Topic: PREVIEW: Manchester United v Liverpool, Sunday January 13th 1.30pm

[Phil M]

    vs   
 
 

 
Referee: Howard Webb
Righto chaps,  off we head up the M62 on Sunday afternoon for a game of association football versus one of our old foes.

League positions don’t lie unfortunately and the fact that we’re 21 points behind our rivals means we head into this vital game with hopes of overtaking West Bromwich Albion for 7th spot – results dependent of course. Our opponents have won a daunting 17 of their 21 league outings to date and have opened up a seven point gap at the top of the table whereas we're seeking our ninth win of the season.

It’s a time of change at Anfield but Ferguson’s men are on a charge towards No. 20 and it’s up to Brendan Rodgers and his men to give the chasing pack a helping hand in seeking what could be our fourth away victory of the season.
Form wise we’re in very good shape having won four of our last five games.

In fact our last 5 makes for very pleasant reading: P5 W4 D0 L1 F12 A2.
Our counterparts haven’t fared too badly either, their last 5 reading P5 W3 D2 L0 F13 A6.

So how do we stop Van Persie  (16 goals from 21 games) ?
And how will they stop Luis Suarez (15 goals from 20 games) wreaking havoc?

Our boss won’t have fond memories having been in charge of Swansea when they lost 2-0 there in May when two first half goals proved too much. However I’m sure he will feel much more confident looking around the team bus on Sunday when amongst his collection of warriors are players who have done the business against United home and away in the past, messrs Reina, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Lucas, Gerrard etc.

Luis Suarez is sure to be excited about the prospect of facing his old chum Patrice, no doubt a talking point for our friends over at Sky Sports studios but we may also have a hidden ace in our pack in the form of our exciting new signing, Daniel Sturridge who’s already off the mark.

Some stats to digest:

They’ve scored at least once in every home game this season and are unbeaten in their last 9.
We’ve scored at least once in our last eight games.
Luis Suarez has scored 8 of his 15 goals away from home. Robin Van Persie has scored 7 of his 16 at home.
Our last away win was the remarkable 1-4 win under Rafael Benitez in March 2009.

The three subsequent United v Liverpool fixtures have been decided by a single goal:

23.09.2012 Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United

11.02.2012 Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool

15.10.2011 Liverpool 1-1 Manchester United

06.03.2011 Liverpool 3-1 Manchester United

19.09.2010 Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool

21.03.2010 Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool

25.10.2009 Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United

14.03.2009 Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool

           

Some snippets to warm the cockles from the BBC report of our meeting in September when Mr. Halsey decided that Jonjo deserved sending off whilst Jonny (Scholesy) Evans went unpunished and that Antonio Valencia’s fall in front of the Anny Road deserved a peno. 

“When the action did start Liverpool exerted complete control of the first half but could not find the finishing touch to compliment their fine approach work. Gerrard was closest with a shot narrowly off target at the near post as United struggled to find any fluency.”

“Liverpool were reduced to 10 men when Jonjo Shelvey was sent off for a first-half foul on United defender Jonny Evans - but it did not stop captain Steven Gerrard volleying them ahead seconds after the interval. United, barely in the game for long periods, responded with a spectacular equaliser from Rafael Da Silva….”

To summarise, come on you mighty Redmen!

Over to you good people…

[The 5th Benitle]

Nice one Phil
 
Got a good feeling about this one, I think we'll carry some confidence into this and give them a serious headache. Fascinated to see what role Sturridge will play - impact sub I would guess.

[The 5th Benitle]

Right, let's try again after a few deletions. Please be aware that there is more to discuss than the identity of the referee, and that we want more than just one liners in response to articles. Thanks.

[gorgepir]

To me, it will depend on Sturridge as the unknown factor. Downing was playing nice and all, but depending on if we go with both Suarez and Sturidge or not, he will be dropped.

Also, if Sturidge plays centrally and Luis on the right, I would hope that Henderson (and not Allen) is playing on the right as Luis will be drifting inside often and we need a lot of energy to control their left flank.

[WraithXx]

more than 1 line?

Howard.
Fucking.
Webb.
!

as noted, we've shown that we can control the game for large periods of time against these

keys: keep the ball from Van Persie, control the midfield, don't concede a penalty, finish your chances

easier said than done...

