At one time the prospect of Liverpool finishing the current season above Tottenham would have been unthinkable. The fact it is now a realistic possibility says everything about the way Jurgen Klopp’s tactical changes have revived his side’s fortunes and just as much about Spurs’ capitulation.
On Thursday night, Ryan Mason offered the first signs of hope that he has a blueprint of his own to avoid merely limping lifeless until the end of the campaign. Despite a calamitous start to the 2-2 draw with Manchester United, Spurs offered more enthusiasm and spirit than in the whole of Cristian Stellini’s short reign.
It would be easy to attribute that to a shift in mood, Stellini largely mirroring Antonio Conte’s approach and ending his tenure with one of the worst displays in the club’s history.
Yet Mason’s influence was clear, and not only because of his superior relationship with the players and fans.
Richarlison’s role
Unfortunately, the only statistic that will be remembered from Richarlison’s debut season at Spurs is that unless something changes in the next four games, he did not score a single Premier League goal.
That does not tell the whole story as injuries and tensions with Conte restricted him to just 10 starts, most of them on the right.
Dating back to his Everton days, the Brazilian has always scored more and created more chances on the left than in any other position across the front three – so that is where Mason put him against United and with some good results.
The main change in personnel from the humiliation at Newcastle, he teamed up well with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on the left and with more confidence, he ought to have taken two chances that he squared looking for Harry Kane.
Richarlison’s role is not entirely about goals, though that may seem a little reductive a defence of a £60m forward.
Three at the back
Stellini fell on his sword for that disastrous shift to a back four that led to Spurs conceding five goals in the opening 21 minutes at St James’ Park. On paper, it was an attempt to divert from Conte’s overly negative 3-4-3 but Tottenham do not have the players.
Mason’s system against United made the most of Pedro Porro and Ivan Perisic for what they are – wing-backs, rather than defensive full-backs, both of whom were signed with Conte in mind. Conte may be gone but the remnants of his recruitment are still there, and the system has to fit accordingly.
Perisic no longer had the same head-butting with Son Heung-min, who started on the right.
Overall Spurs had more attempts on goal than United, which they only managed once under Stellini – against Bournemouth, a game they managed to lose anyway.
Liverpool’s lessons
Liverpool have won less than half of their league games this season but they have ostensibly turned a corner with a five-game unbeaten run. Moving Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield has raised more questions about his defensive capabilities but it has also yielded five assists in four games, while Curtis Jones has been central to their counter-pressing.
Tottenham have little room for manoeuvre when it comes to their midfield two of Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp, with Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur injured. The dynamics of that pivot became a little clearer against United, with Skipp holding and Hojbjerg freed up to press higher.
In Mason’s first spell in 2021, after the sacking of Jose Mourinho, it was Tanguy Ndombele, an inherently more forward-minded midfielder than Skipp, who teamed up with Hojbjerg in the middle.
Liverpool’s new-look midfield is partly about planning for the future – they have withdrawn from the race to sign Jude Bellingham and know they will not be able to compete with Manchester City or Chelsea financially. Just like at Spurs, the answers largely have to come from within.
Effective subs
Like his predecessors the majority of Mason’s subs came in the final 15 minutes, a hallmark of Spurs managers since Mauricio Pochettino.
Just after the hour mark, a Richarlison still lacking sharpness was replaced with Dejan Kulusevski, who has more than double his minutes in the league this term.
Ben Davies offered more solidity in place of Perisic after the equaliser, and Son was eventually taken off for defender Japhet Tanganga.
Mason’s first spell
Back in 2021, Mason had Gareth Bale to accommodate in his front three but he also had (admittedly a declining) Dele Alli behind the striker. A creative midfielder is what Spurs now lack so badly – you could see it as Porro was forced to shoot from 20 yards, because Kane had dropped so deep as a playmaker he was nowhere near the box.
Interestingly, Mason never fielded the same starting XI for his five league games in charge post-Mourinho, winning three but losing to Leeds and Aston Villa, as well as being beaten in the League Cup final by Manchester City. Throughout, he operated with a 4-2-3-1, led by Lucas Moura when Kane was injured, but it suggests he will stick with the same formation if not the same starters.
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