By Daily Sports Nigeria on December 23, 2024

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou lifted the famous line from the movie Gladiator following the wild ride of victory over Manchester United when he asked: "Are you not entertained?"

It was Postecoglou's way of answering questions about his cavalier approach, after Spurs threatened to concede a 3-0 lead in Thursday's Carabao Cup quarter-final before winning 4-3.

The problem is that Postecoglou's idea of entertainment works two ways - as he and Spurs found out to their cost as they were brutally punished by Liverpool in front of their own supporters.

Liverpool certainly found Spurs highly entertaining in a 6-3 win that was nowhere near an accurate reflection of their superiority. It demonstrated why Arne Slot's team are in control of the title race with a four-point lead over Chelsea at Christmas, with a game in hand, while Spurs languish in 11th place, eight points off fourth.

Entertainment is never a problem with Spurs under Postecoglou. But pleasure is laced with an element of sporting torture when they are exposed to a team of Liverpool's world-class attacking quality.

There have now been 30 goals in Spurs' past five games. Entertaining all right, but 10 of those have been scored against Postecoglou's team in successive home league defeats by Chelsea and Liverpool. In the latter case, the only question was how Liverpool only scored six while somehow conceding three.

Liverpool's expected goals total was 4.6 to Spurs' 1.2. Slot's team, measured by Opta statistics, carved out nine big chances - testimony to their dominance as well the defensive vulnerability Postecoglou shows little sign of addressing with extra pragmatism.

It would unfair on Postecoglou and Spurs not to point out that he is missing first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario as well as central defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. These are big absentees for a team playing in such an open style, especially Van de Ven, whose pace is so crucial to Postecoglou's favoured high line.

Postecoglou was also unable to call on the suspended, influential Rodrigo Bentancur. The Uruguayan would have at least offered a greater degree of difficulty in passing through Spurs, something which is simply too easy at present.

Spurs are stretched on numbers, meaning Postecoglou fielded an unchanged side from that which faced Manchester United on Thursday.

No such problems for Liverpool, however, who have now won 12 and drawn three of their 16 league games this season. They also have the highest goal difference of plus 21.

The transition from Jurgen Klopp to Slot has been remarkable in its seamlessness, helped by Mohamed Salah's apparent determination to rewrite Liverpool's record books, whether he extends his Anfield contract or not.

Slot has taken what Klopp left him and has, if anything, shaped it into a more controlled, measured machine, with Salah as its spearhead.

The two goals he scored in the second half took him to a remarkable tally of 229 goals in 373 games, moving ahead of the legendary Billy Liddell - who was so influential during his Anfield career that they were often renamed "Liddellpool" - and into fourth place on the club's list of all-time scorers.

And to show just how good Salah has been, Liddell scored 228 in 534 games, with his 228th goal coming in his 526th appearance.

Salah is now behind Gordon Hodgson with 241 - would you back against him overhauling that this season? - World Cup winner Roger Hunt with 285 and record holder Ian Rush with 346.

He has now scored and assisted more than 10 goals in the Premier League this season, with 15 goals and 11 assists. With just 16 games played, this is the joint-quickest that a player to hit double figures in both categories in a single Premier League campaign since Harry Kane, who also took 16 matches to do it, in 2020-21.

It is also the sixth Premier League season in which Salah's goals and assists totals have both reached double figures. No-one in the Premier League era can match that.

The statistics offer a numerical measure of Salah's influence and significance but it goes wider than that - all the more reason why Liverpool must surely be prioritising his signature on a new contract.

Source BBC Sports

Posted December 23, 2024

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