Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool FC: An Essential 6-Pointer for the Reds

It is because of the nature of the Premier League and the expectations on Liverpool that many a pundit relegated the Reds' to a fight for fourth place after a disappointing loss to Stoke City at the Britannia. Your potential for the season is upgraded and downgraded from week to week, from title contender to pretender. It is for these reasons that I do not like to jump to conclusions after what was actually a pretty good display for one of the toughest away trips in the League. Whenever you have nearly 75 percent of possession and lose a match, you can't say a team played poorly. United, City and Chelsea will all go through trying periods during this season so being five points off the pace at this point does not relegate Liverpool to only fourth place already, especially with Steven Gerrard still to come back into the squad.

That being said, if they fail to come away with at least a point in their away match against Tottenham this weekend, one could legitimately question whether or not all this investment over the last nine months was worth it. Dalglish was able to rightly convince the owners that the team was a few rungs below the ever improving Manchester squads and parlayed into some financial backing. He had to pay over market price to ensure he captured some of the players he wanted but it will be money well spent if they push for the title and get themselves back into the Champions League come the end of the season. Spurs are one of the teams that will be in the mix for that spot as well after missing out to Arsenal, partly due to their debut campaign in Europe's top competition. 

Tottenham come into this match as a team in flux as well. Having held onto Luka Modric, the team keeps their most creative influence on the park. But he hasn't put in any performances so far this season that were what made Chelsea offer £40 million for his services. This is good news for Liverpool but I wouldn't count on poor form from Modric much longer. Bale, who electrified Europe last season, has had less of an influence on the team this year. It may be that Premier League defenders have adjusted their game to protect against Bale's poke and chase move that put him in so much space last season. His reputation has been living off making Maicon look foolish in one match at the San Siro, as he tailed off at the end of last season. Van der Vaart has declared himself fit for this match and will most likely play off Adebayor up front. Rednap may elect to keep the Dutchman on the bench and pair Defoe up top who looked almost back to form in their match against Wolves.

The player to watch for Spurs will be Parker. His influence on the squad was apparent from the early stages against Wolves. Denying him possession and preventing him from harassing the Liverpool midfield will be important if the Reds' are to come away with a win.

For Liverpool, it should be more of the same. Kuyt and Suarez up top, Lucas and Adam in the middle, Downing and Henderson on the wings. Glen Johnson is going to be out for five more weeks and Kelly will most likely not be fit so Flanagan will have to come into the fold. Dawson is out for the defense of Spurs so you might see Ledley King playing alongside Kaboul. This gives Liverpool's front two an advantage I believe. They both have been great at pulling defenders out wide creating space down the middle. If Andy Carroll gets a start, which is not out of the realm of possibilities, you would hope Liverpool will exploit his physicality and start getting some balls delivered into the box from the touchline. Downing has been pretty stellar so far but is well below the pace he set last year for Aston Villa to be the most successful crosser in the Premier League. Kyle Walker is great going forward for Spurs but is a defensive vulnerability which should be exploited by Downing. Suarez will be the key to victory for the Reds as usual. His pace, movement and creative ability could help Liverpool get a couple past the ageless, consummate Friedel in net for Spurs.

I call this a six pointer because even this early in the season, taking points off squads you expect to be around where you are towards the end is essential. Liverpool would do well to take all three points and would bring a spring back into the step of King Kenny and the rest of the team.

Most likely, you will see a stalemate come the final whistle in this one. Liverpool haven't won at White Hart Lane since 2008 so a win would be a fantastic result. Let's go with that and say Liverpool sneaks this one late on. 2-1 Liverpool.