The Liverpool Offside

Last season, assistant manager John Heitinga was by all accounts a player favourite and key to Liverpool’s Premier League title success, but seeking a head coaching opportunity led the ex-Blue to Netherlands and Ajax. That didn’t pan out, with Heitinga sacked as Ajax struggled both domestically and in Europe.

A little over a month ago, he joined a Tottenham side on the edge of imploding under manager Thomas Frank, with Heitinga meant to help steady the ship. That didn’t happen and Frank was sacked this week. Heitinga was reportedly given the option of staying on but has today chosen to move on from Spurs after just 33 days.

Tottenham have now appointed Igor Tudor as their next head coach, but only on an interim basis—despite that the former Croatia international has no former ties to the club. Tudor last managed Juventus, who signed him last March and then sacked him in October after he started the season winless in eight games.

The exact role Heitinga could have had in Tudor’s staff and whether or not it might have represented a demotion for the Dutch coach aren’t clear, but at this point if he wasn’t going to stick it out at Spurs through the end of the season it rather feels that maybe the best option would be taking a few months off to reevaluate.

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a deal in principle to sign left back Andy Robertson from Liverpool following the final league phase Champions League matches later this week but for the moment at least that transfer has been put on hold and appears highly unlikely to go ahead.

That’s the latest today based on multiple reports, with Liverpool only willing to give final sign off on the transfer if they were able to recall Kostas Tsimikas from Roma and the Serie A club unwilling to do so as they have so far failed to find a suitable replacement for the Greek international.

With the January transfer window set to shut on February 2nd, there’s still the chance the deal is revived. There’s not much time, though, and if Liverpool’s club-connected journalists are being briefed that Robertson’s move is likely off then that does seem the likeliest outcome.

Robertson was widely expected to depart at the end of the current season when his contract expired, but the decision by manager Arne Slot to bench the club legend for Milos Kerkez from matchweek one despite the new signing struggling seems to have changed Robertson’s thinking.

On the strength of a solid week where Liverpool found themselves winners of back-to-back matches, the Reds would have wanted to keep the good times rolling by taking all three points against a Tottenham Hotspur team that is still trying to find its feet under new coach Thomas Frank. If one were simply to look at the result, most might expect the fanbase to be pretty satisfied. But Saturday’s 2-1 win was complex and wild. Let’s take a closer look at why some fans might be feeling mixed emotions about the happenings in London.

Dissecting the Narrative

Liverpool’s big summer signings of Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and to a lesser extent Jeremie Frimpong have all been under the microscope since their moves to Merseyside. Ekitike has essentially bedded himself in, with 8 Premier League goals on the season, 5 of which have come over the last three matches. And Wirtz, who notched his first assist of the campaign today, has also been showing signs of consistent improvement.

But with Isak scoring and Frimpong providing an assist today - and, if we want to be truly inclusive, Milos Kerkez having another solid day - the result was built on the backs of the new personnel brought in this summer. It should have been a triumphant moment for Arne Slot and, perhaps more importantly, Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards.

I think that, at least as far as the new signings are concerned, fans might be allowed to breathe a bit looser after today. Yes, it was disjointed, but the players look to have finally turned a corner and are capable of putting together enough in terms of control, creativity, and cut-throat finishing to earn results even in difficult circumstances. If fans needed evidence as to the why of the splurge over the summer, the first 20 minutes of the second half were a prime example of the value in having both Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike as strikers in the squad - as well as reminders for why Wirtz and Frimpong were seen as such shrewd moves.

If I could leave it simply at that, I would be quite happy. But and aspect of the narrative discussion surrounding Liverpool’s uneven title-defense was also on display today, as injuries once more took center stage to the point that, at least from my vantage point, they make a case for this match being a bit of a pyrrhic victory.

Many by now will have had to sit with cruelness of Alexander Isak coming on at the half, scoring his first Premier League goal, and incurring an injury that required him to come off as a result of scoring that goal. What is a bit lost in that is that Isak came on for Conor Bradley who it seems was taken off not just as a desire to push for a winner, but due to injury. Piling on, Jeremie Frimpong was pulled as a pre-cautionary measure due to potential concussion protocols.

