"With Micky and Romero to a certain extent, I just feel we need to be more conservative with them.

"My view is we are not going to risk these guys. We'll keep them ticking over in training and make sure they are ready and don't have any setbacks."

Where will Tel play for Spurs?

The young forward adds well needed versatility to Spurs' injury laden side, with his new manager claiming he could operate as the striker or out wide given Dominic Solanke, Wilson Odobert, Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner are all currently sidelined.

"Archie Gray wanted to be a central midfielder, so who knows where he'll end up," Postecoglou joked when asked about where Tel will play.

"He's got the attributes to play as a No 9 for sure. He's played wide well for sure. At the moment we're probably going to need him in all those areas.

"As much as we've got issues at the back, we've probably got bigger issues in attack - we're missing three wingers and our main striker.

"I get people are still dismissing the fact tomorrow we're going to have nine first-team players out. Having Mathys, who can play both wide and centrally, in the short-term he'll fill all three roles."

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is confident Mathys Tel will stay at the club past his loan spell after stating he did not "bring him here for six months".

The 19-year-old was signed on an initial temporary deal from Bayern Munich on Transfer Deadline Day, with a £45m option to make the switch permanent included, after performing a dramatic U-turn on his decision to reject a move to Spurs three days earlier.

If the option to make the transfer permanent is triggered, Tel will sign a six-year deal, and Postecoglou is confident that will happen.

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"He will play a significant part in our end to the season for sure and beyond," Postecoglou said ahead of Thursday's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool, live on Sky Sports. "He wants to make an impact and I expect him to do that.

"He will be a Tottenham player. I think he will show everyone he will be a Tottenham player in the next six months. I didn't bring him here for six months."

Ange on 'selling' Spurs to Tel

As previously noted, Tel initially turned down the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before reversing his decision and joining on Deadline Day.

Sky Sports News reported this U-turn came about after a lengthy conversation with Postecoglou on how he would be used in the team, which reignited the player's interest in joining the club.

When asked about his powers of persuasion, Postecoglou played down claims of him "selling" the move and instead focused on the belief he has in the project as the reason why Tel chose to join.

He said: "There is something to be said for honesty and integrity. I think I have a pretty compelling story to tell because I think when I speak to players, I am not trying to sell anything that there isn't plenty of evidence for.

"It is not about smooth talking or selling. There is a good story here that I really believe in. I speak from a strong conviction that what I am saying will come to fruition."

When asked if any conversations with players had failed, Postecoglou added: "I don't need to do anything special. You hear the success stories but there have been plenty that haven't worked out. There was a couple this window!

"You know straight away that there is a disconnect. I don't have a 100 per cent hit rate. I walk away and think good player but won't be a good fit.

"I don't like having conversations unless there is real interest from both sides. I don't like to waste my time."

Tel could make debut vs Liverpool

Postecoglou also confirmed Tel and fellow new arrival Kevin Danso are available for selection against Liverpool but Micky van de Ven will miss out with the club looking to take precautions with his return after Radu Dragusin's ACL injury.

Van de Ven returned in the Europa League win against Elfsborg after missing seven weeks with a hamstring injury but was absent for the subsequent victory against Brentford last weekend.

Cristian Romero, who has been out since December with a thigh injury, will also be unavailable.

"Mathys and Kevin are both available," Postecoglou said.

"With Micky and Romero to a certain extent, I just feel we need to be more conservative with them.

"My view is we are not going to risk these guys. We'll keep them ticking over in training and make sure they are ready and don't have any setbacks."

Where will Tel play for Spurs?

The young forward adds well needed versatility to Spurs' injury laden side, with his new manager claiming he could operate as the striker or out wide given Dominic Solanke, Wilson Odobert, Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner are all currently sidelined.

"Archie Gray wanted to be a central midfielder, so who knows where he'll end up," Postecoglou joked when asked about where Tel will play.

"He's got the attributes to play as a No 9 for sure. He's played wide well for sure. At the moment we're probably going to need him in all those areas.

"As much as we've got issues at the back, we've probably got bigger issues in attack - we're missing three wingers and our main striker.

"I get people are still dismissing the fact tomorrow we're going to have nine first-team players out. Having Mathys, who can play both wide and centrally, in the short-term he'll fill all three roles."

