Champions League Final 2018/19 Tactical Preview: Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool

On Saturday 1 June 2019, two English Premier League teams will face off in the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid in a bid to become crowned the Champions of Europe.

Tottenham Hotspur will take their place in a European Final for the first time since winning the UEFA Cup in 1984, as they pursue their first ever Champions League title.

Liverpool take their place in the final for the second consecutive season, chasing their 6th Champions League (Or European Cup) triumph, which would be the Reds first since the 2005 success in Istanbul.

This tactical analysis preview will examine the familiarity between both of these sides, and the tactical themes that could occur in Madrid.

Pochettino vs Klopp

Since Jurgen Klopp arrived in the Premier League in 2015, it commenced a fascinating rivalry between his vibrant Liverpool side and Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs. Indeed the German’s first game in the Premier League was a 0-0 draw with Tottenham.

Since then the two sides have locked horns eight times in the Premier League.

Spurs 0 Liverpool 0

Liverpool 1 Spurs 1

Spurs 1 Liverpool 1

Liverpool 2 Spurs 0

Spurs 4 Liverpool 1

Liverpool 2 Spurs 2

Spurs 1 Liverpool 2

Liverpool 2 Spurs 1

Liverpool lead 11-10 combined, with Understat’s expected goals model suggesting 12-10 in favour of the Reds. In terms of individual games, Liverpool edged six of these eight games, with Spurs best two games both coming in the 2017/18 season.

Importantly, the tactical battles that have defined these games provide a fascinating basis for how this Champions League final will play out.

Spurs struggle with the counter-press

In the earlier days of Pochettino, Spurs were a dynamic press and possess team, and would adapt their tactics to nobody. The upside of this meant Spurs had a clearly defined style of play which each player knew inside out, the downside, however, was that they had a habit of running headfirst into trouble against teams who could press, and counter-press well.

In 2017, Spurs were humbled 2-0 at Anfield, where they simply could not handle Liverpool. This image shows how Spurs set-up in their familiar positional play type structure; with three advanced midfielders positioned in between the lines, Kane occupying the last of defence and full-backs high and wide, albeit one of whom played slightly withdrawn. With both full-backs advanced, in particular Ben Davies who is positioned in line with the advanced midfielders, Spurs were consistently caught with just four players behind the ball, and even with the one man counter-pressing machine in Mousa Dembele, they struggled to contain the reds on the break.

Spurs also discovered the ferocity and efficacy of the Liverpool counter-press. Klopp is famous for claiming counter-pressing to be the greatest playmaker, and Spurs did not heed that particular warning. After just 20 minutes Spurs had conceded twice after being counter-pressed and turning the ball over centrally.