Perhaps pulling the trigger on Frimpong was a bit rash, but the disjointed nature of the match - especially after Isak went off - can be chalked up in no small measure to the fact that two LFC players went off with injuries that wouldn’t allow them to continue. That one of those players was the sub for the other is, truly, a thing I couldn’t imagine writing if I were to script this match out myself.

How The Fans Reacted

I don’t normally like to critique fan reaction to Liverpool-related things because I usually tend to think that fans should have the space to engage with their passions in whatever way they see fit - provided, of course, it isn’t spreading harm to others. And when I do weigh in, it’s usually only to asset that point. But I will take a minute today to note that I was rather surprised to see some fans express some pretty fiery takes aimed squarely at Arne Slot.

This isn’t me saying that the way Liverpool saw out the end of the match is acceptable, but I think given the rather unique circumstances that the team were facing - two of their players have had to go off due to injury and a third being yanked quickly by the manager due to potentially being ruled out via concussion protocols - I presumed fans would have been slightly more forgiving of that performance on the whole. The Reds took home all three points, the new boys look to finally be finding their way in the squad, and even as Tottenham mounted a desperate launch at stealing points, Liverpool managed to look, if not resolute, competent enough to earn the result.

I found the reactions so jarring because I didn’t see anyone seem to think that we didn’t deserve the win based on the balance of play, but rather that it was the seeming return of shakiness and mental fragility that played into the comments. Which, to me, would be a bit of a shame.

Liverpool closed this match out with Trey Nyoni on the pitch due to the lack of available first-team players. And if folks want to use the 2-man advantage as an issue, I’d remind them that it took a stoppage time goal by Tottenham in this same fixture two seasons ago to seal a victory over 9-man Liverpool. It’s possible to look better with a man-down, but the results almost always end with the team holding the numerical advantage taking the points.

All of this to say: Liverpool deserved the win and got the win. No, it wasn’t pretty, but the context of the match tells me why. And because of that, I’m not really concerned with anything besides the three points and the health of Conor Bradley and Alexander Isak.

Giving Credit to the Opposition

A thing I’d like to credit Spurs with is nearly getting away with one of the most blatantly obvious attempts to use poor but impassioned tackling to injure an opponent into submission. If it wasn’t for the fact that they cut away so often to shots of Thomas Frank on the touchline, one might be forgiven for thinking that we were playing a Tony Pulis side.

I had long admired what Frank had accomplished with a smaller budget at Brentford. I didn’t enjoy those matches - they were gritty and uncomfortable. But I don’t recall other Frank sides - and certainly not one with this level of skill and individual quality - be this combination of clumsy, thuggish, and outright dangerous.

Xavi Simons’ red card was, to my mind, soft even if the attempt was both reckless and mildly mindless from the midfielder. But some of the tackles in this match looked absolutely horrendous.

Glad we got the win if only to ensure that this brand of football wouldn’t be rewarded.

What Happens Next

Liverpool head back home to host Wolverhampton at Anfield next week. If Liverpool are able to make it 7 unbeaten and 4 wins in a row, it will bring much needed joy to the fanbase. It will be a tall order, though, with an already light first team are likely to be that much lighter with concerns around Conor Bradley and Alexander Isak’s fitness.

| Saturday, December 20th |

Premier League | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Liverpool have won two matches in a row. If they win today, that’s called a winning streak!

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TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR VS. LIVERPOOL

| Saturday, December 20th |

Premier League | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur have been struggling for form this season, and Liverpool won’t be the only team in Saturday’s early kick-off glad to have had a bit of a mid-week breather. While the Reds have been inching towards improvement, though, Spurs are coming into Saturday off of a “bad performance” which “lacked energy” against Nottingham Forest.

Spurs have no new injuries to contend with, and (unlike Liverpool) will have spent the week without a mid-week fixture building on the positives and addressing the negatives with an almost fully-fit side — though Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma are now away at AFCON, and Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke remain sidelined.

