2020-2021 PL: Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur

(The Guardian) Preamble
-It’s a big night at Anfield: Liverpool v Spurs, Jurgen Klopp v Jose Mourinho, champions v leaders. But the best way to frame it, if you’re into the whole rivalry thing, is Liverpool v Jose Mourinho. Their mutual enmity goes back a long way. In 2004, Mourinho almost became Liverpool manager. In 2005, he ssshhhed Liverpool fans during the Carling Cup final and compared their style of football unfavourably to that of – and you’ll like this - Sam Allardyce’s Bolton (8m58s on this video). Liverpool stopped Mourinho reaching two Champions League finals in 2005 and 2007; he denied them a title in 2014, when his evil plan worked so perfectly that Chelsea scored their two goals in time added on for their brazen timewasting.

--Liverpool had the most recent laugh, when they got Mourinho sacked as Manchester United manager two years ago. Many thought that was the last we’d see of him at the top table. Instead he returns to Anfield with Spurs top of the table, and with the confidence to flap his gums before the match over Liverpool’s injury list.

--For all connected with Liverpool, the thought of Mourinho ending their 65-match unbeaten run at Anfield is too much to bear. But that risk comes with the potential reward of putting Mourinho in his place. A big win for Liverpool – who for all their problems have yet to drop a point at Anfield this season – would put them top of the table and confirm that they are the team everyone has to beat. But if Spurs win and undermine Liverpool in their own fortress, all bets are off.

A match between first and second in the table is intrinsically exciting. But this is so much more than that.

(The Guardian) “Evening Web,” says Yash Gupta. “Huge match which explains why Mourinho has gone back to his pragmatic ways by dropping Reguilon for Davies. No Ndombele and Lo Celso being in starting line-up suggest to me that either Spurs make confident start and get a goal early or Spurs blow this one and lose this inside opening 30 minutes.”

They got a very early goal last year.

(The Guardian) The players gather round the centre circle to pay tribute to Gerard Houllier with a minute’s applause.

(The Guardian) 7 min Liverpool are pressing very high whenever the Spurs defenders win the ball. It’s been an interesting but uneventful start.