Tottenham vs Liverpool: Spurs Must Defeat Reds to Get Season Back on Track

The schedule makers did Tottenham no favors to start the season. After the Spurs' opener got postponed due to the unrest around the stadium, the team had to face the two teams from Manchester and lost by a combined 8-1 score. Now they must defeat Liverpool to get back on track before it's too late.

Aside from a five-goal outburst against Heart of Midlothian in the Europa League Playoff Round, the Tottenham offense hasn't been generating enough scoring chances.

The top-tier teams are going to score goals, and you have to be able to keep up with them while playing a more wide open style than normal. The Spurs don't have a single player with more than one goal through three games, which accentuates the lack of offensive firepower.

A game against the Reds is the perfect chance to regain confidence before the schedule gets easier. Liverpool is coming off a 1-0 road loss to Stoke City last weekend after back-to-back 3-1 victories before players left for international duty.

Tottenham already finds itself five points behind an automatic place in European play next season and can't afford to lose any more ground, even though the season is still young. Every point lost now is one they'll have to fight to regain later on.

One player that will play a key role in the match is Liverpool's Luis Suarez. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp admitted this week that he regrets not signing the talented Uruguayan striker (via ESPN).

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"We looked at Suarez. That was a player who we probably should have took, looking back on it now. The fee was £30-odd million and that's a lot of money. We thought he played a bit like Van der Vaart as well.

"We were looking for a target man but I have seen him play up on his own and he can do that. He can play anywhere. He can do anything. He is a top-class, fantastic player.""

Suarez has two goals this season and is the most in-form scoring threat on either side right now. If a goal by Suarez sinks the Spurs any deeper, Redknapp will regret his decision even more, although that was indeed a hefty price to pay.

Midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart, who was disappointed to be left out of the mid-week Europa clash with PAOK Salonik, should return the the lineup. The versatile 28 year old should make the Spurs more potent on set pieces.

The Spurs' season isn't over if they lose this game by any means, but it would force them to play even better moving forward, and it's tough to see a sustained run of greatness after the early season inconsistency.

Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor both scored against Wolverhampton, and the Spurs will need one of them to find top form while the schedule eases up. That way they can claim the maximum amount of points before the fixtures toughen up again.

Tottenham could really use a win against Liverpool to get their season back on track. If not now, when?