Klopp’s lightning press is the key to Liverpool’s impressive title charge
IT’S far too early to get carried away, but that was almost the perfect performance from Liverpool at Wembley.
They dominated Spurs, made a fantastic team look very ordinary. They suffocated them, which is a pretty impressive achievement, given the midfield quality of Christian Eriksen and Mousa Dembele.
Perhaps the biggest compliment you could pay Jurgen Klopp’s tactics, and his side’s execution of them, was that you barely noticed one of the world’s best midfielders in Eriksen.
I know people are pointing the finger at Mauricio Pochettino and his tactics... or his lack of a clear plan. Yet I’d say this, strongly – the speed Liverpool close down is frightening.
They were on the Spurs players even before they could take a touch. It was lightning and it didn’t matter where you were on the pitch, there was a red shirt right on top of you.
That was the most impressive thing and, in some ways, Klopp is tapping Liverpool history, because the best teams under Shankly, Paisley, Fagan and Dalglish did that in dominating and controlling the opposition.
I had it drilled into me as a kid coming through the ranks – Ronnie Moran said it so often I could hear his voice in my sleep.
He was always on at me to learn from Rushie, a master of the old adage of defending from the front.
Liverpool do that with Roberto Firmino, obviously, but both Sadio Mane and Mo Salah deserve credit too.
It goes right through the team and, at the moment, they seem able to sustain it for virtually 90 minutes.
That’s why I’m not getting too down on Spurs.
It’s funny, a couple of weeks ago everyone was praising them for NOT buying in the summer, because they started the season so well, and there was a feeling that gave them unity and continuity. Even with that, they couldn’t cope with Liverpool’s quality all over the pitch. Sometimes, you just come up against a better team – and that’s what happened. Pochettino will look at his opponents, though, and wonder about the impact of the signings they made in the summer. Alisson is the obvious one and you can tell he has given confidence to those in front of them. But you can point to the performances of James Milner and Georginio Wijnaldum as an effect of the signings too. They were both outstanding, have both stepped up massively this season... and it’s clear the extra competition in midfield has driven that, to an extent.
If you don’t make signings these days, you don’t just stand still, you go backwards when your opponents bring in quality.
Tottenham’s injuries also played a part and, without Hugo Lloris and Dele Alli, they will almost be relieved because the scoreline flattered them.
Had they nicked a point at the end (and I DON’T think that was a penalty, even if VAR in slow motion may have given it) it would have been a travesty.
I said almost perfect from Liverpool, but obviously that slip in concentration at the end prevented that. They should have killed the game far earlier too.
I noticed Graeme Souness said afterwards that he thought it was my old club’s best team since Kenny Dalglish last won the league.
I’m not going to argue with Souey... because he’s Souey.
But you definitely can’t say that unless they win the league.