Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has fuelled the fire ahead of his side’s trip to Anfield on Wednesday night to face Liverpool.
The Portuguese coach, a master of mind games in the build-up to a big match, has questioned the severity of Jurgen Klopp‘s squad’s injury list during his pre-match press conference.
The 57-year-old has claimed the Reds have “only one big injury, which is Van Dijk”. Contrary to Mourinho’s beliefs, the reigning Premier League champions have nine first team squad members on their injury list, a few of whom are long-term absentees.
After discussing his own team’s injury concerns, Mourinho confirmed that Gareth Bale, an old foe of Klopp’s Liverpool, is likely to miss the match which sees the current joint-leaders in the league go head-to-head.
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It’s difficult to see anything else aside from typical Mourinho propaganda in this. Liverpool have been almost decimated by injuries this season, so much so that there is a chance Klopp’s side could go into this match without a recognised centre-back.
Although he wasn’t part of the last two seasons’ successes, the continued absence of summer signing Thiago Alcantara eats away at Kopites everywhere.
The glimpses of the cultured Spaniard against Chelsea and Everton were enough to whet the appetite, but the 29-year-old is yet to be seen since a knee problem picked up in the Merseyside derby.
Klopp is unlikely to engage the Spurs boss on this matter, preferring to let his side hopefully do the talking on the pitch by going clear at the top.
