Mother’s Day Mercy Denied as Liverpool Duty Calls

Liverpool vs Spurs | Premier League Preview

It’s Mother’s Day, and I had half hoped to be sitting in front of a Sunday roast somewhere, enjoying the honest comfort of gravy, roast potatoes and family conversation. It would also have provided the perfect alibi for avoiding another ninety minutes of Liverpool’s current brand of football.

Alas, that small mercy has not arrived. Duty calls, and I will be on post-match duty for Anfield Index, so the TV will be on, and the Reds will be endured.

Liverpool remain a turgid watch at present. The results still matter, the points still carry weight in the chase for the Champions League places, yet the performances rarely stir the pulse. Too often, the game meanders along at half-pace, possession recycled across the pitch while the wide men wait patiently for service that either arrives late, not at all, or so often from far too deep. When forwards of genuine quality are receiving the ball near the halfway line with defenders already breathing down their necks, the contest quickly loses its edge.

There is talent in this Liverpool side, nobody doubts that, yet the rhythm feels missing. The play lacks urgency, and the crowd has had little to lift them from their seats in recent weeks. Football at Anfield has always thrived on tempo and belief. When both fade, the spectacle grows thin.

Tottenham arrive carrying their own troubles. Injuries have stripped their squad to the bone, and several key figures are absent. A side patched together in such circumstances rarely finds their best form on hostile grounds.

Liverpool should have enough quality to take the points if they begin with purpose and find an early foothold in the game.

Predicted Liverpool XI:

Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Gakpo, Ekitike, Salah

Prediction:

Liverpool 3-1 Tottenham