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Six players have chance to make point to Arne Slot amid ideal Liverpool chance for revenge

Arne Slot will be at Liverpool next season.
Arne Slot will be at Liverpool next season. -Credit:Photo by Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images via Getty Images


Now the title race is over for Liverpool and Champions League qualification is secured, the last three games of the season are set to be more about ending Jürgen Klopp’s tenure with a bang rather than challenging for any real competition. And this ending would be rounded off with sweet revenge over one club that many feel got away with three points earlier in the season.

Flash back to September and Klopp’s men suffered their first loss of the season away from home at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This loss was surrounded by controversy amid red cards for Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones, as well as the infamous Luiz Díaz goal which was wrongly ruled out. This was much to the disappointment of furious Liverpool fans but also opposers to the VAR system which has spoilt many great moments in recent years due to its inconsistencies.

Revenge here would be less against Tottenham but more against VAR, which stripped Díaz of a great goal that many feel could have changed the fate of the title race this year. If the goal did count and Liverpool held the lead instead of throwing it away with an own goal deep into extra time, then Klopp’s men would be one point away from Manchester City who are tipped to lift the trophy this season.

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It is easy to say this in hindsight, and in reality, the season's results could have swung either way. Liverpool could have been top with three games to go or it could be fighting for a position in the top four. However, as Liverpool enters this weekend after a dismal performance against West Ham, what is certain is Klopp’s fantastic record against Tottenham which is one of his best against any side in his career.

Klopp has managed 19 games against Spurs in his career and has won 11 of them, drawn six, and lost only two. This is the type of record you would expect a world-class manager to have against mid-table sides such as Crystal Palace, Southampton or Bournemouth but to have two losses in 19 games against a top-six side like Tottenham is incredible. Liverpool then, after one league win in the last five games, will be reviewing this record and must take inspiration from it if the club wants to end the Klopp storyline in the right way and rectify its recent form.

This record, along with the reverse fixture's controversy that is still stuck in the minds of many fans, can combine with one final factor that is perhaps the most important for this weekend's search for three points. That factor is the many players who have to prove their worth ahead of the summer transfer window. Most notably, Mohamed Salah, who despite his verbal commitment to the club has been linked with Saudi Arabia, and also Díaz, who in recent weeks has been heavily linked with a move away to Barcelona, need to impress.

Both Salah and Díaz will be watched like hawks on Sunday as fans from both camps of keep or sell analyze each touch and each word said on the pitch, especially after Salah’s quarrel with Klopp last week. Another poor performance for Salah could lead more fans to consider cashing in on him being an option, despite what he has given the club during his time here.

In fact, players in similar positions such as Darwin Núñez, Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones will all be desperate to revive their form in the last stage of the season. Each, for varying reasons, have been inconsistent this year. The next Liverpool boss, Arne Slot, will certainly be looking at the team he will inherit ahead of next season, and there are three more games in which to make a positive impact.