Blog: Spurs clash can be start of exciting end to season
As we build up to the Anfield meeting with in-form Tottenham Hotspur, fan and writer Donovan Chandler gives his take on what Liverpool can achieve in the remaining weeks of a gruelling season.
We’re all set and ready for the season’s final push. No more international breaks, no immediate distractions – just strictly club football business.
Liverpool’s players returned to first-team training in the latter part of this week in order to prepare for today’s match with high-flying Tottenham, the first in a steady series of games to come our way from now until the middle of May as we chance our arm in both the Premier League and European competition.
A trip to Jürgen Klopp’s former club, Borussia Dortmund, awaits on Thursday night in the Europa League, but that’s not our most pressing concern right now. Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs have been one of the standout packages of the domestic season, and they find themselves in the midst of challenging for their first-ever Premier League title.
They’ll be determined to take the points from Anfield, so we’ll have to be very much at our best to stop them. Tottenham find themselves five points off the top of the table as it stands, but while they’ll be hungry for success, it’s important to remember that we have big things to play for too.
It may have seemed unlikely after falling to defeat at Southampton last time out in the Premier League, but Liverpool retain a chance of qualifying for the Champions League through a top-four finish in the final weeks of the season.
We’ll need to make up a seven-point gap on fourth-placed Manchester City, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that with a game in hand and a good run of results over the coming weeks, we could go mighty close.
A win today is imperative to our hopes of ending the season on a high. Not only do we need to get back to winning ways as quickly as possible, but a good performance and maximum points will provide a massive morale boost for the weeks ahead.
While away and home ties with Dortmund are coming up, we’ll also face off against the likes of Stoke City, Bournemouth and local rivals Everton within the next three weeks. It’s that time of the season now where teams need to be hitting their peak form, and it’s no different for us.
Doubts remain over the availability of the likes of Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke for the game, but it’s great news that the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Jon Flanagan are further steps down the road to full fitness. Sturridge represented England in the week, while the much-loved Flanno has spent the international break working hard on his condition.
Adam Lallana has been in particularly great form for club and country over the last few weeks, and has been recognised for his performances by winning the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month award for March. The former Southampton man back in tandem with the likes of Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho is a mouth-watering prospect.
Klopp will be demanding the best of his players this evening, and the home crowd – having seen what this team are capable of this season – will be expectant too. Tottenham will certainly provide worthy opposition.
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