Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte has been engaging in mind games with Jurgen Klopp as Spurs prepare to host Liverpool on Sunday, reminding the Reds manager of how his team ultimately missed out on last season's title.
Liverpool were pipped to Premier League glory by Manchester City by a single point in the end – and their final dropped points of 2021/22 came in May's 1-1 draw with Spurs at Anfield.
Conte's side frustrated Klopp and co. with a determined defensive performance on Merseyside, where Son Heung-min put them ahead before Luis Diaz salvaged a point for the Reds. Afterwards, Klopp made it crystal clear what he thought of his counterpart's tactical approach: "I don't Like this kind of football," he said.
Reminded of that criticism, Conte was quick to point out just what that draw meant for Klopp. The Italian said:
"Yeah, but if you remember, he lost the Premier League for this result."
Nonetheless, Conte seemed somewhat sympathetic with Klopp's annoyance. He continued:
"I understood his frustration. They lost the title for these two points [dropped]. But you know, instead we reached the Champions League with that draw."
Spurs entertain Liverpool off the back of two dramatic away victories: they came from 2-0 down to beat Bournemouth 3-2 last time out in the league, then from 1-0 down to beat Marseille 2-1 through Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's 95th-minute winner – securing top spot in their Champions League group.
The Reds, meanwhile, have lost their last two league games – 1-0 away to Nottingham Forest and 2-1 at home to Leeds, having led early on – but did beat Napoli 2-0 in their final Champions League group match.
