There were easy excuses for Mauricio Pochettino’s team in the spring. Harry Kane’s prolonged absence after injuring his ankle during the first leg of the last-eight Champions League game against City left the team toothless. The issues were much deeper than the loss of the striker.

Spurs were an increasingly unhappy club. Christian Eriksen, the creative hub of the side, was desperate to leave and running his contract down in the hope of forcing a move. It never happened and the Dane remains unsettled at White Hart Lane. Pochettino’s management style has alienated a significant core of senior members of the squad. When players are out of favour, the Argentinian ignores them, freezing them out. To cap all this, Tottenham are notorious for their comparatively low wages.

Klopp’s first game in charge of Liverpool was at White Hart Lane four years ago. The 0-0 draw came at a time when Spurs were beginning to emerge as a Premier League power. Tottenham were a young squad who believed in their boss. They have grown older together and become more cynical.

Managers like Pochettino need a constant turnover in the squad. When players become immune to their methods, they need to be replaced. Spurs bought no one in the summer of 2018 and this pre-season’s significant signings – Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon – have not had the expected impact. Lo Celso’s hip injury has hampered his progress and Ndombele has shown flashes of ability – he was excellent in the 5-0 Champions League rout of Red Star Belgrade – but Pochettino has had to rely largely on the old faces, some of whom are out of form and out of sympathy with their manager.

Tottenham are dangerous opponents. Pochettino’s men have plenty to prove at Anfield, where they have dominated the second half of each of their past two league visits after being outplayed in the first period. They were particularly aggrieved in March when Toby Alderweireld conceded a late own goal to give Liverpool a 2-1 victory. Even though Spurs did not do themselves justice in Madrid, they match up well against Klopp’s team. If they can put aside their differences on Sunday they can threaten the home team’s unbeaten start to the league campaign.

Pochettino has a reputation as a fine tactician and the 47-year-old will have noted the way Manchester United closed down and got behind Liverpool’s full backs at Old Trafford on Sunday. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are vital to the way the European champions play. They provide thrust and creativity that is sometimes missing from Klopp’s midfield. United forced the pair to think more about defending than either player would normally like. It was effective and Son Heung-min in particular is capable of exploiting any space out wide. The Tottenham manager was bullish in the wake of the victory over Red Star, suggesting that the performance shows confidence has been restored at White Hart Lane. That is undoubtedly an exaggeration but even the most disenchanted member of Pochettino’s side will feel they have something to prove against the league leaders.

Liverpool’s exceptional start to the season – eight wins and a draw in the Premier League – has raised expectations about bringing the title back to Anfield for the first time since 1990, but it will not be easy. The Fifa Club World Cup in Qatar in December adds two fixtures Klopp could live without. Resources are thin and any injuries could cost the team, but Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are almost irreplaceable. The German will need to rotate his squad over a hectic December and January. Any points dropped now could come back to haunt Liverpool in the spring. City, with their greater resources, are likely to claw back the six-point gap between the teams.

There is much at stake for Tottenham and Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. Klopp needs to keep the teams heading in different directions. Pochettino is desperate to gain some forward momentum. This may not be a final, but it would be wrong to underestimate the match’s importance to both clubs.