Spurs come into this one in 11th place on 22 points having recently lost 3-0 away at Forest following two home wins against Slavia Prague and Brentford. The form prior to this was worse, with an away draw to Newcastle and a home loss to Fulham rounding out their last five — though it’s perhaps notable that their 2-0 win against Forest is their last home league game. They have won just two of their last 25 Premier League games against Liverpool (D6 L17), with the last win coming at home in 2023 (and Liverpool having scored 11 total goals in the two dominant wins last season). Their loss to Forest last time out is their fourth Premier League loss by 3+ goals thus far in this calendar year.

Spurs aren’t the only team likely to concede, however. Per Opta, the Reds are behind only Bournemouth (16) when it comes to conceding two or more goals in more away games: Liverpool have shipped 15 away goals across the last two seasons, the second-most for teams who are still or currently playing in the Premier League. It’s been something of a pendulum, with Liverpool either keeping a clean sheet or conceding 2+ across the last 17 aways.

Richarlison is the player to watch for Tottenham here, as he’s consistently scored or assisted against Liverpool — though almost always at Anfield rather than at his home ground. He is their top Premier League scorer this season with six goals to his name, followed by Micky van de Ven on three. While 11 different Spurs players have scored in the league this season, no one has come close to double-digit goal tallies in fact or based on xG — indeed, fBref have Richarlison’s xG thus far this season on just 3.2. Though this is a positive in that he’s been clinical, that being the team high xG value speaks to some of their struggles.

As a team, they’ve conceded 21 goals in the league this season (xGA 21), which makes them comparable to the Reds. Much like last weekend’s match-up against Brighton, Liverpool will face opposition with issues that echo their own.

Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)

Alisson; Bradley, Konaté, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Szoboszlai, Ekitiké, Wirtz

Mohamed Salah is away at AFCON, and even if his absence feels less like a full-caps MISSING than we expected before the league kicked off he is a major option absent for the Reds. Jeremie Frimpong, himself apparently brought in with AFCON in mind, has returned to fitness, however, and may well feature on Saturday. Cody Gakpo’s scan was more positive than anticipated so he has an outside chance of featuring, but Joe Gomez will not be with the squad. Dominik Szoboszlai is also being monitored, and the Hungarian returned to training for the first time on Friday and may be fit enough to feature for Arne Slot’s men in London.

Hugo Ekitiké comes into this one on the back of two consecutive braces, and could become the first player since Luis Súarez to do so in three consecutive should he repeat the performance on Saturday. Given his strong form, he’s likely to start on Saturday, though the late fitness tests elsewhere will have a lot to say about who he plays with. While Slot praised his play in his pre-match press conference, he did softly suggest that the defensive side of his game has room for improvement.

Curtis Jones has likely done enough to earn himself a start in this one, and should Szoboszlai be fit we could see a similar line-up to the start of the last match in terms of Slot’s use of nominally midfield players. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister feel like easy calls, and Florian Wirtz is likely to start as well, both through good recent form and lack of other options. The fitness levels of Cody Gakpo, Jeremie Frimpong, and Dominik Szoboszlai are the big question marks, though if possible we’re likely to see all three.

Conor Bradley should hopefully be fit to do a full 90 minutes on Saturday, and Slot will have his pick of Andy Robertson or Miloš Kerkez on the other side.

That Liverpool, four points ahead of Spurs, have points level with 5th place and Spurs’ tally of 22 puts them at 11th also highlights how tight the league is thus far this year. With fourth place Chelsea facing a perhaps difficult trip to Newcastle, third-place Aston Villa hosting sixth-place Manchester United, fifth-place Palace traveling to Leeds, and Sunderland (in eighth but also on 26 points) traveling to Brighton, there could be some serious movement on the table after the weekend is up. If things take a particularly Liverpool-favored bounce the Reds could find themselves in the top four (though with a gap between fourth and the top three). Here’s hoping everything just…starts going Liverpool’s way.

The Managers Have Their Say

Arne Slot: ““We are getting closer and closer to the team I want us to be … We have to improve so that we are not so dependent on luck - make sure that this team gets to a level so that referee decisions do not influence results in a way that they have done in recent weeks.”

