Arne Slot couldn't help but make a light-hearted comment regarding the praise he lavished upon Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham Hotspur ahead of Liverpool's upcoming match with Spurs. And it was in response to this the Australian revealed his love for Sir Kenny Dalglish.

Last year, Slot himself was in the frame for Spurs' managerial position but declined, paving the way for Postecoglou's eventual appointment. Admitting to the press with a chuckle, Slot said: "I have said so many positive things now, about him and his style that if I say another thing, it seems like I am his agent!"

He couldn't hide his admiration for Spurs' rich heritage in English football, reflecting upon past greats like David Ginola and Paul Gascoigne, right up to Luka Modric, Rafael van der Vaart, and Gareth Bale. Slot perceives Postecoglou as someone who has reinstated Tottenham's signature style, adding: "They've always been a certain brand in football for me and have a certain identity. I think Ange Postecoglou gives them that identity back completely."

Enjoying their matches himself, he added: "It's every time a joy to watch them... I also hope, hope, hope that he wins a trophy - not the League Cup! But I'm completely a fan of his team for the Europa League because people always talk about trophies, trophies, trophies [and] that it's so important."

Slot was also drawn in to comment on Postecoglou's style of football which at times has cost Spurs crucial wins. He said: "For his brand of football and his style, it is so much more important and if he can combine that with winning something that would be so good for football in general because people can stop talking about it's too attacking or whatever. How on earth can you play too attacking football? "

This appreciation is mutual as Postecoglou grew up a Liverpool fan, influenced by their 'pass and move' ethos. Reminiscing about his early days as a supporter, the Australian revealed in his pre-match press conference: "Late 70s, early 80s (I was a Liverpool fan). I loved the whole pass-and-move Liverpool style.

Ange Postecoglou laughs in conversation with Tottenham's chief football officer Scott Munn at Ibrox

"They used to play a lot of five-a-sides at training. I used to read about it. Five-a-side was a modern rondo. Ahead of their time, kept the ball on the deck."

"I loved all that stuff, mainly because my dad loved the way they played. That was borne a bit from that. Fair to say they went away from that after a while, but a lot of my early recollections and enjoyment of football came from that style of game."

It's no wonder then, that meeting Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish was an awe-inspiring moment for Postecoglou.

"Yeah, all the time," he admitted when quizzed about being 'starstruck' in a candid 20 Questions session with TNT Sports. "I bumped into Kenny Dalglish who was my hero growing up when I was at Anfield. Those ones always, yeah."

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Gabriel Jesus has vowed to get himself into more scoring positions for Arsenal as the Gunners look to keep the pressure on Liverpool.

Mikel Arteta’s side moved to within three points of the Reds at the top of the Premier League table with a comprehensive 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. Arne Slot’s side will have the chance to open that gap back up to six points against Tottenham tomorrow, while they also have a game in hand after the postponement of the Merseyside derby earlier this month.

Nevertheless, it was a good night for Liverpool’s rivals, and an even better week for Jesus in particular. The Brazilian followed up his hat-trick against the same opponents in the Carabao Cup in midweek with two more goals at Selhurst Park, and he could have easily had more.

His hot streak comes at just the right time for Arsenal, with Jesus’ abilities in front of goal having been questioned this season - his last league goal before now had come all the way back in January.

Reflecting on his side’s win, Jesus told Sky Sports: “Obviously the first goal was very important early. The way we started, the full team was really ready to play well and fight.

“They have a strong team and quality players and we know it is always difficult to come here. We did the job and I am very happy with the goals as a number nine, I know the pressure is always on to score. I am happy but the win, the three points, was massive today.

“I’m the type of guy that wants to work hard. I know my qualities. I know I can score. In my mind I know I can score, I just have to put myself in a good position to finish the action like today. I put two in the net and missed one I will be dreaming of.

Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace FC and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

“When I play with a smile on my face everything is different so I am trying to keep my mind strong and just help the team. I understand I have to be more in the box to finish the action.

Jesus added: "It is great to be back in the team playing more. I am experienced enough and know when a player is playing constantly it is different. I am happy to get more chances but it is up to me to put myself in the right places to score. It is Arsenal, it is a huge club and I know the pressure for the number nine to score is there."

Liverpool.com says: It was slightly ominous seeing Arsenal in free-scoring form at Palace, although one game is not enough evidence to suggest they're goalscoring problems have been solved - especially when you take into account Bukayo Saka was forced off injured.

We'll have to wait and see how Jesus and co perform against other teams, but Liverpool just needs to focus on itself. If it can beat Tottenham tomorrow, that gap will be looking huge again for Arsenal.

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Andy Robertson has had an awe-inspiring spell with the club since his arrival from Hull City in 2017.

Winning every significant trophy on offer, including the Champions League and Premier League, he's etched his name into Anfield folklore despite recent dips in form and battling through an injury-laden 2023/24 season.

The tenacious left-back, now 30, has clocked up 318 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, contributing 11 goals and an impressive 66 assists, making him an emblematic figure for Liverpool rather than Queen's Park, Dundee United or Hull City, his previous clubs.

Yet, Robertson's career could have taken a very different path; he was once within touching distance of joining Everton, Liverpool's fierce local adversaries. Reminiscing about his journey to the Premier League with Hull in July 2014, Robertson disclosed to Premier League Stories.

