Played for both: Combined Liverpool and Spurs Premier League era XI
The Premier League returns from international break with a bang, and Tottenham’s hosting of top six rivals Liverpool is a headline-grabbing highlight from the upcoming clashes.
Both teams do battle on the back of draws but, while Spurs (7/5 favourites for victory with Coral) are progressing steadily under manager Mauricio Pochettino, it’s all change in the Reds’ dugout, as new coach Jurgen Klopp makes his official bow in this baptism of fire, and is 15/8 to mark it with a win.
Ahead of this magnificent match, our football experts felt nostalgic and wondered if it was possible to make an all-star XI from previous players that turned out for both clubs?
We’ve put our heads together and come up with a side of Premier League era names that were on the books of both Liverpool and Spurs. Who’s in? Read on to discover the side…
Goalkeeper: Brad Friedel
USA legend Friedel retired a Tottenham player at an impressive 44 years of age, yet it was at Anfield where his Premier League career began.
After seeing moves to Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United (respective club icons Brian Clough and Kevin Keegan both tried to sign him) break down because of failures to secure a work permit, Friedel finally arrived in England in 1997.
While he struggled to establish himself with the Reds, spells at Blackburn Rovers (2000-08) and Aston Villa (2008-11) were more successful, and that prompted Harry Redknapp to bring Friedel to White Hart Lane for his swansong.
Defender: John Scales
Best known for being part of Wimbledon’s ‘Crazy Gang’ FA Cup winning side of 1988, centre back Scales went on to play for Liverpool (1994-96), where he earned his three England caps, and Spurs (1996-2000), though injuries hampered him under Gerry Francis.
Defender: Neil Ruddock
Nicknamed ‘Razor’, this defender lined up alongside Scales in the heart of the Reds rearguard that won the 1995 League Cup. Ruddock also had two spells with Tottenham, the second of which came in the first Premier League season (1992/93).
Defender: Christian Ziege
Following two Bundesliga trophies with Bayern Munich and a Serie A title with AC Milan, German left back Ziege came to England with Middlesbrough, but Liverpool soon landed him. Injuries hampered the Euro ’96 winner, however, and he was offloaded to Spurs in 2001. It was a similar story during three seasons in north London.
Midfield: Jamie Redknapp
Sky Sports pundit Redknapp was captain at both Anfield, where he spent 11 years (1991-2002), and White Hart Lane (2002-05), and is best remembered for the ‘Spice Boys’ era on Merseyside.
He also has the distinction of being the last player signed by Kop idol Kenny Dalglish at the end of his first spell as Reds boss. Re-live five of Redknapp’s great goals that rocked the Kop below:
Midfield: Oyvind Leonhardsen
Scoring Norway midfielder Leonhardsen, like Scales before him, left Wimbledon for Liverpool in 1997, but then went to join Tottenham two years later when Gerard Houllier shook things up.
Midfield: Danny Murphy
Left-footer Murphy, now a pundit for the BBC, thinks England should build their national side around Spurs striker Harry Kane, who is 6/4 to net anytime against Liverpool, going forward.
Murphy spent seven years (1997-2004) with the Reds himself, before later having a less successful stint at Tottenham (2006-07). During his time on Merseyside, the Reds won an FA, League and UEFA Cup treble in 2001.
Winger: Nick Barmby
Ex-England wideman Barmby started out at Spurs (in the academy from 1990, a pro 1992-95) before going on to controversially cross the Merseyside divide. Everton sold him to Liverpool in 2000, but the Kop did not see the best of him because of injuries.
Support striker: Robbie Keane
Republic of Ireland all-time top scorer Keane, now at MLS franchise LA Galaxy alongside former Reds skipper Steven Gerrard, spent the first half of the 2008/09 campaign at Anfield. Yet, the £19m move from Tottenham (2002-08 and 2009-11) didn’t work out, so he was sold back with Liverpool making a loss on him. Not before he scored this beauty against Arsenal, though:
Winger: Ronny Rosenthal
Israel forward Rosenthal hit a hat-trick on his full Reds debut in the old Division One, and enjoyed cult hero status during his time on Merseyside (1990-94), because of his prolific scoring rate in an initial loan spell. His sale to Spurs came just two days before Graeme Souness resigned from the Anfield hotseat.
Centre forward: Peter Crouch
Leading the line is current Stoke City striker Crouch. Having started his career with Tottenham, but failing to make the grade, he has cultivated something of a journeyman reputation.
Liverpool were alerted to him when Crouch grabbed a dozen Premier League goals for Southampton when they were relegated (2004/05).
After three seasons at Anfield and one with Portsmouth, he followed Harry Redknapp to Spurs in 2009, but saved his best form for their maiden Champions League campaign (2010/11), scoring key goals against both Milan clubs in a run to the quarter-finals.
The 1-0 San Siro victory over AC Milan featured a now infamous confrontation between Rossoneri midfield hardman Gennaro Gattuso and fiery Tottenham coach Joe Jordan:
