Tottenham Hotspur

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

For week 17, he takes on Reverend & the Makers singer Jon McClure.

Sutton's prediction: 2-3

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou said this week that management is a harder job than being prime minister and, from my spell in charge of Lincoln, I can testify to that.

Postecoglou knows all about the highs and lows that managers can experience from one week to the next, because that has been the story of Spurs' season.

The same might apply just to this game too. While I think Tottenham will get some joy because it is going to be action packed, Liverpool will not lie down and I fancy them to come out on top.

How Spurs deal with Mohamed Salah on the counter-attack is going to be key, but I cannot see them stopping him completely.

People might look at Liverpool's draw with Fulham last weekend and think it was not a great result for Arne Slot's side but I was there and, honestly, the way they played with 10 men was incredible. They looked like they were the team with the extra man.

McClure's prediction: 1-2

Spurs are weird because you never know if they are going to turn up or not. Like Sheffield Wednesday (who McClure supports), they seem better away from home, too. I don't know if it is because they play on the break?

I am going with Liverpool here though. They have made the appointment of the decade in Slot. He has kept what was good about the Jurgen Klopp era - the high press and all that - but they just seem a little bit more street smart.

I have to say I love his interview style too because he is very honest. I think he is wonderful and think he is going to do great things at Liverpool.

Read the full predictions and have your say

Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport journalist

It is not often you hear a Premier League manager saying he wants one of his rivals to win a trophy but that was the case when Liverpool boss Arne Slot spoke about Tottenham counterpart Ange Postecoglou earlier today.

Slot, who was heavily linked with Spurs in 2023, expressed his view as, for the good of football, he wants Postecoglou to earn some physical recognition for his attacking tactics at the London club.

And, while Slot will be rooting for Tottenham in the Europa League rather than stopping the Reds winning any silverware, he will not want Spurs taking any points off his side when they meet in the league on Sunday (16:30 GMT).

Liverpool could be usurped at the Premier League summit before they play if Chelsea win at Everton but, although the Reds have had their lead cut following two top-flight draws, Slot was not showing any signs of being troubled by such a scenario.

Instead, he pointed out that the league table should only be used as a guide at the 19 game mark when everyone has played each other.

Slot has highlighted a few times this season how opposing teams have changed their tactics to nullify his team but, with Spurs unlikely to do so, it should make for entertaining viewing on Sunday.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Liverpool (kick-off 16:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He is hopeful there are no new injuries from Thursday's game against Manchester United but the players are only just arriving for today's training session.

• Winger Mikey Moore "needs a couple of weeks training to get him up to speed" before he can return to the squad.

• On Guglielmo Vicario's recovery: "Going well. Typical Vic as he's pushing every boundary. He's still a fair bit away but he'll make sure he's back as quickly as possible. He's still around the group and invested in what we're doing. He's progressing well."

• Forward Timo Werner, who missed the Carabao Cup game due to illness, is expected recover in time and Destiny Udogie "should be OK."

• Postecoglou said "a big part of our game is entertainment" and Thursday's game was an example of that: "You go to a game to feel emotions that maybe in your day to day you don't get to experience. That's what we love about it. There's a lot of suffering when watching a game but if you come out on the right side, it's exhilarating."

• On whether Spurs will be as attacking against Liverpool: "We will play our football as that is what is winning us games. Arne Slot has come in and it's not easy when you're taking over from the status of Jurgen Klopp. They are settled with the quality they have but on our day we are pretty good opposition."

• He said he "would be very surprised" if Sunday's game was to be goalless given the attacking strengths of both sides.

• On Archie Gray playing as centre-back: "He's been outstanding. We have no choice as we have no other centre-backs. He's 18 years old but he's a man in every sense of the word and he's handled it brilliantly."

• He said "there's no choice" for Fraser Forster but to move on from his mistakes against United and look ahead to the "big game" against Liverpool, adding: "You can wallow in the negativity but my attitude to everything in life is that you just have to keep going."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to full commentary of Tottenham v Liverpool from 16:30 GMT on Sunday on BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says Ange Postecoglou has given Tottenham their identity back and he hopes the Spurs boss will win a trophy as a reward for "his brand of football".

Tottenham welcome the Reds to north London on Sunday in the Premier League and were also drawn to face Slot's side in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.

"I really have to give them credit," said Slot. "I come from the Netherlands but I watched a lot of Match of the Day. If you look at Tottenham, you think of Paul Gascoigne, Glenn Hoddle, Gareth Bale. They have always had a certain brand of football and a certain identity and Ange Postecoglou has given them that identity back completely.

"Every time - it is a joy to watch them. Once in a while the results go against them, but I they beat Manchester City. Not all beat them in the manner we did but Spurs did which was deserved, as they dominated the whole game and it was great work."

Despite Slot's positivity, it has been a difficult season so far for Spurs whose record of seven wins, two draws and seven defeats sees them 10th after 16 games. Earlier this campaign, Postecoglou said he always wins something in his second season at a club.n

"I hope, hope, hope he wins a trophy," Slot said, "[but] Nnt the League Cup! But I am completely a fan of his team for the Europa League. People talk about trophies and that is so important.

"If he can combine his brand of football with winning something, that would be so good for football in general because then people can stop talking about 'is it too attacking?'

"How on earth can you play too much attacking football? I think it is a privilege to be a season-ticket holder at Tottenham because they play in such a great style."

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Thursday's Carabao Cup quarter-final between Tottenham and Manchester United.

Here are some of your comments:

Spurs fans

Larry: Kamikaze football yet again. We can't keep playing this style of play when holding commanding leads in games. I know we have injuries to key players, and expecting young players to step up, but we have to learn to better manage a decent lead.

