Thursday, January 21, 2010

Tommy Smith: Liverpool FC must catch Tottenham cold

EVERY game from now on in is a huge one for Liverpool.

But I doubt there’ll be any bigger in so many ways than the one at Anfield tonight.

In previous decades the visit of Spurs invariably meant three points for Liverpool. But now it’s not quite so straightforward and there’s no doubt this one provides a tough test for us.

Of course the injuries to Gerrard, Torres, Benayoun and Johnson will give Harry Redknapp’s men alift. But in a way that might just work in our favour.

Tottenham may have no real idea of just who they will face and how the Reds will line up. And if Maxi Rodriguez is given his full debut, his presence might just be something of a surprise to them and work in our advantage.

We have to hope that’s the case because we desperately need things to start going for us after all the incidents of cruel luck – not to mention plenty of self destruction – this season.

It wasn’t pretty at Stoke on Saturday but at least the lads put everything they had into every challenge and took Stoke on at their own game.

Everyone wants to see better football than that – especially from a Liverpool side.

But when a team is struggling like we have been, you go back to basics and claw your way out of it all by scrapping. The fluent football can come later.

Tonight, no doubt with the fans doing all they can to help, the players must show the same spirit and workrate to deny Spurs time and space. And then let’s see what happens.

If we can manage a win, it will provide a big confidence boost and for all the comment and controversy surrounding the club, put us right back in the hunt for fourth place.

We’ve got a battle on tonight. But at least at Stoke we saw the players up for a fight.

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