18 Yard Box looks at the all important clash between the giants from White Hart Lane and Merseyside.
The clash comes with a midweek anticipation. This is that time of the season where the table starts giving indication of where the teams would lie at the end of the league. Perched much above their opponents, Spurs' 3-1 win over West Ham in the weekend should give them plenty of confidence.
On the flip side, the Reds come after a disappointing 0-0 draw at Swansea where they dominated for most of the game but were unable to break the deadlock.
18 Yard Box looks at the tie between the two teams and determines the outcome.
Tottenham Hotspur
A season which started off well has taken a little stumble for the Spurs. Winning one and losing one of the two London derbies they have faced, Villas Boas will be under pressure to perform in order to stay in the hunt for a top 4 finish. They will go into this with everything to play for as their firece rivals, Arsenal, who are locked on the same points as them, might be dropping points against Everton on simultaneously.
Strengths
Tottenham's attacking display has been fun to watch this season. Building it from the back and using their full backs to get around the other teams' defenses has been a treat. The midfield of Huddlestone and Sandro have been impressive and they have excellent quality in their front three in thre form of Lennon, Bale and Defoe. The other strength is the addition of Jan Vertonghen. The Belgian internaitonal has been used as a utitlity player by AVB at the back. Playing him at the Left Back or at central positions (he also gives AVB an option to play him at CDM), Vertonghen has flourished under him. He would surely be the man to beat for Luiz Suarez and co.
Weakness
The Tottenham weaknes lies in its depth. Although Siggurdson has been bought to replace Modric, he has not been upto the mark. Neither is the American Clint Dempsey, who was supposed to play one behind the striker to aide the likes of Defoe or Adebayor. Another big downfall for them is that they have been unable to play Defoe and Adebayor in the same team. Although they did start against Arsenal but the red card to the Togo striker in the 18th minute meant that they would not be given time to gel. With Scott Parker still on the sidelines, Tottenham lack the sharpness in the midfield. They also lack that linchpin who dicatates terms from the central region.
Liverpool
Just when the Merseysiders were looking a force to reckon with, their inconsistency have hindered their progress. Having a young and dynamic side, Brendan Rodgers needs to find a way to channelise this energy into wins on field. It thus comes as a really important fixture for them at this juncture.
Strengths
When Borini got injured the fans started wondering-what next? But the introduction of Jose Enrique on the left hand side of the Liverpool attack has done the team wonders. It gives them the extra penetrating power on both the wings with the right wing being taken care by Raheem Sterling off lately. To add to this Liverpool have welcomed back defender Glen Johnson. Touted as the best right back in the country, and rightly so, he has been sensational so far.
Alongwith this Suarez is a striker which each team has to be afraid of. Especially if you have an underperforming defense like that of Tottenham. Spurs will definitely have a tough time handling him.
Weakness
Inconsistent performances has been a major downfall for them. A club, as big as Liverpool, cannot afford to lie in the bottom half at this point of the season. To add to this, although Suarez has been the MVP for the Kops, his selfish play is what is making the team go behind. Being accused of wasting opportunities, he needs to let go of his selfish attitude and start getting others involved near the final third rather than going for glory himself. But then you might argue that he can pull a rabit out of his hat on certain ocassions. But now what Liverpool need is consistency and goals being contributed from everywhere.
Importance of a win
Liverpool need it more than their counterparts do. With quality players in their ranks, Brendan Rodger's men need a psychological boost. Moreover going away in the previous two seasons, Liverpool have always looked a threat. Thus this could be their day. On the other hand, Tottenham have recovered well from their humiliating North London Derby loss and would want to build their season yet again. This gives them an opportunity to do this.
The Final Verdict
An open game with the home team creating better chances will be on the cards. We can expect Liverpool to score first followed by a Tottenham comeback. A draw looks a fair result but going by the home advantage Totteham can steal it by 2-1 scoreline.
Written By,
Rishabh Ghai
Follow Rishabh Ghai on Twitter
The clash comes with a midweek anticipation. This is that time of the season where the table starts giving indication of where the teams would lie at the end of the league. Perched much above their opponents, Spurs' 3-1 win over West Ham in the weekend should give them plenty of confidence.
