Antonio previews Liverpool: "In this type of game, you have to be brave"
Fri 06 May 2022, 16:45|
Tottenham Hotspur
Antonio Conte will tell the players to be brave on the ball when we face Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday (7.45pm).
Liverpool’s form is well-documented. They reached the Champions League Final after overwhelming Villareal in midweek in their quest for a unique ‘quadruple’. The League Cup is already in the bag, they’re also in the FA Cup Final and going head-to-head with City for the Premier League title.
They’ve also won 13 of their last 14 in the Premier League - a draw with City the only blot, going back to December – going into this weekend. Antonio described the Reds and City as ‘maybe the best teams in the world at the moment’ but preparations have gone well this week after our 3-1 win against Leicester City on Sunday, and we’ve our own targets to think about...
We’re also one of only two teams (with Palace) to beat City at the Etihad this season - indeed, the only team to 'double' them, and we also drew with Liverpool at home - so could the players take inspiration from that fine display and 3-2 win against Pep Guardiola’s men in February when we step out at Anfield tomorrow night?
“It's a different game, but one thing is the same - Liverpool and Manchester City are maybe the best teams in the world at the moment,” said Antonio. “We have to know how to beat them, and to get three points we have to have a fantastic performance, with great attention - when we are without the ball, defensively, we have to be strong and also, we have to be ready to suffer. At the same time, when you are suffering, you have to know that at any moment, you can hurt them.”
So, without giving anything away, how do we approach this game – remembering that Liverpool are unbeaten at Anfield after 17 league games so far this season?
“The approach has to be to play the game we’re preparing,” responded Antonio. “In this type of game, you have to be brave when you have the ball, because they bring a lot of pressure and if you are scared about this and you start to play long ball, that’s not good.
“In this way, they can play for the whole game in the way they want. We have to be good with the ball defensively, strong, to work well together. The difference will be when we have the ball, when we’re in possession.
"We’ve prepared well and we have to do our best. We have to be confident, because, with four games to go, every game is important to try to get points, also, because we are fighting for an important target.
“For sure, we know that it will be difficult - to play against Liverpool at this moment is not easy for anyone - but, at the same time, we’re going there to play our game. We have to get points because we’re fighting for an important target. We’re in this race for a place in the Champions League. We know very well that they are fighting to win the title. It will be an interesting game.”
We go into the weekend sitting fifth in the Premier League, two points behind Arsenal, with four games remaining. Arsenal host Leeds on Sunday - the north London derby follows at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday evening (7.45pm).
