Spursvs.Liverpool

Arsenal's victory against Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon saw the Gunners close the gap to Arne Slot's Merseysiders to just three points, though the Dutchman's team do have two games in hand.

More positively for the Reds, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa, effectively knocking the champions out of the title race.

Ange Postecoglou's Spurs side stand in the way of another three points for Liverpool, but Lynch believes that the Reds should be very confident of victory, telling Sports Mole: "I think Liverpool will go into this one with a lot of confidence that they can hurt spurs.

"The big problem [Spurs have] got is that [their] defensive issues and structural issues are repeatedly being exposed. When Arne Slot and coaches look through the analysts' work and have a look at how they can hurt Tottenham, there are about 50 different ways to do it because they have structural issues in the way that they press that allows them to be passed through quite easily.

"They're a team with serious weaknesses and if Liverpool go there and show the best versions of themselves, they'll feel like they can really hurt Tottenham and get a big result."

The two sides will also meet each other in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup next year, and Sunday's game could perhaps be an insight into how the tie will play out.

Tottenham's defensive vulnerabilities

Spurs beat Manchester United 4-3 in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup on Thursday, but while Postecoglou's side were excellent in the final third, their defensive display was alarming.

First-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, as well as first-choice centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, missed out against United, with Fraser Forster filling in between the posts while Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin started in the heart of defence.

Forster was at fault for at least two of United's goals while Gray is arguably a more natural midfielder, and Lynch told Sports Mole that the Reds are capable of exploiting those vulnerabilities, saying: "Tottenham are one of those teams that on their day, at their best, they're up there with the best in the league. They can beat anyone in the league when they're at their best, but those defensive deficiencies - Liverpool will be absolutely licking their lips at this game.

"An underrated element of some of their struggles at the moment is they've got a few injuries. [Rodrigo Bentancur] out through suspension, injuries to Vicario in goal and some issues in central defence as well - Van de Ven.

"That's another reason why they look so porous at the moment and none of those players are going to be back for the Liverpool game, so it's just an opportunity to hurt them when they're at a low ebb."

Mohamed Salah will almost certainly be thrilled at the prospect of playing against Spurs' makeshift defence, and he will be confident of adding to the 12 goals and two assists he has registered against Tottenham.

Pressure in the title race?

As commanding as Liverpool have been this season, Chelsea could leapfrog the Reds and climb to first place should they beat Everton on Sunday, and while Liverpool would be able to reclaim top spot with a victory against Spurs, beating Tottenham could be a tough challenge.

Slot's side should still undoubtedly be classed as favourites for the title given they have only lost once in all competitions this season, but despite City's collapse, fans are still worried that they may be caught.

However, Lynch dismissed the notion that Liverpool will be feeling pressure ahead of their clash against Tottenham, arguing that the relatively small gap to the likes of Chelsea does not paint a full picture of the state of the race for the Premier League.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch said: "Liverpool shouldn't be feeling pressure around [the points gap] because ultimately a big part of the gap going from nine points to two - or potentially being erased completely - is the fact that they had a game called off and others around them continued to play. Realistically, if Liverpool were level on games with Chelsea, that that gap would [likely] be five points now.

"At this point, it is just about can you win the next game that's in front of you, and that will absolutely be the focus going into the Tottenham game. I'm not sure they'll be paying too much attention to Chelsea.

"Even if the are [paying attention], there are weaknesses there in Chelsea that suggest that they won't be able to keep this pace up for long, so I don't think they should be too worried about that one."

Chelsea have kept just one clean sheet in their last 11 Premier League fixtures, but regardless of whether the Blues manage to pick up three points against Everton, Slot's side must focus on their own match against Spurs.

Written by

Lewis Nolan