"Obviously in January I had a bit of interest. Everton tried," he said. "I knew there was Premier League interest, but yeah, I just didn't think about it, I just lived in the moment and didn't really think too far ahead."

David Moyes has shared a tale of what could have been, recounting on The Overlap podcast how he almost secured Andy Robertson for Sunderland just before the left-back's transformative move to Liverpool. "Andy Robertson, if you remember, left Scotland, Queen's Park, to go to Hull City," Moyes said. "I actually thought I'd done a deal to get him to come to Sunderland."

He added, "I was the manager at Sunderland at the time, and I met his agents and tried to sort out a deal to get him to come from Hull to Sunderland, but at that time, Hull and Sunderland were both near the bottom of the league and in competition, so we didn't get him. But there's a million hard luck stories in football."

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Liverpool has been handed a possible transfer boost after it was reported that Manchester City is not considering moving for Martin Zubimendi during the January transfer window.

It had been claimed in recent weeks that City was considering Zubimendi as a possible winter addition to help the team deal with the absence of Rodri, but City sources have indicated to a number of journalists who report on the club that a move for Zubimendi in January is currently not on the cards.

City do have money to spend during the winter window but Pep Guardiola spoke of the difficulties of buying in January during a press conference on Friday.

"It is not easy to do that. Teams don’t sell, maybe it has to be players who don’t play. They don’t want to sell and they are so expensive," Guardiola said of the January window.

"It depends on the market and we’ll see. It’s simple: get players back. Except Rodri. We have the squad there and after that maybe we’ll have the team that we were. We were not able to solve it.

"We’ve spoken about doing something and if it’s in winter it’s if we really we need it or if we can really find something. Not for just four or five months. In the winter it is more difficult to do. We’ll see.

"I don’t know how many times we’ve got into the winter (market) – maybe just Aymeric Laporte seven years ago. We’re not a big fan of that but the circumstances of this season have been special.

"We have to see if something is possible and if not we will wait until the summer time – how we finish the season, how the players perform, knowing we’ve got short holidays. We’ll talk and see what is possible in the market."

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Tottenham could welcome back Destiny Udogie and Timo Werner for Sunday's match against Liverpool but Ange Postecoglou remains without a host of first-team players against the league leaders.

Udogie was forced off during Spurs' win against Southampton last weekend but the problem clearly wasn't serious, while Werner was absent for the League Cup win against Manchester United through illness.

"Timo was unwell yesterday so we've got 48 hours or so before the game and hopefully he will recover [in time to face Liverpool]," Postecoglou said. "The plan is Destiny should be ok."

Both of Spurs' first-choice center-backs, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, will miss the match with muscle injuries, as will first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who is a long-term absentee with an ankle injury.

Richarlison, Ben Davies and Wilson Odobert are all also sidelined, while Rodrigo Bentancur is currently serving a seven-match suspension.

Meanwhile, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot defended Ange Postecoglou's style of play after the Australian came in for criticism for his all-or-nothing approach in recent weeks.

Spurs have recorded some excellent results this season but have been wildly inconsistent, letting two-goal leads slip on multiple occasions and losing the joint-highest amount of league matches outside of the Premier League's bottom four.

Still, Slot is an admirer of Postecoglou and willed him to win some silverware in North London: “They’ve always been a certain brand of football for me and have a certain identity. I think Ange ­Postecoglou gives them that identity back completely. Ange is doing great work over there. I hope this is seen a bit more. I also hope, hope, hope that he wins a trophy – not the League Cup.

“I’m completely a fan of his team for the Europa League because people always talk about trophies and that it’s so important. For his brand of football and his style, it is so much more important and if he can combine that with winning something that would be so good for football in general because people can stop talking about it’s too attacking or ­whatever. How on earth can you play too [much] attacking football?”

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Liverpool's injury crisis has eased in recent weeks and the Reds will be without just two first-team players versus Tottenham on Sunday.

Up until fairly recently, Liverpool had several times that amount of players sidelined, but the recent returns of Alisson, Diogo Jota, Federico Chiesa, Harvey Elliott and Kostas Tsimikas have improved the situation.

Now, the Reds are just waiting on Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley to return after the pair sustained injuries during the 2-0 win over Real Madrid at the end of November.

Konate limped off with a knee problem during stoppage time after a coming-together with Virgil van Dijk and Endrick, while Bradley pulled up with hamstring discomfort during the second half.

Speaking ahead of the trip to Spurs, Arne Slot gave an update on the pair's recoveries: “If I’m correct, I think it’s only two players in the red [zone] at the moment and that means only two injuries left – and a few of them are coming back from injuries.

“I think we only miss two players (Konate and Bradley) on the training ground today, which is a positive thing. These are the two who are still in red so they don’t train with us at the moment. They are on their way back, but they don’t train with the team yet.”

When asked about possible return dates for the duo, Slot responded: “That is quite difficult. I thought Jota would have been back a bit earlier already, but sometimes the end stage of rehab takes a bit longer.

“Let’s wait and see, but we have very good rehab personnel over here and they have done some good work already with Alisson and some others.

“The main thing is if they come back, they are ready to come back. We must not focus on one, two or three days, it’s more important for the long term that they stay fit afterwards.”

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