Preview of Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool League Cup: Not much left

Another disappointing Premier League outing leaves Tottenham Hotspur and Ange Postecoglou with little choice but to focus on alternative competitions to salvage something from this season. While the Europa League still holds promise, the League Cup is also a possibility, although the road ahead is anything but easy: the semi-finals against Liverpool kicks off this week, with either Arsenal or Newcastle waiting on the other side of the bracket.

The two sides last met a few weeks ago in north London, where Wednesday’s first leg will take place. It was clear which team was superior (on the day and on the season), with the visitors scoring six goals at 5.6 xG in a wild game that felt distinctly one-sided. Spurs will need a much stronger performance if they are to stay alive for the second leg at Anfield in February.

Semi-finals (1st leg): Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool

Date: Wednesday, January 8
Time: 3pm ET, 8pm UK
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
TV: Paramount+ (USA), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)

Liverpool’s draw against United at the weekend ended their run of three straight wins in the league. Meanwhile, the Reds’ League Cup run has seen them dispatch exclusively Premier League opposition, with wins over West Ham, Brighton and Southampton heading into this round. This is a tough situation for Spurs as Liverpool have dominated recent meetings, winning four of the last five meetings across all competitions (and 11 of the last 14).

At the risk of sounding too pessimistic, Tottenham’s best hope on Wednesday could face a distracted or overconfident Liverpool. Arne Slot’s side, who were not expected to perform so strongly this season, now sit on top of the Premier League and lead the League Stage of the Champions League; Although this is already the semi-final, the League Cup is probably not the highest priority on the club’s list right now.

Whether this leads to significant rotation remains to be seen. Either way, there’s no doubt which side needs this contest the most. Despite their inconsistencies this season, Spurs have produced their best performances in the bigger moments and this week’s game certainly qualifies as one of them.

Bid time

Despite being at home, Tottenham’s best strategy may simply be to survive on Wednesday. The second leg is not for a month, giving Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Richarlison and potentially others time to recover. With both James Maddison and Pape Sarr suspended for this game on top of all the injuries, swinging for the fences seems unwise.

When February rolls around, it’s possible Liverpool will be even more focused on the Premier League and Champions League, potentially forcing some compromises in the League Cup. While it’s not much fun to hope for the clock to tick this week, it seems reasonable to expect conditions to be a little more favorable next month.

In light of these factors, Postecoglou must take a conservative approach to ensure Liverpool do not run riot again. Tottenham’s makeshift defense has been serviceable for the most part, but it was torn apart by the Reds last month. Prioritizing defensive security at the expense of offense is the right approach. It goes against the ambitious style he typically strives for, but with so many key players unavailable, it feels like the only viable option. Survive the first leg and live to fight in February.