What has happened to Angeball?

It was the question on the minds of many observers at Brentford on Sunday as Tottenham dropped deeper and deeper, clinging onto their narrow lead before eventually grabbing a second goal on the break to seal a much-needed, morale-boosting win.

It was the most defensive display of Ange Postecoglou's reign, with Spurs making 49 clearances, 15 more than in any other Premier League game under him. The average position maps from that game, contrasted with the rest of the season, illustrate just how forced back Spurs were.

It was a performance incomparable to the early, bombastic days of Postecoglou's time in charge, where Spurs fans revelled in the front-foot, thrilling approach of their side.

Last season, Angeball, briefly, took the Premier League by storm, before injuries to key players and inconsistent form blunted their edge. The infamous defeat at home to Chelsea underlined their commitment to the Australian's demands, even when down to nine players.

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Despite all the challenges of this second campaign, Postecoglou and his players have largely stuck to the general idea. Spurs rank second in the top flight for high turnovers, fifth for how high up the pitch they win the ball back and first for the amount of passes they allow the opposition to make before reclaiming possession.

They usually take the game to their opponents and don't let them settle.

Until Sunday.

Victory over Thomas Frank's side ended a four-game losing streak in the Premier League and a seven-game winless run in the competition. There was clear caution in Spurs' first-half play with the ball, wary not to give possession up too easily or get caught out too high up the pitch. They then became even more pragmatic after Vitaly Janelt's own goal.

Adaptation paid off. But it also brought to mind an early interview Postecoglou gave to Sky Sports in pre-season before his first Spurs campaign.

"No, no mate," he said, laughing out loud at the suggestion he might instruct his team to defend a 1-0.

"I can't coach that way. I wouldn't know what to do to tell my players in the last five minutes just to hold onto a one-goal lead. It's just not part of who I am and the way I coach.

"If I sort of chop and change just depending on the circumstances they're going to go out there with no real clarity about where we are and what kind of team we want to be."

Has Postecoglou changed? Not quite. He references "circumstances" in that quote but the injury crisis he and his squad have faced this season - and the subsequent need for players (including teenagers) to play twice a week without rotation - is not something he would have foreseen.

Since they beat Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad on November 23, 18-year-old Archie Gray is their second most-used player in the Premier League. First-choice defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have been sidelined for long periods with injury, along with No 1 goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

It is that context which made Postecoglou bristle when the obvious question was put to him after the game on Sunday. What has happened to Angeball?

"It's very difficult for a group of players to play Thursday-Sunday and maintain energy levels," he said. "They're giving maximum effort. That means you can't be sharp with and without the ball. They're humans not robots. I know the reality.

"It wasn't a game we could go out and dominate. Brentford had a week to prepare for this, we had 50-something hours. In that context the performance was outstanding."

Postecoglou also rightly pointed to Spurs' second goal, a brilliant, slick move converted by Pape Sarr, as an example that his side were still looking for opportunities to attack. "We were always a threat when we had it," he said.

But what Spurs will we see at Anfield for the all-important Carabao Cup semi-final second leg with Liverpool? Once again, they have a 1-0 lead to defend.

They were beaten 6-3 by Liverpool in the Premier League in north London just before Christmas but engaged in a tighter encounter with Arne Slot's side in the first leg of this semi-final.

Liverpool had more possession, shots and shots on target and Radu Dragusin was needed to clear Trent Alexander-Arnold's shot off the line before Lucas Bergvall's controversial late winner.

Van de Ven - rested at the weekend as he returns to fitness - is likely to be back in the XI and Spurs will surely have plenty of defending to do against the Premier League's top scorers.

How they go about it will be intriguing to see…

What has happened to Angeball?

It was the question on the minds of many observers at Brentford on Sunday as Tottenham dropped deeper and deeper, clinging onto their narrow lead before eventually grabbing a second goal on the break to seal a much-needed, morale-boosting win.

It was the most defensive display of Ange Postecoglou's reign, with Spurs making 49 clearances, 15 more than in any other Premier League game under him. The average position maps from that game, contrasted with the rest of the season, illustrate just how forced back Spurs were.

