The ECHO spoke to football.london Tottenham Hotspur reporter Alasdair Gold ahead of the crisis club’s visit to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday
Liverpool face a Tottenham side on Sunday afternoon that could hardly have imagined they would find themselves in the position they are now when they won the Europa League against Manchester United last May.
Despite ending their 17-year wait for silverware under Ange Postecoglou, a 17th-place finish in the Premier League meant the European triumph was not enough to save the Australian manager’s job. He was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank, but after a dismal run of results and little to no apparent progress, the German was replaced by Igor Tudor.
However, the Croatian could not have got off to a worse possible start, presiding over four straight defeats that have left Spurs, perilously over the relegation zone.
Their plight makes Liverpool overwhelming favourites when the two sides meet at Anfield on Mother’s Day. And to find out exactly what has been going on in north London, the ECHO caught up with football.london Tottenham reporter Alasdair Gold, to get his verdict from the other side of the fence.
Tottenham appear to be free-falling in the Premier League. How has this been allowed to happen?
Poor decisions at every level, in terms of managers sacked and appointed, a January transfer window that didn’t respond to the problems in the squad, a horrendous injury list that is rarely out of double figures – it will be 12 missing for Liverpool – and a group of players who are yet to realise – or maybe care – just how much danger the club is in.Igor Tudor didn’t even get a honeymoon period in charge and should he suffer a defeat at Anfield, will have presided over five straight losses since taking the job. How much of this is his fault, and is there any hope amongst fans at all that he can keep his job and get on top of the situation?
There’s been no bounce nor improvement with Tudor. He’s been an instant football firefighter at each of his previous five clubs and brought immediate change, but the problems at Tottenham are just too big and deeply rooted. His usual right-hand man, Ivan Javorcic, has been unable to join him as of yet due to work permit problems and that’s limited him as well. The club will be panicking about relegation, the players don’t appear impressed by the Croatian and that could cost Tudor his job.It seems unimaginable that Spurs could get relegated, but are fans really now thinking that way and if they did go down, what would be the knock-on effect?
Many fans believe they will go down. They haven’t won a Premier League match yet in 2026, so there’s no momentum there. Relegation would be huge for the club. They would have to sell most of the best players, they’d lose out on around £250million financially, and cuts would have to be made internally, meaning likely redundancies across staff who work in and around the club.The last time Spurs came to Anfield, Liverpool clinched the title. Things haven’t gone so well since then for the Reds and teams low down the Premier League have picked up points here this season. Does that give you any confidence that Spurs could pull off an unlikely result?
Not particularly, purely because of the huge list of players Spurs have missing. Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha managed to add themselves to it through concussion by competing for the same ball late on in the defeat at Atletico Madrid and clashing heads on Tuesday night.
That means young midfielder Archie Gray may have to step into central defence at a time when there are barely any midfield options. Tottenham are also lacking in creativity, so no, positivity isn’t exactly rampant at Spurs right now.Amid all of Spurs’ current problems, who should Liverpool be looking out for as the current danger men?
Dominic Solanke has scored in each of his three past Champions League matches and netted in his last Premier League outing, so he can cause problems, while Richarlison is Tottenham’s top scorer this season and enjoys facing Liverpool.
Pedro Porro can cause problems with his delivery, while Xavi Simons, who has been marginalised under Tudor, can create something out of nothing if he’s allowed to play.Similarly, who worries you most in the Liverpool team?
Pretty much all of the front line, but I’ll always go into midfield to Dominik Szoboszlai, because he’s just a terrific player. He’s been a nightmare for Tottenham every time they have taken on Liverpool and he’s just got so much quality.Finally, what is your prediction for not only this game, but the eventual outcome of this season for both Liverpool and Spurs?
I think Liverpool will win this comfortably against a makeshift Spurs side with various players out of position. I reckon 3-1 to the home side. At the end of the campaign, I think Liverpool will sneak into the top four, while I hope Tottenham sneak away from the very real threat of relegation.