Thomas Frank: “he best teams create a stamina where they are very resilient to setbacks. That’s something we’re working hard on. That’s not a quick fix. The Fulham game was not a great start, tough 30 minutes - but we worked our way back. We didn’t get the fantastic comeback, but it was a good step - mentality, character wise. It’s bit by bit.”

The Officials

Referee: John Brooks Assistants: Simon Bennett, James Mainwaring Fourth Official: Anthony Taylor VAR: Stuart Attwell Assistant VAR: Adam Nunn

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Although Liverpool Women were finally able to get a goal in the Barclay’s Women’s Super League, they were still defeated on Sunday afternoon by hosts Tottenham Hotpsur, and still have yet to win a match in the league. The Women have been dealing with their own tragedies this season, in addition to the new manager imposing a new system, and an injury list that just keeps getting longer. Mia Enderby unfortunately looked to join that list in extra time after being stretchered off, and with two major injuries already, it doesn’t look great for the young forward.

“It’s not nice to see. Obviously [she was] stretchered off and I’ve not had an opportunity to speak to the medical department,” Gareth Taylor said following the match of Enderby’s injury.

“I think she has gone to hospital but hopefully she is OK. At one point I thought she was going to re-enter in terms of getting back up and start to play again but with those types of injuries it’s really crucial we take care of them.”

The game itself was a mixed bag, with Beata Olsson scoring for the first time, but goals from Bethany England and Toko Koga canceled out the excitement. Taylor also had use for two natural fullbacks for the first time but decided to switch positions for Ceri Holland and Cornelia Kapocs, and Kapocs wasn’t particularly effective in the midfield role. Even after scoring the first the Red Women were able to attack and looked ready for a second, but the advantage is lost when Lily Woodham gets a bloody nose from a ball to the face and Spurs are allowed to take a corner while she’s getting treated.

“I thought we started the game OK. We scored a good goal. I don’t think either team were playing at their best,” Taylor continued.

“We certainly could’ve exploited a bit more when we had those moments particularly at 1-0. But then we give away a really bad goal from a set play when Lily [Woodham] is off the pitch at that time which is frustrating.

“We just need to be tougher in those moments to see it out. It was just a little bit naive particularly from that set play and then you give a team like Tottenham, who have got good options to come from the sidelines as well, an opportunity to get a foothold in the game.”

There is no doubt that the club are in a tough period at the moment. With their only wins coming in the cup competitions, morale is understandably pretty low. Taylor also acknowledged that there have been really difficult things to deal with off the pitch, and unfortunately it is just a period to get through.

“It’s really tough. We all need support at the club because we’ve had a lot that’s obviously happened both on and off the pitch. On the pitch we’re not getting the necessary results that we want,” the manager explained.

“Of course, we don’t expect to be top of the league, we’re realistic and we know we’re at the start of a really, really long project. But, of course, you want to see some positive moments and I think we’ve seen glimpses. It’s just we’re not able to sustain it for long enough in a game of 90 minutes.”

The injuries certainly helping either, with the squad running thin and we’re barely in November. Taylor had previously hinted at wanting to do some business in January and though he didn’t mention it again today, he did also point out that we simply didn’t have enough talent on the bench.

“We didn’t have anything from the sidelines today unfortunately. It’s not ideal when you have to play a 21-year-old Hannah Silcock up on the right side. We just have to battle through it. The message is clear,” Taylor said.

“We’re working so hard as staff, players and everyone at the club to turn this into a better situation. But it takes a bit of time and a bit of support. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen at the moment, we’re getting knocked a bit - but we’ll keep fighting.”

The Barclay’s Women’s Super League returns from their international break this weekend, with Liverpool traveling south to Brisbane Road to face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. The long term injury updates are not new, with Marie Höbinger and Sophie Roman Haug suffering twin ACL injuries before the break, but there may be some better news from Gareth Taylor’s press conference on Friday. The manager did admit that they haven’t had a lot of time to see where the women are at physically, but was optimistic.

