Jurgen Klopp has praised Tottenham Hotspur’s quality and spoke glowingly about Ivan Perisic’s ability to cross with his left and right foot following Liverpool’s 2-1 win on Sunday.
The Liverpool boss stated that it was ‘pretty clear’ what Spurs wanted to do with ‘all the diagonals’ yesterday, which Perisic was at the heart of, and how it was ‘difficult to defend against’.
With Dejan Kulusevski only fit enough for the bench, Son Heung-min suffering a facial injury in Marseille and Richarlison still sidelined, it meant that Antonio Conte went, even more, ultra-defensive than usual.
Yes, the Italian did have Lucas Moura and Bryan Gil to pick from, but he opted to keep the attacking duo on the bench against the Reds.
Instead, it was Perisic who played further forward alongside Harry Kane, and despite Liverpool walking away with the three points, the summer signing did produce a strong performance.
Klopp spoke about the 33-year-old’s threat and how ‘the ball is constantly coming into the box’ when you are facing Spurs, as he told Sky Sports.
“We can talk of the quality of Tottenham and that’s obviously incredible how we can concede in the second half,” said Klopp.
“But we played an extremely good first half. Then, in the second half, we put a proper shift in, so they took all the risks. And they did really well, I have to say.
“They were pretty clear in what they wanted to do. It’s difficult to defend, all the diagonals, the one v ones. Perisic on the wing, he can cross with his left and he can cross with his right. The ball is constantly coming into the box – a lot of things they do well. That’s why they turned a couple of games around.”
PERISIC IS A TOP PURCHASE
Heading into his mid-30s, and at the back end of his career, Perisic is still showcasing that he can produce the goods.
Ryan Sessegnon is still trying to find his feet in north London, yes it has been a number of years since he has been at the club, but there aren’t many that will provide him with a better helping hand than Perisic, especially in a Conte system.
The former Inter Milan star has stepped up during these past few weeks, which have proven to be very difficult for Spurs, especially their recent trip to Marseille in the Champions League.
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