Mauricio Pochettino has suggested Jürgen Klopp and his players should be prepared to come up against a surprise change in formation and tactics when Liverpool face Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on Sunday, with the manager emboldened by the success he enjoyed in changing Spurs’ approach against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Tottenham departed the Bernabéu on Tuesday having earned a 1-1 draw with the European champions. It was a highly impressive display given they lined up in a rarely used 5-3-2 formation that had Eric Dier deployed in defence and Fernando Llorente given a starting role in attack, alongside Harry Kane.
Asked if he was considering another change of approach, Pochettino did not rule it out. “Maybe,” he said, in a noticeably relaxed and somewhat mischievous mood. “It was amazing because some people close to us said: ‘When we saw the starting XI [against Real Madrid] we thought what the eff? What is going on in his mind?’ And then at the end of the game they say: ‘Oh, you are a genius.’
“It’s difficult to explain what we want to find in every game. It’s not easy to explain. It’s about trust. It’s about a feeling the manager and the coaching staff have when deciding the starting XI. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work. But after the game, if I win or lose, I cannot regret my decision.”
Pochettino’s tactical and selection decisions for the visit of Liverpool, a team he has yet to beat in seven attempts since becoming Tottenham manager in May 2014, will in part be dictated by the players available to him. Danny Rose could feature having come on as a late substitute against Real for his first appearance of the season, after recovering from a knee injury. He may start on the bench again, however, given Ben Davies, who has impressed at left-back in Rose’s absence, has recovered from illness.
Erik Lamela is also back in first-team training as he continues his recovery from a hip complaint but will not feature on Sunday, as is the case with Victor Wanyama, who remains out with a knee injury and will see a specialist next week as part of his recovery, and Mousa Dembélé, who sustained a hip strain during a training session in Madrid on Monday.
Pochettino expressed concern over Wanyama, who last featured for Spurs in August’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, and described Dembélé’s enforced absence as “difficult to explain”. He expects both players to be in contention for first-team duties soon rather than later, however, and in the meantime will continue to rely on those who have stepped in to cover their absence, in particular Harry Winks, with the 21-year-old yet again impressing for Spurs in midweek.
“I am pleased because he has the quality to play the way he did against Real Madrid,” said Pochettino of a player who earned his first cap for England in the recent World Cup qualifier against Lithuania. “He is showing great character and personality.”
Pochettino said: “Everyone is pushing and trying to improve. I am very pleased to have different alternatives to play, it is a change from last season.
“Sissoko, Eriksen, Dier, Winks, they are all helping and they know they have to work, not just play football. It is fantastic that they are able to hide the lack of players who can play in midfield.”