Tottenham 0 Liverpool 0: No joy for Harry Kane as home fire splutters
Tottenham given a reality check
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Your support makes all the difference.Although Mauricio Pochettino praised his players, this felt like a return to earth for Tottenham. Their last game here at White Hart Lane, three weeks before, was when they ran through Manchester City, beating them 4-1.
They could not summon the same intensity for the arrival of Liverpool, but then they were not allowed to. The visitors had a point to prove to their new manager, and looked desperate not to lose.
Spurs have played some brilliant big games here under Pochettino but they cannot produce football that compelling every time. On Saturday they took 25 minutes to string anything together, as they were outrun by a Liverpool team trying to play in the same counterattacking style. Only when Liverpool’s intensity dropped could Spurs create, but nothing they did was good enough to beat Simon Mignolet in the away goal. Harry Kane worked hard up front, but so far lacks the confidence of last season.
“Harry was good,” said Pochettino afterwards. “We expect Harry to score every time he touches the ball. He works a lot, and the goal is coming.”
The best chance fell to Clinton Njie, who forced a good save from Mignolet, but Spurs missed the direct running of Heung-min Son. Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela were not at their best, and Nacer Chadli limped off with an ankle ligament injury.
“I am very happy and pleased with the players,” Pochettino added. “It was a big effort. We are still young.”
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