It was a performance incomparable to the early, bombastic days of Postecoglou's time in charge, where Spurs fans revelled in the front-foot, thrilling approach of their side.

Last season, Angeball, briefly, took the Premier League by storm, before injuries to key players and inconsistent form blunted their edge. The infamous defeat at home to Chelsea underlined their commitment to the Australian's demands, even when down to nine players.

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How to watch any Carabao Cup game live on Sky Sports+

Despite all the challenges of this second campaign, Postecoglou and his players have largely stuck to the general idea. Spurs rank second in the top flight for high turnovers, fifth for how high up the pitch they win the ball back and first for the amount of passes they allow the opposition to make before reclaiming possession.

They usually take the game to their opponents and don't let them settle.

Until Sunday.

Victory over Thomas Frank's side ended a four-game losing streak in the Premier League and a seven-game winless run in the competition. There was clear caution in Spurs' first-half play with the ball, wary not to give possession up too easily or get caught out too high up the pitch. They then became even more pragmatic after Vitaly Janelt's own goal.

Adaptation paid off. But it also brought to mind an early interview Postecoglou gave to Sky Sports in pre-season before his first Spurs campaign.

"No, no mate," he said, laughing out loud at the suggestion he might instruct his team to defend a 1-0.

"I can't coach that way. I wouldn't know what to do to tell my players in the last five minutes just to hold onto a one-goal lead. It's just not part of who I am and the way I coach.

"If I sort of chop and change just depending on the circumstances they're going to go out there with no real clarity about where we are and what kind of team we want to be."

Has Postecoglou changed? Not quite. He references "circumstances" in that quote but the injury crisis he and his squad have faced this season - and the subsequent need for players (including teenagers) to play twice a week without rotation - is not something he would have foreseen.

Since they beat Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad on November 23, 18-year-old Archie Gray is their second most-used player in the Premier League. First-choice defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have been sidelined for long periods with injury, along with No 1 goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

It is that context which made Postecoglou bristle when the obvious question was put to him after the game on Sunday. What has happened to Angeball?

"It's very difficult for a group of players to play Thursday-Sunday and maintain energy levels," he said. "They're giving maximum effort. That means you can't be sharp with and without the ball. They're humans not robots. I know the reality.

"It wasn't a game we could go out and dominate. Brentford had a week to prepare for this, we had 50-something hours. In that context the performance was outstanding."

Postecoglou also rightly pointed to Spurs' second goal, a brilliant, slick move converted by Pape Sarr, as an example that his side were still looking for opportunities to attack. "We were always a threat when we had it," he said.

But what Spurs will we see at Anfield for the all-important Carabao Cup semi-final second leg with Liverpool? Once again, they have a 1-0 lead to defend.

They were beaten 6-3 by Liverpool in the Premier League in north London just before Christmas but engaged in a tighter encounter with Arne Slot's side in the first leg of this semi-final.

Liverpool had more possession, shots and shots on target and Radu Dragusin was needed to clear Trent Alexander-Arnold's shot off the line before Lucas Bergvall's controversial late winner.

Van de Ven - rested at the weekend as he returns to fitness - is likely to be back in the XI and Spurs will surely have plenty of defending to do against the Premier League's top scorers.

How they go about it will be intriguing to see…

Liverpool extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 19 games by defeating Bournemouth on Saturday.

They've barely put a foot wrong all season, underlined by a predictably quiet Deadline Day, where zero business was done and Arne Slot's players were given time to enjoy two rare days off.

Slot had been clear on his stance throughout January. He trusts his squad and is happy with the options he's got in reserve too. Federico Chiesa remains the only outfield addition to arrive at Anfield in the past three windows and yet Liverpool are in the strongest position they've been for years, with money safely stashed for summer spending.

Their next assignment is a Carabao Cup semi-final second leg meeting with Tottenham on Thursday, live on Sky Sports, and based on the strength of their recent conviction many will expect Slot to make a favourable outcome look straightforward.

But there have been signs, however few and fleeting, that Liverpool can be got at.

Ange Postecoglou will attempt to poke holes in Slot's plan much in the same way his side did in the reverse leg - a 1-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - which formed part of a less convincing run of form for the league leaders.

