Liverpool managed to get past Tottenham on Wednesday night after 90 minutes of fair play ended with a 2-1 win.
Throughout the groove at the top of the table, the Reds had to strike the right balance between attack and defense to beat Jose Mourinho’s highly ingenious Spurs outfit.
Jurgen Klopp’s men took control of the ball and were given a still block to break it down, which forced players to get ahead and take risks in their possession.
However, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min lay on the edge of their own half, waiting for a Liverpool player to make a mistake by forcing an opening that would allow a counter-attack to end at the other end. .
Although the champions managed to deliver three points, Spurs managed to escape and generate blows several times, and the first of them ended up finding the back of the net shortly after Mohamed Salah put the opener ahead. .
Liverpool’s ability to balance attack and defense while taking risks at the right times was largely devoid of it and that performance could be a real preparation ahead of the weekend with Crystal Palace .
The Eagles are like Spurs in the sense that they tend to push pressure, take possession and invade the space once a mistake has been made.
Roy Hodgson has quick and difficult players available in Wilfried Zaha, Andros Townsend, Patrick van Aanholt and Jeffrey Schlupp to name a few, with Eberechi Eze added in the summer.
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They are better equipped to execute much of what Spurs did at Anfield on Wednesday, meaning Klopp players will have to go one more time before they can benefit from a week without a game.
The Reds once again have to prove their credentials as the best in the division when it comes to breaking through a defensive block and at the same time managing counter-attacks from exposure, which is easier said than done.
If Liverpool can once again strike such a balance, they will surely be sitting at the top of the table on Christmas Day for the second year in a row while Klopp looks to the crown. Hold a Premier League.