By Tony Evans
Tottenham Hotspur’s visit to Anfield on Sunday is Liverpool’s most important match since last season’s Champions League final. Victory would turn up the pressure on Manchester City in the title race.
Dropped points would cede the advantage to Pep Guardiola’s side. Jurgen Klopp has little margin for error. The defining contest is likely to be the Virgil van Dijk-Harry Kane matchup. These are two players at the top of their game.
Van Dijk has transformed the Liverpool defence over the past 15 months since joining from Southampton for £75 million. The Dutchman is the anchor and leader of a back line that has conceded a mere 18 goals in 31 Premier League games.
That sort of rugged approach will not worry Van Dijk. The 27-year-old can dish out the rough stuff as well as anyone in the league. To keep Kane quiet he needs to stay near to the Tottenham man and not allow him any space in the area.
Getting too close is dangerous, though, because the England captain has a finely-tuned instinct about when to go down and earn a penalty. In the corresponding fixture last year, Van Dijk got too close to Erik Lamela in the final seconds of the game.
Kane secured a 2-2 draw from the spot. Liverpool felt aggrieved that a foul was given and they need to be very careful whenever Spurs get into the box. Despite the complaints of managers and fans, no team can take the moral high ground on the subject of diving.
Strikers go down in the area when they feel contact. More often than not it is justified. Any defender foolish enough to make that contact is taking a risk. One man’s simulation is another man’s foul.
Kane is one of those players who seems to know exactly where the line is drawn. Before Liverpool fans start bandying the word ‘cheat’ around, they should remember that Mo Salah has a similar sensitivity to wayward challenges when in the opposition area.
Another of Kane’s great skills is knowing when to drop deep into midfield to free up space for Tottenham’s midfield runners. Van Dijk is astute enough not to follow the striker upfield but it puts the onus on Liverpool’s central three to pick up Kane and make sure he is unable to feed advancing team-mates.
This is where Van Dijk’s organisational skills are important. When opponents have the ball, the centre half is crucial in making sure Liverpool hold their shape.
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
