Mauricio Pochettino has claimed Liverpool are “doing a fantastic job” and are not showing any nerves in the title race.
The Tottenham manager delivered a generous appraisal of the Merseyside giants following widespread criticism of their team in the wake of consecutive draws against West Ham and Leicester City.
Liverpool will climb back to the top of the Premier League if they beat Bournemouth at home on Saturday and Pochettino is in no doubt about how good they have been this season.
“They are at the top of the table and Liverpool can win the Premier League,” Pochettino said at his media conference on Friday, as quoted by Football London. “They are doing a fantastic job and they have a real quality and are building to win. Man City are there at the top and made one game more than Liverpool and then we are there.”
Asked if Liverpool are showing nerves, Pochettino replied: “No. It’s tough the Premier League. There’s a lot of circumstances that happen during that period. They are suffering a similar situation to us with injuries and I know it’s not easy to keep the same level.
“The period is going to be tough for everyone and every club that wants to win the trophy at the end. But no doubt Liverpool will be there until the end and I hope we too.”
OPINION
You can bet your life the majority of Liverpool fans will be nodding their heads in agreement at the Spurs manager’s analysis and saying, ‘well done, Poch’. The Argentine has gone against the grain of some hysterical criticism of Jurgen Klopp’s team this week with an appraisal that is warm and on-the-mark, too. Liverpool have lost just a single league match all season and are going toe to toe with one of the greatest top-flight sides ever, managed by a coaching messiah in Pep Guardiola. Sure, recent performances have been underwhelming, and Liverpool have not always hit the heights this season, certainly in comparison to Man City. But, then, Klopp has transformed his team’s playing style by making them tougher to break down, defensively more resilient and less susceptible to conceding goal chances. The knock-on effect has been less sparkling performances. Pochettino knows better than anyone the delicate balancing act off attacking quality and defensive resilience. Many some pundits and critics should take note.