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The loss was sandwiched between a frantic 2-2 draw with Manchester United and a rescued point at Nottingham Forest. Liverpool don't have many weaknesses and the emphasis, therefore, on an airtight game plan which combines good decision-making with composure and clarity is what Spurs need most on Thursday.

Forest and Man Utd are two of three teams - alongside Fulham - to travel to Anfield this season and avoid defeat, and the bravery of those three performances should provide the basis for Postecoglou's strategy.

Surely Tottenham's best hope is to make the tie fraught and unsettling, carefully choosing the moments to be pragmatic but equally progressive. That's not to say Liverpool can't fight fire with fire but if Postecoglou's setup is polite enough to allow the hosts to press at full pace they risk being taken apart piece by piece.

Despite winning 2-0 at Bournemouth on Saturday, Liverpool set season-lows for sequences and pass success in their own half - linking to the Cherries' high press - and needed a penalty to break the deadlock.

Ryan Gravenberch was forced to man-manage Justin Kluivert and it reduced his efficiency in moving Liverpool forwards. The sacrificial midfielder made a weekend-high seven tackles.

Bournemouth still hit the woodwork twice - both entries came from Kluivert passes - and created three 'big chances', as many as Liverpool did.

An inability to cope with the strategic positioning of a No 10 who can play between the lines has hurt Liverpool this season and placing Gravenberch in a much more defensive-minded role on Saturday was evidence of such. Perhaps, then, some lessons have been learnt but there's takeaways for Tottenham to consider too.

Both Fulham in mid-December and United in early January forced Liverpool far deeper than they are comfortable playing at Anfield, using width in advantageous areas to drag players out of position, while the foremost striker stayed high to create gaps.

Alex Iwobi and Bruno Fernandes were the dominant playmakers on each occasion.

Jamie Carragher examined Man United's success on Monday Night Football, identifying how Fernandes' invasive positioning was vital to pinning Liverpool back. Slot didn't see it coming.

Trent Alexander-Arnold - who will miss Thursday's game through injury - was constantly caught between Diogo Dalot and Fernandes while Amad had the beating of lethargic Andy Robertson, attracted inside to help, on the opposite side.

Front-footed Dejan Kulusevski is more than capable of playing the same role in a targeted approach, taking advantage of Liverpool's weaker right-hand side. Each of the four goals Liverpool conceded at Anfield in January came down the opposition left (three crosses, one corner).

Two of the three they shipped in defeat at PSV last week also came via that same route.

In the home leg of this tie 29 days ago it was Lucas Bergvall who nearly profited from charging Alisson, forcing the mistake before Pedro Porro sliced inexplicably wide. Postecoglou fell to his knees on the touchline but the reprieve arrived in the 86th minute when 18-year-old Bergvall stroked home the winner after Dominic Solanke had bullied Ibrahima Konate off the ball.

Incidentally, it was Richarlison - in Solanke's injury absence - who registered the most pressures (45) of any player across gameweek 24 as Spurs beat Brentford 2-0 at the weekend.

And it's that same bullishness that Postecoglou's side must embrace at Anfield. To allow Liverpool to settle would be to surrender control and in all likelihood concede the result too.

Spurs might be depleted by injuries. They might think that lightning will never strike twice. But the one-off nature of the upcoming 90 minutes surely suits their gung-ho style better. They play like there are no consequences most weeks, and on this occasion, there aren't really. So be exciting, be aggressive.

After all, Spurs have won more cup games (10) than Premier League games (8) this season, while Postecoglou has joined a very select pool of managers who have masterminded a win over Slot since his arrival in England.

Liverpool might be the best team in the league, with the most complete squad, and an impressive command of their destiny in all four competitions but they are not unbeatable - if only Spurs had an applicable blueprint for how...

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Liverpool extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 19 games by defeating Bournemouth on Saturday.

They've barely put a foot wrong all season, underlined by a predictably quiet Deadline Day, where zero business was done and Arne Slot's players were given time to enjoy two rare days off.

Slot had been clear on his stance throughout January. He trusts his squad and is happy with the options he's got in reserve too. Federico Chiesa remains the only outfield addition to arrive at Anfield in the past three windows and yet Liverpool are in the strongest position they've been for years, with money safely stashed for summer spending.

