FanPost

A Position by Position Player Comparison for Spurs Against Liverpool

Obviously, the magnitude of this weekend’s massive clash at White Hart Lane is well known, and even though it comes early in the season, it will give the Spurs faithful an opportunity to see if their team are ready to face some of the league’s elite.

I compared the players at each position for both teams (both have used the 4-2-3-1 formation to start the season) and see just which team has a stronger squad. As a disclaimer, I’ve only selected players that have been used in the two Premier League games this season.

Hugo Lloris vs. Simon Mignolet

The first comparison is probably the easiest to judge. Lloris wins this battle hands down. The French number one commands the box, is one of the best "sweeper keepers" in the world (essential for when Spurs hold a high line), and is a genuine leader. Mignolet is a great goalkeeper, he’s just not one of the best in the world. Lloris is. Advantage: Lloris (Spurs 1-0 Liverpool)

Eric Dier/Kyle Naughton vs.Glen Johnson/Javi Manquillo

Both teams have used two different right backs this season and I think Spurs come out on top of this battle again. Eric Dier has played the majority of two games there and scored twice. Kyle Naughton has looked like a player transformed this season. Glen Johnson goes forward well but Liverpool fans want to see more defending from him and 20 year-old Javier Manquillo is promising but has only one Premier League game under his belt. He’ll probably get the start as Johnson is battling an injury. Advantage: Dier/Naughton (Spurs 2-0 Liverpool)

Younes Kaboul vs. Martin Skrtel

This is a tough one. Both are strong and physical and dominant on their day. Skrtel scored seven goals last year to Kaboul’s four goals total in all of his years at Tottenham. Plus, according to whoscored.com, Skrtel has improved each year he has put on a Liverpool shirt, while Kaboul fluctuates as far as yearly performance goes. Skrtel gets the slight edge. Advantage: Skrtel (Spurs 2-1 Liverpool)

Jan Vertonghen vs. Dejan Lovren

This one goes to Vertonghen. Although statistically Lovren had a great season last year at Southampton, Jan has more experience in the Premier League and has proved his value over time. Lovren could get there, but right now, Vertonghen takes this match up easily. Advantage: Vertonghen (Spurs 3-1 Liverpool)

Danny Rose vs. Alberto Moreno

Another interesting matchup that is really close. Danny Rose has been great this year for Spurs while Alberto Moreno impressed in his only competition of the season last week at City. Going on the past alone, Moreno had a better season last year at Sevilla than Rose had at Spurs. For that reason, he wins this matchup. Advantage: Moreno (Spurs 3-2 Liverpool)

Nabil Bentaleb vs. Steven Gerrard

I’m not going to spend too much time here. Bentaleb has been good, but he’s not Stevie G. Advantage: Gerrard (Spurs 3-3 Liverpool)

Etienne Capoue vs. Lucas Leiva

The big Frenchman has been stellar in front of the Tottenham defense this season, finally showing why Spurs were so eager to sign him from Toulouse last summer. Lucas has battled injuries for a long time, but when he plays, he is a formidable opponent. Right now, however, Capoue is the better of the two players. Advantage: Capoue (Spurs 4-3 Liverpool)

Aaron Lennon vs. Jordan Henderson

Pace against pace. Outright winger against outright winger. Last season was a coming out party for Henderson as he scored four goals and had seven assists in the Premier League. Lennon put up those exact offensive numbers in 12/13 but failed to replicate them last year. Plus, defensively, Henderson puts in almost one and a half more tackles per game than Lennon. Advantage: Henderson (Spurs 4-4 Liverpool)

Christian Eriksen vs. Philippe Coutinho

Spurs win this contest with ease. While Coutinho is a nice player and has some good stats to back it up (5 goals, 7 assists last year), he is not the player that Eriksen is at this point in his career. Eriksen was the engine that made the 2013/14 Tottenham side run, while Coutinho had many helping hands in Liverpool. Plus, Erikson scored more (8) and assisted more (7) despite the fact that his options up top were, to put it nicely, not as good as the options available to Coutinho. Advantage: Eriksen (Spurs 5-4 Liverpool)

Erik Lamela vs. Raheem Sterling

Would I rather have Erik Lamela than Raheem Sterling? Yes. Do I think Erik is a better player? Yes, I do, and I think Lamela will prove his value this season. Lamela’s been the better of the two this season, but last year’s performance from the 19 year-old Englishman gives him the win today. Check back later in the season to see if he still holds the spot over Erik Lamela. Advantage: Sterling (Spurs 5-5 Liverpool)

Emmanuel Adebayor vs. Daniel Sturridge

On his day, Emmanuel Adebayor is unstoppable. His physical strength, his height, and his ball skills are elite. Daniel Sturridge scores a lot of goals. Last year, he scored 21 to Adebayor’s 11, but remember, Ade only played after Tim Sherwood arrived in December. Sturridge has had a great two-year run, but Adebayor has had a great career. This one is too close to call. Advantage: Draw (Spurs 5-5 Liverpool)

We have to go to the substitute bench to see who has the better squad, man for man. For simplicity’s sake, only the subs that have been used in the two Premier League games will be taken into consideration.

Lewis Holtby/Mousa Dembélé vs. Joe Allen

I would take either Lewis or Mousa over Joe Allen. Advantage: Holtby/Dembélé (Spurs 6-5 Liverpool)

Harry Kane vs. Ricky Lambert

Harry Kane has been very good for Tottenham this season, especially in the Europa League. Ricky Lambert was excellent for Southampton last season and has made his way into the England squad. Advantage: Lambert (Spurs 6-6 Liverpool)

Nacer Chadli/Andros Townsend vs. Emre Can

Again, this one goes directly in Tottenham’s camp as I’d rather play with either of these guys than Can. Both are young, so Can has no advantage over them there. In the future, maybe this rating changes, but not now. Advantage: Chadli/Townsend (Spurs 7-6 Liverpool)

Roberto Soldado vs. Lazar Marković

Marković had a solid campaign last year at Benfica and Soldado had a forgettable first year at White Hart Lane. Taking only those two years into account, Marković is the man. But, looking at a complete history shows Soldado to be the better player. Yes, he’s older and more experienced and he’ll naturally have more seasons to look back on and analyze, but his time at Valencia was extraordinary. If he comes good for Spurs, people will forget how he’s struggled so far. Advantage: Soldado (Spurs 8-6 Liverpool)

I contemplated lining the managers up against one another, but decided that Mauricio Pochettino’s reign at Spurs is just too short. Both Brendan Rodgers and Pochetino did wonders at smaller clubs (Swansea and Southampton respectively) while Rodgers has had more time to spread his vision across the Liverpool team. I think, in time, that Poch will be seen as the better manager, but only time will tell.

There you have it, Spurs seem to have more depth in their squad than Liverpool and it doesn’t take into account Paulinho, Ben Davies, and Federico Fazio who have not played in the Premier League yet this season. Of course, if Mario Balotelli and Adam Lallana line up for Liverpool, that might tip the scales in their favor. Either way, it looks like we’re in for a great match this Sunday at the Lane.

Who would you rather have at each position?


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