The debut of Jurgen Klopp as  the Liverpool manager could have been much worse. A 0-0 draw away to Spurs with so many missing players from the lineup isn’t too bad of a way to being his Premier League career.

Liverpool aren’t going to be like Dortmund overnight. It takes time implementing a system, and it might need a different set of players to make it happen. But there were some positives for Liverpool on Klopp’s first afternoon as the team’s manager, although Spurs were the more dangerous team in the match, providing Simon Mignolet a chance to show off some of his acrobatic skills.

Harry Kane, Clinton and Kane again late in the match brought out the best of Mignolet, but Liverpool did a good job stopping Spurs from getting anywhere near the penalty box for most of the match. On the other end, a weak match from Philippe Coutinho meant very few chances for Liverpool, forced to play with Divock Origi upfront, after Christian Benteke, Danny Ings (out for the season) and Daniel Sturridge (again!!!) were written off due to injuries.

Origi was Liverpool’s most dangerous player, with an incredible miss in the first half and another good chance from inside the box late in the match. Liverpool had short spells of fantastic high pressure that was accompanied with some frantic pace. Overall, Tottenham were left to control possession and look like the initiators for most of the match. Klopp probably doesn’t mind, and adding a bit more speed and prolificness up front will help Liverpool make the most of these matches.

Both teams are further away from the Top 4 than they’d like to be, but the league seems to be wide open to competition this season. Spurs have lost just once this season. Liverpool , despite the slow start, are one win away from being in the top 4. In short, if this is how things look like for them with so many injured players and a manager still settling in, maybe there’s something to be optimistic about.