Gary Neville feels Ange Postecoglou should have changed his tactics towards the end of the game between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool on Saturday and instructed his full-backs to stay wide.
Tottenham struggled to break down Liverpool’s defence after Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota had been sent off, with Klopp playing five at the back and three in midfield, with no apparent attacker.
The Reds looked like they were holding on for a point and almost successfully managed to do so until the 96th minute when Pedro Porro’s cross was turned home by Joel Matip.
Between Jota’s red card and Matip’s own goal, Tottenham found it challenging to make the most of the two-man advantage, with Udogie, Ben Davies, Manor Solomon and Dejan Kulusevski all having difficulties getting past Liverpool’s defence on the wings.
Liverpool got off to a fast start in the fixture and dominated the proceedings initially, but Jones’ sending-off seemed to give Spurs the impetus to go forward and create chances, which resulted in Son Heung-min’s goal in the 36th minute.
However, a lapse in the North London side’s concentration led to them conceding late on in stoppage time in the first half as Cody Gakpo found the back of the net.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 30: Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates the win with Pedro Porro and Alejo Veliz at full time during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 30, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Did Postecoglou make the right choices?
Speaking on his Sky Sports Premier League podcast on YouTube, the Manchester United legend said he wanted to see the Spurs wide players stretch the Reds, who were down to nine men, instead of cutting inside so often.
Neville said: “The fullbacks, I would have said go to a more traditional system. Don’t go in there looking to actually play. Go wide with your wingers and really stretch that midfield.
“So Liverpool have a five and they have a three, so the two in there in this case, Udogie and Porro, you stretch yourself wide so you’ve got two on each side.
“What you’re doing then is stretching the pitch to its maximum. That’s what we used to do. For me, they weren’t working those positions hard enough.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Klopp’s tactics towards the end of the game stifled Tottenham for a long period and at one point, it looked like the curse of not being able to beat Liverpool at home would continue. However, in the end, Posteoglou and the team, not in the most attractive fashion, managed to get the job done.
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