Their next assignment is a Carabao Cup semi-final second leg meeting with Tottenham on Thursday, live on Sky Sports, and based on the strength of their recent conviction many will expect Slot to make a favourable outcome look straightforward.

But there have been signs, however few and fleeting, that Liverpool can be got at.

Ange Postecoglou will attempt to poke holes in Slot's plan much in the same way his side did in the reverse leg - a 1-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - which formed part of a less convincing run of form for the league leaders.

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The loss came after a 2-2 draw with Manchester United before needing to rescue a point at Nottingham Forest. Liverpool don't have many weaknesses and the emphasis, therefore, on an airtight game plan which combines good decision-making with composure and clarity is what Spurs need most on Thursday.

Forest and Man Utd are two of three teams - alongside Fulham - to travel to Anfield this season and avoid defeat, and the bravery of those three performances should provide the basis for Postecoglou's strategy.

Surely Tottenham's best hope is to make the tie fraught and unsettling, carefully choosing the moments to be pragmatic but equally progressive. That's not to say Liverpool can't fight fire with fire but if Postecoglou's setup is polite enough to allow the hosts to press at full pace they risk being taken apart piece by piece.

Despite winning 2-0 at Bournemouth on Saturday, Liverpool set season-lows for sequences and pass success in their own half - linking to the Cherries' high press - and needed a penalty to break the deadlock.

Ryan Gravenberch was forced to man-manage Justin Kluivert and it reduced his efficiency in moving Liverpool forwards. The sacrificial midfielder made a weekend-high seven tackles.

Bournemouth still hit the woodwork twice - both entries came from Kluivert passes - and created three 'big chances', as many as Liverpool did.

An inability to cope with the strategic positioning of a No 10 who can play between the lines has hurt Liverpool this season and placing Gravenberch in a much more defensive-minded role on Saturday was evidence of such. Perhaps, then, some lessons have been learnt but there's takeaways for Tottenham to consider too.

Both Fulham in mid-December and United in early January forced Liverpool far deeper than they are comfortable playing at Anfield, using width in advantageous areas to drag players out of position, while the foremost striker stayed high to create gaps.

Alex Iwobi and Bruno Fernandes were the dominant playmakers on each occasion.

Jamie Carragher examined Man United's success on Monday Night Football, identifying how Fernandes' invasive positioning was vital to pinning Liverpool back. Slot didn't see it coming.

Trent Alexander-Arnold - who will miss Thursday's game through injury - was constantly caught between Diogo Dalot and Fernandes while Amad had the beating of lethargic Andy Robertson, attracted inside to help, on the opposite side.

Front-footed Dejan Kulusevski is more than capable of playing the same role in a targeted approach, taking advantage of Liverpool's weaker right-hand side. Each of the four goals Liverpool conceded at Anfield in January came down the opposition left (three crosses, one corner).

Two of the three they shipped in defeat at PSV last week also came via that same route.

In the home leg of this tie 29 days ago it was Lucas Bergvall who nearly profited from charging Alisson, forcing the mistake before Pedro Porro sliced inexplicably wide. Postecoglou fell to his knees on the touchline but the reprieve arrived in the 86th minute when 18-year-old Bergvall stroked home the winner after Dominic Solanke had bullied Ibrahima Konate off the ball.

Incidentally, it was Richarlison - in Solanke's injury absence - who registered the most pressures (45) of any player across gameweek 24 as Spurs beat Brentford 2-0 at the weekend.

And it's that same bullishness that Postecoglou's side must embrace at Anfield. To allow Liverpool to settle would be to surrender control and in all likelihood concede the result too.

Spurs might be depleted by injuries. They might think that lightning will never strike twice. But the one-off nature of the upcoming 90 minutes surely suits their gung-ho style better. They play like there are no consequences most weeks, and on this occasion, there aren't really. So be exciting, be aggressive.

After all, Spurs have won more cup games (10) than Premier League games (8) this season, while Postecoglou has joined a very select pool of managers who have masterminded a win over Slot since his arrival in England.

Liverpool might be the best team in the league, with the most complete squad, and an impressive command of their destiny in all four competitions but they are not unbeatable - if only Spurs had an applicable blueprint for how...