Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris has stated that Mauricio Pochettino will send his side out to be brave, aggressive and press the ball as Spurs face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
The North London outfit go into the game on a high after outclassing Manchester United in midweek, with a 2-0 victory flattering on the visitors given the North London side’s dominance at Wembley.
The clash against Liverpool at Anfield will be another big test for Tottenham and act as a gauge to see how far the side have come under Pochettino.
Despite the home team having plenty of quality in the final third, Lloris has stated that Pochettino always sends his Spurs side out with the objective of winning the game through the intensity that he demands.
“We will never change the way we play; this is the mentality of the manager,” The Guardian quote the Tottenham goalkeeper as saying.
“It is what he tries to teach us every day – to be brave and have no fear of the opponent, even if Liverpool is an aggressive team, too.
“We don’t really adapt the system against the opponent. We try to get control of the ball, get control of the game and try to bring the intensity. The key is aggression too because, if you let teams like Manchester United play, they have so much that they can beat you easily.
“That’s why teamwork is very important. Everyone knows what he has to do on the pitch defensively and offensively. Then, when you add the talent with the right spirit, you can make great things, like in the game of Wednesday [against United].”
Recent games against Liverpool should act as guidance for Tottenham, with contrasting fortunes in clashes against the Reds.
Spurs put in arguably their best performance of the season in the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign, beating the Merseyside outfit 4-1 in a one-sided affair at Wembley.
Tottenham pressed Liverpool in that clash, giving their midfield no time to breathe and the consistent intensity displayed by the London club made the visitors’ questionable defence crumble.
Simultaneously, the Reds’ danger men were hustled and harried out of the game, with this pressure on the ball paramount in the Spurs mentality.
However, the last time Tottenham visited Anfield a 2-0 defeat was flattering on Pochettino’s men in a tepid display.
The clash took place last February and Sadio Mane in particular was given too much respect and time on the ball, with Ben Davies backing off the Senegalese flyer.
The Tottenham left-back has improved so much in the last 12 months since then and will surely look to get tighter to the African this time round.
On a smaller Anfield pitch, both sides will want to impose themselves through pressing the ball, as Klopp’s tactical approach is somewhat similar to Pochettino’s.
As such, for Tottenham to win the game – which they are more than capable of doing – getting the best of the midfield encounters and applying pressure high up the pitch will be a prerequisite.
