Lovren Is Primed For The Tottenham Press

Dejan Lovren is no stranger to a high-pressing attacking unit. He deals with that sort of operation every day at Melwood while avoiding harassment from the likes of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Liverpool’s other unrelenting forward harriers. So, the Croatian center back is feeling no stress over staring down the high-pressure style of Mauricio Pochettino and his Tottenham Hotspurs this weekend.

“I’m always under pressure here at the training ground when we play against each other every day,” said Lovren.

“So, I know what to expect because it’s really similar with our strikers pressing me. We need to be calm on the ball and get out as simply as possible and as quickly as possible.

A Liverpool win at White Hart Lane tomorrow would be a major coup against a team that fought hard last season, was always going to make the top four and, in fact, had real ambitions for the title. Harry Kane was and is the new dangerous striker everyone is talking about. And Dele Alli was and is a revelation.

“Tottenham is always a good pressing team, always tactically good in defending and they were not third last year without a reason.”

Much like Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool this season, Pochettino will be working with a team that he calls his own. Both teams have quality, yes. But, more importantly, they have guile and an unwavering devotion to winning the ball back. Spurs will be well-drilled to force mistakes where they can and catch Liverpool on the break. Liverpool will be well-drilled to do the same and then give the ball to Sadio Mane. Fans should brace themselves for full-frontal (suitable for work) attacking action.

“We are not a team who will wait and be behind the ball to wait for one or two chances,” Lovren said. “We want to attack, we want to score goals.”

But, we also want to keep the other team from scoring goals, right Dejan? Dejan? We also want to keep the other guys from scoring goals, too?