On the flip side, the Reds come after a disappointing 0-0 draw at Swansea where they dominated for most of the game but were unable to break the deadlock.
18 Yard Box looks at the tie between the two teams and determines the outcome.
Tottenham Hotspur
A season which started off well has taken a little stumble for the Spurs. Winning one and losing one of the two London derbies they have faced, Villas Boas will be under pressure to perform in order to stay in the hunt for a top 4 finish. They will go into this with everything to play for as their firece rivals, Arsenal, who are locked on the same points as them, might be dropping points against Everton on simultaneously.
Strengths
Tottenham's attacking display has been fun to watch this season. Building it from the back and using their full backs to get around the other teams' defenses has been a treat. The midfield of Huddlestone and Sandro have been impressive and they have excellent quality in their front three in thre form of Lennon, Bale and Defoe. The other strength is the addition of Jan Vertonghen. The Belgian internaitonal has been used as a utitlity player by AVB at the back. Playing him at the Left Back or at central positions (he also gives AVB an option to play him at CDM), Vertonghen has flourished under him. He would surely be the man to beat for Luiz Suarez and co.
 |
| He surely needs to put in his best yet again |
Weakness
The Tottenham weaknes lies in its depth. Although Siggurdson has been bought to replace Modric, he has not been upto the mark. Neither is the American Clint Dempsey, who was supposed to play one behind the striker to aide the likes of Defoe or Adebayor. Another big downfall for them is that they have been unable to play Defoe and Adebayor in the same team. Although they did start against Arsenal but the red card to the Togo striker in the 18th minute meant that they would not be given time to gel. With Scott Parker still on the sidelines, Tottenham lack the sharpness in the midfield. They also lack that linchpin who dicatates terms from the central region.
 |
| He has been a big miss |
Liverpool
Just when the Merseysiders were looking a force to reckon with, their inconsistency have hindered their progress. Having a young and dynamic side, Brendan Rodgers needs to find a way to channelise this energy into wins on field. It thus comes as a really important fixture for them at this juncture.
Strengths
When Borini got injured the fans started wondering-what next? But the introduction of Jose Enrique on the left hand side of the Liverpool attack has done the team wonders. It gives them the extra penetrating power on both the wings with the right wing being taken care by Raheem Sterling off lately. To add to this Liverpool have welcomed back defender Glen Johnson. Touted as the best right back in the country, and rightly so, he has been sensational so far.
Alongwith this Suarez is a striker which each team has to be afraid of. Especially if you have an underperforming defense like that of Tottenham. Spurs will definitely have a tough time handling him.
 |
| He has been sensational on his return |
Weakness
Inconsistent performances has been a major downfall for them. A club, as big as Liverpool, cannot afford to lie in the bottom half at this point of the season. To add to this, although Suarez has been the MVP for the Kops, his selfish play is what is making the team go behind. Being accused of wasting opportunities, he needs to let go of his selfish attitude and start getting others involved near the final third rather than going for glory himself. But then you might argue that he can pull a rabit out of his hat on certain ocassions. But now what Liverpool need is consistency and goals being contributed from everywhere.
 |
| Although a goal machine, he needs to be less selfish |
Importance of a win
Liverpool need it more than their counterparts do. With quality players in their ranks, Brendan Rodger's men need a psychological boost. Moreover going away in the previous two seasons, Liverpool have always looked a threat. Thus this could be their day. On the other hand, Tottenham have recovered well from their humiliating North London Derby loss and would want to build their season yet again. This gives them an opportunity to do this.
The Final Verdict
An open game with the home team creating better chances will be on the cards. We can expect Liverpool to score first followed by a Tottenham comeback. A draw looks a fair result but going by the home advantage Totteham can steal it by 2-1 scoreline.
Written By,
Rishabh Ghai
Rishabh is a writer for Goal.com India, International (all English editions) and an Editor and writer for 18 Yard Box.
Follow Rishabh Ghai on Twitter
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