Make It Horrible For Tottenham – Liverpool Legend Shows No Mercy
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Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has urged the Reds to take advantage of a ‘fragile’ Tottenham Hotspur by ‘making it horrible’ for them on Sunday.
Both English clubs fell to away defeats on Tuesday in their respective Champions League encounters, but Spurs’ performance was undoubtedly more calamitous, a 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid, leaving them teetering on the brink of elimination.
While Igor Tudor emphasised that Tottenham will be prioritising the Premier League before kick-off, the manner of defeat would have dealt Spurs a further confidence blow, with the Antonin Kinsky experiment in particular backfiring in spectacular fashion.
Thompson, speaking while the Tottenham match was still ongoing with the score at 4-0 in the hosts’ favour, praised Spurs’ fans, calling them a loyal fanbase, while squarely placing the blame on the management for the club’s travails.
Acknowledging that the Lilywhites are going through a tough period and stressing that he never likes to see anyone struggle, Thompson nonetheless urged Liverpool to heap further pain upon Tottenham on Sunday.
He did note though that playing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is toxic for Spurs at the moment, indicating they may find respite away.
Thompson said on LFC TV (53:15): “Troubled times, isn’t it.
“I don’t like to see it, sort of anytime.
“But they have had a lot of mismanagement and they have struggled.
“They have a good loyal fanbase.
“It’s toxic at the new stadium.
“It is a difficult time for Spurs and we need to capitalise on the weekend.”
Thompson argued that Liverpool can only focus upon their own goals, with Champions League qualification at stake, and that the best way to achieve a result against a ‘fragile’ Spurs would be to ‘make it horrible’ for them early on in the game.
“We have just got to take care of ourselves.
“We have to make it horrible for them.
“They are fragile.
“When you are going to take on a team like that, you have got to make it uncomfortable early on.
“And we let teams off the hook in the first halves.”
The loss to Galatasaray means that Kenny Dalglish’s record of 62 wins after 100 games remains intact, with Arne Slot tied with the legend, but the manager will surely view it as a triviality if the 1-0 deficit can be overturned in the second leg.
Sunday’s fixture will be crucial for both sides, with Spurs battling relegation and Liverpool chasing Champions League qualification.
Thompson has backed the Reds to finish in the top five, while former Premier League goalkeeper Shaka Hislop believes that Liverpool will miss out on Champions League qualification.
Tottenham could begin the game from the relegation zone, depending upon the results from the West Ham United and Nottingham Forest games which begin earlier, and the Spurs squad will be hoping themselves that Liverpool’s poor form persists.
The shambolic handling of Kinsky was the latest misstep from Tudor, and with voices like those of Scott Minto calling for desperate measures to save Spurs from relegation, a loss to Liverpool could be the final straw for the manager.
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