Manchester United vs Liverpool
20:00, Monday 22nd August
Old Trafford, Manchester
Premier League
Referee: Michael Oliver
This is it lads and lasses; The biggest game in English football without a shadow of a doubt. The two teams are storied clubs that enjoyed two decades of domestic success constructed by legendary Scottish managers and they have 39 league titles between them. They’ve also endured tragic events i.e. The Hillsborough and Munich disasters.
Although Liverpool have a greater European heritage, the two giants are more similar than their supporters would like to admit. Both have had legendary Scottish managers and Sir Matt Busby, their greatest ever manager in my opinion, captained Liverpool. Perhaps, the familiarity with the experiences of their opposite number is what breeds contempt.
I grew up in the Fergie era and I absolutely hated them because they chipped away at and eventually surpassed our record number of league titles. Their fans used to rub our noses in it with glee. Things have changed now and, even though we are currently not as dominant as they were, we can now say that the shoe is firmly on the other foot. Since they last won a trophy, we’ve won the lot and we are firmly back on our perch.
That was unthinkable when Mr. Ferguson decided to retire but if that great Liverpool side founded on the traditions of the Boot Room could collapse and go 30 long years without a league title, then anything can happen. They are currently stuck in a post-Fergie rot and have tried to spend their away out of trouble. Their net spend since 2013 has exceeded GBP1bn but it has gone from bad to worse for them and they haven’t won a trophy in 6 seasons, the league in 10 seasons and the European cup in 15 seasons.
I believe that they’ve not been successful in the last decade because they have deviated from their way of doing things which was laid down by Sir Matt i.e. promoting young players and making the odd big signing to top it up.
The winner will get 3 points for a win but this game is a lot more important than that. Given how both sides have started the season, a win would be a big relief while a loss would be a disaster. It is white and black with no shades of gray. A lot of media pressure comes with it because it is the most televised football match in England. The loser would therefore be subject to severe press criticism for weeks which can put a dent in squad morale. Basically, only a win is good enough for both sides.
Recent meetings
Our 5-0 win at Old Trafford last season was fun, wasn’t it? Prior to that, we didn’t have a good record there both performance-wise and in terms of results(1 win in 7). We used to play within ourselves which is understandable given how big the game is and the hostility we are subjected to. Now that we’ve gotten over that mental block, we can focus on the match and not the occasion.
Our 4-2 win at the back end of the 2020/21 season was also thoroughly satisfying. All our senior centrebacks were out injured and they rested many players in their previous game against Leicester, our rivals for the top 4. They took an early lead but we turned it around with a late Salah goal sealing the comeback.
Expected lineups
At the time I drafted this, I expected Harvey and Darwin to start but the latter’s straight red has changed things. None of our recognized center forwards are available for this clash. Personally, I’d opt for Fabio Carvalho as a false 9 because playing Mo as a striker will mean that either Fabio or Diaz will play on the right which doesn’t suit them.
I’d also reward Harvey’s good form by starting him. It’d be a huge test for the lad but he can only learn how to play these types of games by actually playing them. Joe looked good against Palace and should start to counter their pace on the counter.
With respect to Man Utd, I feel Ronaldo will start because of the magnitude of the fixture. Varane should also come in due to Lisandro Martinez’s poor form.
Therefore, the lineups should look like this:
LFC- Alisson, Trent Gomez Virgil Robbo, Fabinho Henderson Harvey, Diaz Carvalho Salah.
Man Utd- De Gea, Dalot Maguire Varane Shaw, Mctominay Fred Bruno Fernandes, Sancho Ronaldo Rashford.
Tactics
The sample size is really small but I expect United to come out of their traps with an aggressive press to get their fans onside. We have to make sure that we don’t concede in the first ten minutes to quieten their crowd then we can take it from there.
Football teams are only as strong as their weakest link and United’s major weaknesses are their lack of recovery pace when countered and the fact that they are not press resistant. If they play the way they played in their first two games, we can really hurt them with Diaz’s and Salah’s speed. Our pressing goes without saying and that should put them under a lot of pressure.
Weather
It is likely to be dry which will suit us to the ground because we are simply a better football team than them. This will also reduce the risk of injuries as a result of players slipping or due to the slickness of the pitch making tackles more ferocious than intended.
The big picture
Given that City play the day before, we are likely to be more than two games off the pace going into this. We can’t afford to get carried away by the occasion or the pressures of the title race at this stage (as ridiculous as it sounds).
We have to go into the game with the knowledge that we are a better team than them and that if we play to our potential, we will win.
Safety
The most successful team in England are coming to town and they are planning to take advantage of the media frenzy by organizing Anti-Glazers protests. Reds attending the game should stay safe and stay clear of knob heads that might want to use the negative atmosphere as an excuse.
Who do you think will replace Darwin and why and how are you feeling going into this?
