Klopp praises Tottenham ahead of Sunday’s clash

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise on Tottenham Hotspur for managing to keep hold of their best players in the transfer market.

The two sides meet in a crucial Premier League clash on Sunday afternoon, with the winner to take a big step towards qualification for the Champions League.

Fourth-placed Liverpool currently sit two points ahead of Spurs, meaning that they could take a five-point lead on their rivals if they are victorious at Anfield.

If Spurs were to win then they would leapfrog Liverpool into fourth place, and steal a march on the Reds ahead of a crucial few months ahead.

Speaking to the press ahead of the clash, as quoted by the Daily Star, Klopp said: “That they can keep their squad together for so long is a big sign to be honest. Harry Kane is still there, the whole world is going nuts obviously transfer wise and I think if someone has too much money or more than enough then it would make sense to ask, ‘Don’t you want to play for our team?’ He is obviously an outstanding, top-level player, since I was in England at least.

“Dele Alli is not having the same season as last season but he still is of the highest quality, (Christian) Eriksen is constantly performing, Son (Heung-min) is really good, (Moussa) Sissoko made a step again and is back to the player he was at Newcastle. They are just a good side and they are still together. The whole world buys players from everywhere but no one buys one player from Tottenham. Maybe they don’t want to go.

“With these players and their age group, the players are closer to 20 than 30, so that is a very, very interesting project. I don’t know too much about Tottenham, about their circumstances, but obviously the group wants to stay together as well. That is another good thing; they had success so far. Only a little bit more than we had since I came in, but more. That makes them a really, really good football team and that is the most important thing.”

Liverpool lost Philippe Coutinho in January as the Brazilian completed a £142million move to Barcelona, while Spurs did not lose any first-team stars.

OPINION

It is interesting to hear a rival manager speak so highly of Tottenham. Klopp is obviously an admirer of Mauricio Pochettino and his side, and may be slightly jealous of the fact that their first-team nucleus is in tact. Liverpool’s has been ripped apart by the departure of Philippe Coutinho, and they will need to rebuild their attack without the Brazilian. Liverpool are coming into the match on the back of a solid 3-0 win over Huddersfield, but a loss to Swansea before that was highly damaging. A win against Spurs will mean all that is forgotten however, and it should be a cracking match to boot.