Klopp needs his big stars back from injury
So says former Liverpool star Ray Houghton
It was a good point earned for Juergen Klopp's Liverpool, since White Hart Lane is a difficult place to travel to on any occasion, let alone for a manager's first game.
The Reds created some very good early chances and Divock Origi was unlucky not to put the visitors ahead in the 10th minute when his header hit the crossbar.
But, after the opening 15 minutes, I thought Liverpool lapsed into the team of the Brendan Rodgers era, with stray, sloppy passes coming from defence and midfield.
Tottenham were also guilty of that, and they were also not sharp enough in front of goal, and in the end, Liverpool were lucky to escape with a draw after presenting the home side with so many goalscoring chances.
The Liverpool midfield lacked creativity and guile, and Adam Lallana was still poor.
He hasn't shown what he is capable of since he moved to Liverpool although there are some who believe that he is the kind of creative player that the new manager prefers.
Of course, it wasn't an easy match - Origi hasn't even featured much this season before he was thrown into the deep end because of the injuries to Daniel Sturridge, Christian Benteke and Danny Ings.
And it isn't easy or fair to judge a new manager after just one match.
I think we will see a very different Liverpool side once the likes of Sturridge, Benteke and Jordan Henderson return from their injuries.
While some believe that Klopp will favour the 4-2-3-1 formation that he used to great effect at Borussia Dortmund, I think we will only know for sure after the January transfer window.
Klopp will bring his kind of players then and it will give an indication of the kind of style he will adopt with his new club.
In the meantime, I feel he should field a back three, with wing backs and two strikers up front, namely Sturridge and Benteke.
If Klopp needs time to try and shore up what has been a leaky defence, he will need all the goals that he can get, and for me that would mean playing with two strikers.
The Reds need goals starting now as they have four really hard games coming up in the Barclays Premier League - Southampton at Anfield, Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Crystal Palace at home and away against Manchester City.
There are also Europa League matches and Capital One Cup games in between these fixtures, although those are not as important as the league ties are the ones that should really matter for Klopp.
I think nine points from Klopp's first five fixtures in the Premier League are a good return, and they have already gained one last night.
There is this whole feel-good factor surrounding Klopp's arrival at Anfield after what he has done at Borussia Dortmund.
That is in contrast to the unheralded Rodgers, who came from Swansea.
But the German will quickly realise the kind of weight on his shoulders. He will be aware of all the history of Liverpool and the club's trophy-laden past, and he will have to learn to cope with the expectations.
I had to do that when I joined the club - it was at a time when they were winning trophies more than in any other period.
The way he has handled all the hype in the few days since he's arrived at Anfield, Klopp looks as if he can shoulder all the expectations.
- Ray Houghton is a former Liverpool midfielder who played for the Reds from 1987 to 1992, winning two league titles and two FA Cup crowns. He also featured for the Republic of Ireland at the World Cup Finals in 1990 and 1994. He was speaking to Lim Say Heng.
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