Doug: We were outstanding for the first 63 minutes, then two ridiculous pieces of goalkeeping let Man Utd back in it. Spurs were by far the best side then went to pieces after the goalkeeping errors and gave the ball away cheaply. A deserved win in the end but plenty for Ange Postecoglou to work on. Falling to pieces like that isn't acceptable.

Steve: Sometimes the result is all that matters. Both teams did their best to throw it away, Spurs just weren't as good as United at it!

Man Utd fans

Des: I understand Ruben Amorim's desire to rotate and give the whole squad a chance to impress but the starting XI was guaranteed to lose. How did Antony justify selection? Even an out-of-sorts and out-of-position Marcus Rashford would've been more productive.

Robert: Clear pattern of play and performances generally are getting there. Cut out individual errors and United will be a proper force. The referee's abysmal performance, aided by some poor individual mistakes cost us.

Ellie: Some sloppy defending and United benefited from quite comical errors from the Spurs keeper but even this loss shows some progress as against the Erik ten Hag era. Under Ten Hag we would have crumbled and lost our heads as soon as we went one down, never mind three. We are a better organised, more dynamic and more motivated team now than we were under Ten Hag.

Image source, Getty Images

The "most important thing" for Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is to win a trophy, says former Spurs midfielder Michael Brown.

Postecoglou's side reached the Carabao Cup semi-final with a chaotic 4-3 win over Manchester United despite him having to field a makeshift back four featuring Djed Spence at left-back and Archie Gray at centre-back.

"It is a credit to Spurs they hung on considering the lack of depth they had available - but they made key mistakes when they were cruising, almost showboating," Brown told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"This is how they play under Ange Postecoglou. But, they were very light on the bench and Manchester United were able to make lots of changes to bring experienced players on.

"Postecoglou's squad was depleted by youngsters who have now gained experience. The injury list is long and when some of those come back hopefully we will see an improvement in their consistency.

"The most important thing for him is to try and win a trophy. The supporters want silverware. The stadium and training ground are amazing but that is the next step and hopefully this is the year.

"We can see the potential for a positive outcome for Spurs, they just have to get rid of that inconsistency.

"It was just an amazing football game. There was real quality, lets not just throw it all at the goalkeepers. United contributed some great counter-attacking football.

"We were treated to a wonderful cup tie which we will not forget for a long time."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Image source, PA Media

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, speaking to Sky Sports after the Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Manchester United:

"We made it harder than it should have been, we were well in control, played really well, we looked like we were going to manage the game and then two unfortunate moments - the first one affected Fraser [Forster] and then the second one came as a result of that.

"But we showed character and scored a fourth.

"I like the whole game. Are you not entertained? I know the studio is probably having a meltdown over my lack of tactics.

"We've got so many absences at the moment - centre-halves, kids on the bench. If we get through the period we're going to get enormous growth out of it.

"I really liked how we played tonight, obviously those moments tainted it a bit and that has happened this season before and it doesn't help our consistency, but the mentality of the boys... I love it.

"I love football and love watching teams that go out there to entertain. Obviously we want to be successful and we won't be if we make things difficult like we did tonight.

"We're not going out there to try to grind out 1-0 victories, we're trying to keep folks entertained. I can't see how that's a bad thing.

"It's part of football, mistakes will happen. From the context of how we play as a team, there's nothing we need to change. It doesn't get me any credit in the bank as an astute tactician, but so be it."

Image source, PA Media

Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke, speaking to Sky Sports after the 4-3 win over Manchester United in their Carabao Cup quarter-final: "Being 3-0 up, we could have dealt with the game better and killed some time, but we made it hard for ourselves.

"But the important thing is we won and we're through.

"That's football sometimes, we stick together. Mistakes are a part of football, we dug in, we showed spirit and got the job done.

"Scoring against a team like United is great but the most important thing is to win today and getting to the semi-final."

Image source, Getty Images

The draw for the Carabao Cup semi-finals has been made, with Tottenham paired with holders Liverpool and Arsenal set to face Newcastle.

The two-legged semi-final ties will take place in week commencing 6 January (first leg) and week commencing 3 February (second leg).

Spurs completed the line-up for the last four with their victory over Manchester United on Thursday.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Tottenham's performance

What did you make of Man Utd's display?

Come back to this page on Friday to find a selection of your replies

Image source, Getty Images

On the most recent episode of the Planet Premier League podcast, former Manchester City defender, Nedum Onuoha tries to explain James Maddison's inconsistent playing time at Tottenham:

"What makes it even stranger is this is somebody who was given the vice captaincy. In a really simplistic way, we believe that anybody who's going to take up that sort of leadership role will be a regular within the team.

"But for Postecoglou, even though the squad is stretched overall, there are still times where he wants the midfield to look a certain way and I think he's very passionate about having speed up top as well.

"That speed in transition is a big part of what he perceives to be the best version of Spurs - and I can see how Maddison at times doesn't fit into that."

Former Chelsea defender, Gary Cahill added: "It must be frustrating for him though. He must feel that he delivers when he does play. It's almost like the manager is trying to find a position for him. He's a class player, especially in that number-10 role."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Tottenham are a possible option for 29-year-old Paris St-Germain and Slovakia defender Milan Skriniar in January. (Gazzetta - in Italian), external

Meanwhile, Spurs, Liverpool and Manchester City are interested in 22-year-old Real Valladolid and Spain winger Raul Moro, who may be available for between 4-10m euros. (Sport - in Spanish), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column