Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur has the potential to shape a new-look Liverpool
As Simon Hooper’s whistle rang around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at full-time on Saturday, the reaction of both sets of players was somewhat telling.
Jurgen Klopp, one arm aloft and another slapping his chest defiantly, made his way over to the Liverpool supporters housed in the away end. The Reds boss was quickly followed by Ibrahima Konate, Kostas Tsimikas, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez, whose reaction was perhaps the most indicative of an unusual evening in the capital.
At the other end of the field, James Maddison, Pedro Porro, Yves Bissouma and more lapped up the applause from the home end after the most untimely of miskicks from Joel Matip, in the 96th minute, had handed Tottenham a first Premier League victory over Liverpool since October 2017.
Plenty has changed at both clubs since that disastrous afternoon at Wembley for Klopp’s side, in which a calamitous defensive performance – in particular from Dejan Lovren and Simon Mignolet – saw Liverpool comprehensively beaten 4-1 at the Londoners’ temporary home.
Spurs, for example, have seen nine of their 11 starters from that afternoon depart North London, with only Hugo Lloris and Son Heung-min still at the club nearly six years on. Mauricio Pochettino has also left, with Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte all unsuccessful in taking the reigns before the appointment of Ange Postecoglou in the summer.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have relished the stability of Klopp’s tenure and as a result enjoyed an unprecedented level of success at Anfield in the modern era, with the German guiding his side to Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup glory. There have also been triumphs in the League Cup, Super Cup, Club World Cup and Community Shield.
In 2017, as goals from Harry Kane (2), Dele Alli and Son condemned Liverpool to the alarming feat of conceding four or more goals in the opening hour of a Premier League game for just the third time in 25 years, that chastening defeat to Pochettino’s side is, actually, often referred to as one of the foundations that shaped the building of Klopp’s first, great Anfield side.
