Liverpool head coach Arne Slot hopes Tottenham counterpart Ange Postecoglou’s bold attacking style is rewarded with a trophy – just not the Carabao Cup this season.
The pair meet each other in the Premier League on Sunday as a prelude to their two-legged semi-final in January and February.
Postecoglou’s brand of football has earned him plaudits and criticism, sometimes at the same time, as was evident in Thursday’s 4-3 victory over Manchester United when they almost squandered a 3-0 lead in their quarter-final tie.
Slot is a fan and believes the Australian is right to stick to his footballing principles despite the ongoing scrutiny
“I think Ange Postecoglou gives them that identity back completely. Every time it’s a joy to watch them,” said the Reds boss.
“Sometimes results once in a while go against them, but I think they were one of the teams that beat (Manchester) City, like us, and not all (teams) beat them in the manner like we and Tottenham did.
“It’s great work that Ange is doing over there. I hope this has been seen a bit more.
“I also hope that he wins a trophy – not the League Cup – but I’m completely a fan of his team for the Europa League because people always talk about trophies, trophies, trophies (and) that it’s so important.
“For his brand of football and his style, it is so much more important and if he can combine that with winning something that would be so good for football in general because people can stop talking about it’s too attacking or whatever.
“How on earth can you play too attacking football? I think it is a privilege to be a season ticket holder at Tottenham because they play such a great style and it’s not like since Ange arrived they don’t win anything any more.”
By the time Liverpool kick-off at 4.30pm they could have been knocked off the top of the Premier League if Chelsea, two points behind having played a match more, beat Everton at Goodison Park.
Their near-neighbours, boosted by Thursday’s long-awaited takeover by the Friedkin Group, could do them a huge favour by taking points off their title rivals.
Regardless of that result, Slot insists he is not even paying attention to the table until the halfway stage of the season.
“I look at it, like I’ve said, after three, four, five months. Just the table after 19 games, because then everybody has played the same opponents,” he added.
“Probably we all had a bit of the same bad luck and bit of the same luck. That means Arsenal, for example, had a lot of red cards in the beginning of the season, which is why they dropped points.
“Now we were unfortunate to receive a red card (against Fulham last weekend) and we dropped points as well.
“We still have Tottenham away, which were games that – I compare now with Arsenal – they had to play at the beginning of the season.
“Chelsea already played there so (we) don’t look at it where you were during the season, it’s about where you are in the end of the season.
“The best other moment to judge the season is halfway.”