“We don’t get a lot of time, I think most coaches will tell you that, when you come back after the international break. You effectively have one or two days to prepare so it’s been a tight turnaround, but I think the girls have come back looking good today,” Taylor told the press.

“We’re still waiting on Leanne, she’s had an issue with her foot, bruising, and hopefully we can get her available tomorrow for training and then obviously travel with the squad because we’re a little bit light on numbers.

“Gemma Bonner will probably just come up a little bit short of the game and of course to go alongside the additional ones that you’re already aware of: Zara Shaw, Alejandra [Bernabe].

“Lucy Parry is getting a little bit closer and will possibly be back in training next week, which will help as well. So, outside of that, everyone from international duty has pretty much come back in good shape.”

Losing two such players like Roman Haug and Höbinger though will be a blow to the system that Taylor is trying to implement. Two attacking minded players losing their whole season is tough for for any team but especially for goal starved Liverpool who haven’t been able to win in the league yet. Taylor hinted at the possibility of doing business in January but that is still two months away.

“It does obviously limit us a little bit. Of course we can’t do anything until the transfer window opens again in January, but I think particularly the positions of those players – Sophie being a striker and Marie being an attacking midfielder – it’s not really an area of the pitch where we are stacked with players. So that’s really unfortunate,” the manager explained.

“The good news is we’ve got the plans together for them in terms of when the surgery will be, which is going to be soon, and hopefully get them on the road to recovery.

“But yeah, really tough – I think having that type of injury happen at any time of the season is not great, but where it sits, obviously it happened in back-to-back games, has been tough to take as well.”

Liverpool face Tottenham on Sunday at 12pm GMT/7am EST, and who knows, might even pull out a win.

LIVERPOOL VS TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

| Sunday, April 27th |

Premier League | Anfield

This is the big one, folks. The one we’ve been waiting for. After decades of toil, watching helplessly as some bums for Manchester knocked us off our perch, we are back to take what is rightfully ours, and to do so in front of fans, in this case, a jubilant Anfield. Of course, there is the small matter of playing and not losing to Spurs, but that’s hard to imagine on a day like today. No, I don’t think this Spurs side can deny this Liverpool side.

Hopefully it is today, but if not, it is still only a matter of when, not if. The only unknown to us is what moment, or moments, of magic will clinch #20 for us.

PREVIEW & HOW TO WATCH

Full Match Preview: Liverpool vs. Spurs

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LIVERPOOL

Teamsheets will be released one hour prior to the kickoff

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Teamsheets will be released one hour prior to the kickoff

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Liverpool FC will travel to North London to face Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. The second leg will be played at Anfield at the beginningof February.

Spurs head into this tie with a host of player absences. Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, and Wilson Odobert are all set to miss the match due to injury.

James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr are also ruled out through suspension, due to picking two yellow cards in the competition.

In better news for Spurs, Mikey Moore could return to the squad after a long lay-off while the club’s new signing, goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, is available for selection after completing a £10m move to Spurs from Slavia Prague on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will be without the services of Joe Gomez, who is dealing with a hamstring issue. Dominik Szoboszlai is also unlikely to participate after missing the 2-2 draw with Manchester United due to illness. Head coach Arne Slot had this to say about his status:

TOTTENHAM VS LIVERPOOL

| Sunday, December 22nd |

Premier League | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Last year, Liverpool were the victims of football and/or braindead refereeing when they made the trip to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Despite losing 2-1, incorrectly sending off at least one Liverpool player, incorrectly chalking off a goal, and a last kick of the game own goal, Liverpool fans were correctly buoyed by the performance. The Reds could feel the same after their draw last week, when the 10-man Liverpool absolutely bossed it against Fulham.

However, if they are going to make last week a good point, they’ll need to get back on their winning ways. In their way is Tottenham, who have been a bit of a basket case this season. At no point today will a lead by either side feel safe. It will likely be an entertaining one for the neutral, and a stressful one for either set of partisans.

PREVIEW & HOW TO WATCH

Full Match Preview: Tottenham vs. Liverpool

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TOTTENHAM

Teamsheets will be released one hour prior to the kickoff

LIVERPOOL

Teamsheets will be released one hour prior to the kickoff

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