Ex-Tottenham striker Gary Lineker reckons that Liverpool would have triumphed over Spurs on Sunday regardless of the tactics employed by Ange Postecoglou in their 6-3 defeat – simply because the Reds are a far superior team.
The Lilywhites were trounced at home by Arne Slot's unstoppable side as Postecoglou watched his team fall to a 5-1 deficit with only 60 minutes on the clock. Although Spurs did manage a partial comeback, pulling the score back to 5-3 after Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke netted in the final 20 minutes, it wasn't enough as Luis Diaz bagged his second of the match to make it six and seal a thrilling victory for table-topping Liverpool.
Postecoglou has faced severe criticism for his tactical approach in some of Spurs' most significant losses this season, despite grappling with numerous injuries, particularly in defence. However, Lineker believes that Spurs wouldn't have been able to compete with Slot's squad regardless of the line-up they fielded or whatever strategy their Australian manager implemented.
James Maddison had clawed one back for Spurs in the first half after Diaz and Alexis Mac Allister put the visitors 2-0 up within 35 minutes. With Liverpool's lead cut in half, it seemed like Postecoglou's team had a shot at mounting a comeback.
Yet, moments later and right before half time, Dominik Szoboszlai broke through and slotted the ball through Fraser Forster's legs as Spurs suffered from another rapid counter-attack. Their players were once again caught out while pressing high at arguably the wrong moment.
Game management and adapting to the match situation are factors often brought up with Spurs by pundits, particularly as they could have regrouped for a second-half push being just 2-1 down, if only they held out until the half-time whistle. Instead, trailing 3-1 going into the break, Spurs never truly managed to put Liverpool on edge again.
Lineker, speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, asserted that Liverpool were just too formidable and that there was an inevitable outcome, showing how far former Champions League regulars Spurs have dropped in recent times. "When those two teams lined up today, you thought, well, however Tottenham shape up, and they're going to get beaten by that [Liverpool] side, particularly if they're playing that well," Lineker said, as per Football London..
The former England forward suggested that Spurs' scintillating form in front of goal under Postecoglou – that has led them to being the leading goalscorers in the Premier League this season with 39 goals – might be a draw for supporters, enthralled by the exhilarating style of play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But Spurs still find themselves in 11th position – a situation many fans lay at the feet of Daniel Levy and the board, accusing them of failing to support the manager adequately in the transfer market and leaving him with a team that lacks the depth needed to compete at the top. Frustration towards Levy was palpable both inside and around the stadium on Sunday as protests took place.
"It's Tottenham. I mean, they're gung ho, we know that," Lineker added. "And he [Postecoglou] doesn't change things just because he's got a few injuries and played boring football.
"I mean, every time Tottenham play, I think, and some of the fans will disagree with me, and that's absolutely fine because we know it's a results business. But you must look forward to going to see the games and not knowing quite what to expect."
His podcast colleague, Alan Shearer, said that it was perhaps naive and impulsive behaviour from some players that led Spurs to press Liverpool just before the half-time whistle, consequently leaving themselves exposed for the Reds to all but seal the game's fate. "Sometimes, as a player or a team, you have to take responsibility without your manager, without whatever way he wants to play," Shearer said.
"You know, they get to 2-1 today and a minute before halftime, it's still gung-ho. You just say, 'okay, we've actually taken a beating in that first half. If we can get to 2-1, we've probably been extremely lucky'. So once you get that goal, you say, 'okay, two minutes to half time, let's just see'.
"But yet, they still commit so many men forward and then get hit on the break. And once Liverpool get that third one, just before the break, you're thinking, done. I thought that minute cost them the game. And then they were never going to come back from that."
Spurs are now gearing up for a challenging visit to fourth-placed Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.