Putting out the "fire" Liverpool and Tottenham at Anfield

Liverpool and Tottenham will fight for water to extinguish the fire in their respective squads at Anfield Stadium.

AP PHOTO/JON SUPER

The expression of Liverpool players Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez during a Premier League match between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park Stadium, Liverpool, on Thursday (25/4/2024). Liverpool will host Tottenham Hotspur in a continuation of the Premier League match at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, on Sunday (5/5/2024).

LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY — Due to the pressure of the title race, the warmth of the Liverpool squad turned into a big fire that burned the team's harmony and expectations. The chaos of the last two months can still be recovered even without a trophy. Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp deserved a better farewell.

The end of the season is approaching, as is Klopp's farewell to Liverpool. The dream of Mohamed Salah and his colleagues to present a quadruple or four championship titles for the manager disappeared. They had to be satisfied with winning one League Cup trophy. Three other trophies have been lost one by one since March.

The pressure (to become champions) is already gone. Everything is finished. It would be great if we could play football again, which is very, very good.

Lastly is Premier League. Liverpool can still win mathematically, but it is no longer realistic. They are too far behind Arsenal and Manchester City in the remaining three weeks. Klopp agrees with this situation. "It's not over yet, but it looks like it (is finished)," he said.

Also read: Klopp and Salah's debate, the peak of Liverpool's frustration

”Fires” appeared from various sides, including at Anfield Stadium which is a symbol of Liverpool's success under the Klopp regime. They lost in a row in the last two home matches. Bad results also destroy harmony within the team. This was proven by the debate between Klopp and Salah on the sidelines last week.

AFP/PAUL ELLIS

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp during a Premier League match between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park Stadium, Liverpool, on Thursday (25/4/2024). Liverpool will host Tottenham Hotspur in a continuation of the Premier League match at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool on Sunday (5/5/2024).

The Liverpool squad has the opportunity to fix this bad memory at Anfield Stadium, Sunday (5/5/2024) evening WIB. They will host Tottenham Hotspur who are also on a series of bad results. Klopp hopes that the players can show their true face again as one of the biggest teams in England.

“The pressure (of winning) is gone. All done. It would be great if we could play some really, really good football again. That will feel good because the last few weeks have been very tense. "We are in a very intensive period," said Klopp, who only has three games remaining at Liverpool.

Also read: Wasted opportunities, Liverpool's chance of winning is wasted

According to Klopp, the relationship with Salah is just fine. The conflict that occurred during the match against West Ham United was due to a series of results that did not meet expectations. Salah was even benched for a while. However, everything was resolved thanks to the foundation of mutual respect since Salah came to Liverpool in 2017.

Meanwhile, Salah has only contributed one goal in his last eight appearances in all competitions since early April. This figure is very minimal compared to his contributions from the start of the season until before departing for the African Cup, which were 18 goals and 8 assists from 27 appearances.

AFP/BEN STANSALL

Liverpool player, Mohamed Salah, dribbles the ball during the English Premier League match between West Ham United and Liverpool at London Stadium, London, on Saturday (27/4/2024). Liverpool will host Tottenham Hotspur in the continuing English Premier League match at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool on Sunday (5/5/2024).

Klopp's toughest job at the moment is to restore the players' confidence. They have only won twice in their last seven matches in all competitions, including a loss in the Merseyside derby against Everton. In addition, star defender Virgil van Dijk is doubtful to play due to injury problems.

"It's all about the next game. Now we have to restore the players' confidence. In good moments, everything will be fine, but in situations like this (difficult situation), the cameras will continue to focus on their faces. Your task is to protect them," concluded Klopp.

Also read: Chelsea's Anomaly Without Its Most Expensive Player

Tottenham Crisis

On the other hand, Tottenham will come with a tumultuous changing room condition. They have suffered consecutive defeats in their last three matches, including losing two London derbies to Arsenal and Chelsea. As a result, Manager Ange Postecoglou's team is at risk of failing to break into the top four and qualify for the next season's Champions League.

Postecoglou, who is known to be authoritative and calm, lost his cool during the match against Chelsea last Friday. He scolded his players from the sidelines, his face turning red. According to the manager, the players did not meet the standard expected of them in the derby match.

AP/KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur duels in the air with Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile in a Premier League match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge Stadium, London, early morning on Friday (3/5/2024) WIB. Liverpool will host Tottenham Hotspur in a continuation of the Premier League match at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, on Sunday (5/5/2024).

"I'm sure they felt the pain (after losing in the derby). But, that's part of the process. Big matches will always be big matches. You need to feel that pain to understand what kind of intensity is needed to represent this club," explained Postecoglou.

Panic seems to have arisen in the formation of Spurs in their last two matches. Postecoglou benched midfielder Yves Bissouma when facing Arsenal, then did the same with attacking midfielder James Maddison in the match against Chelsea. Both players were initially irreplaceable at the beginning of the season.

Also read: The Epitome of Arsenal's Power in North London

The Spurs defense is the biggest focus. They have never recorded a clean sheet in their last seven matches, conceding a total of 15 goals. This is caused by their very high defensive line, making them vulnerable to counterattacks. Liverpool, as the best team in transition, will benefit if the Spurs do not change their approach.

According to Postecoglou, his project with Spurs is still on the right track. "There are always difficult times in every job I've taken. Sometimes at the beginning, middle, and end. You won't grow thinking everything will go smoothly. You have to go through times like this," said the 58-year-old man. (AP/REUTERS)