Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino: I feel same pressure as Jurgen Klopp
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino insists he is under just as much pressure as Liverpool's new manager Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp makes his Barclays Premier League debut in the White Hart Lane encounter on Saturday as he looks to reinvigorate the Reds' disappointing start to the season.
The German has set his stall out to lead the Merseyside club to one title within four years, while in the short term he and Pochettino are scrapping it out for a place in the top four.
Spurs have hired six managers in 10 years in pursuit of regular Champions League football and Pochettino believes his job comes with an equal burden of pressure.
"Can he win one title in four years? I don't know. It's a question for other people, not me," the Argentinian said.
"I believe he knows he is in a big club and Liverpool have a lot of expectation. It's like us at Tottenham - there is the same pressure. In a few years we need to win some titles too, no?
"I think it's very good for the Premier League that he comes here.
"He impressed us with his job at Borussia Dortmund and we wish him all the best - after Saturday."
Tottenham are without three central midfielders as Liverpool visit White Hart Lane. Ryan Mason (knee), Nabil Bentaleb (ankle) and Eric Dier (suspended) are all out, meaning Mousa Dembele or Tom Carroll could start alongside Dele Alli.
Summer signing Son Heung-min remains sidelined with a foot problem, while winger Alex Pritchard is also out with an injured ankle.
Cruciate knee ligament injuries to striker Danny Ings and defender Joe Gomez have further restricted the options available to new Liverpool manager Klopp.
The pair join captain Jordan Henderson (foot), Christian Benteke (hamstring), Roberto Firmino (back) on the unavailable list - although the latter two are expected to return to full training next week - while 18-year-old Jordan Rossiter returned from England Under-19 duty with a hamstring injury.
Playmaker Philippe Coutinho is fit again after a groin injury kept him out of Brazil's recent internationals, and defender Dejan Lovren has also recovered from an ankle problem.
Klopp has identified Liverpool's defence as his priority but the untimely injury to striker Ings has emphasised how much of a necessity it has become.
The German's attacking options have been reduced to Daniel Sturridge and the raw Divock Origi, who has not scored in his last 10 matches. Benteke, the Reds' £32.5million summer signing, is still at least a week away from recovering from a hamstring problem and Ings will be sidelined for a minimum of six months after a cruciate knee ligament injury.
Ings, another summer arrival, is the club's top scorer with three goals but the team as a whole have managed just 11 in 13 matches this season and that contributed to the demise of Klopp's predecessor Brendan Rodgers, who throughout his three-year reign at Anfield never got to grips with a leaky defence.
No clean sheets in the last eight matches proved particularly costly, especially when in five of the last six they had taken the lead.
The limited amount of time Klopp has had to work with his players after their return from international duty - and the fact the last time Liverpool scored more than once in an away game was February - means he has concentrated primarily on making his team difficult to beat.
"We have to be compact, close together in the game, and if you are always close enough with your players you always have options to help," he said ahead of the trip to Tottenham for his first match in charge.
"If you prepare for problems in the game and you are strong enough to handle this situation then you can stay in the game and win the game.
"It is not the time to change many things - only to turn the screws a little bit in the right way and that is what we tried to do.
"I expect to see that we have worked together, although not too often, and we can be very well organised after this short time."
Source: PAR