[AB LFC]

I don't know about anyone else but the announcement of Howard Manc, I mean Webb, will just spur the players on even more, or atleast it should do. Imagine our little Luis will be well up for this, can't wait for him and Humongous D to rip into the Mancs defence, which is leakier than a paper ceiling.

Really hoping Henderson starts over Allen and Shelvey though. Also fancy Downing to put in a decent shift after his recent form and Gerrard to bang another one in like the one he did in the reverse fixture and Skrtel/Agger to eat up RVP. Let's fucking murder these!

[Phil M]

Keep it civil folks.

Will we try to counteract their XI with an alteration to our system, e.g 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 or should we stay true to what has been quite successful for us of late?

Who should start at left back? I'd be in favour of Glen Johnson starting there to stifle Valencia with the strength and athleticism of Wisdom on the right, despite his rawness.

[greyfade]

Glad sturridge got his goal in the cup, looking forward to his future contributions, I hope he starts the game. Their defense is weak, so a trio of sturridge-suarez-sterling would  be very lethal.

[-Willo-]

I think we will need to score at least 2 to get a draw, both defenses look really shaky so personally I can't see any less than 4 goals in this, (Watch it be 0-0 now.) I'd definitely have Wisdom RB and Johnson LB for this, Wisdom has had experience at Goodison Park, he was quite good there so he knows what to expect with regards to a massive game in your rivals backyard.

Midfield for me: Gerrard - Lucas - Henderson.

Allen has been in bad form and I'm not a fan of how many free kicks he gives away, especially with van Persie lurking. Henderson deserves a chance in a game like this and I think we could do with the energy he will provide.

Upfront: Suarez - Sturridge - Sterling.

Aka pace, pace, pace.

There is gaps in this Utd team and we can exploit them, they haven't even been that good lately, yes they keep winning games but I think the form book doesn't indicate how they have been playing. By the way I can't remember the last time we had a pacier attack then that? Jesus, nice and refreshing though.

[Crosby Nick]

Surprised by how many we have scored at Old Trafford in recent years (in relative terms). Not just the 4 in the famous win, but at least one in all subsequent League games, a far cry to the blanks we often drew. I think this possibly has more to do with their defensive declines as much as anything we’ve done. I do think we’ll score again, the question is can we handle the clever movement of Van Persie and Hernandez. It’s also crucial we don’t get caught on the counter.

I’m by no means a doom monger but I do think we’ll lose this one. Occasionally these games don’t live up to the hype and the game and atmosphere can be subdued. However you can be sure the inbreds will be whipped into a slathering frenzy at History’s Greatest Villain and as a result the atmosphere will be lively and they’ll be bang up for it. I fear they might just have too much in attack for us. It’ll need 100% concentration from Agger and Skrtel.

The big selection issue is who will be the other fullback with Johnson a given – Downing, Wisdom or Robinson. I think this is a day for proper defenders so would leave Downing up the pitch or on the bench depending on selection. I think Robinson is going to be very good for us but would probably favour Wisdom for no particular reason other than the fact he’s been given the nod in big games already and won’t be phased. He’ll need someone in front of him who will dig in and offer support though – probably not a game for Suso to start.

The longshot is 3 at the back like we played at Chelsea before opening up if we need to later on (which could be dangerous)?

[lessthanmatt]

May the best team on the day win! (though I wouldn't mind playing shit and nicking a goal ). What I don't fucking want is game-ruining, early, debatable red cards for either team or dodgy game-changing decisions like 50/50 penalties.

This will be billed as the RVP vs. Suarez show by everyone from now til the match, so naturally I expect someone who is not one of them to grab the winning goal . I'm equally cautious of Hernandez as I am for RVP. Am I right to expect that duo to start together? Hernandez always seems to poach a goal when I watch the Mancs. I don't think United's defence is anything near as solid as it ought to be. It's good to play them now before Vidic gets playing properly and back to the form he's capable of.

I doubt we'll test the Suarez-Sturridge partnership straight away here and it will be interesting to see if we can boss possession like most other matches this season. Henderson has to start. Works his arse off and you need that kind of work rate in rival matches and derby matches. He's performed very well recently too.

[Trada]

I have a good feeling about this game, a good time to beat a team above us in the league.

Lets empty the stadium again with a good win.

I guess it won't be to long until Fergie starts bringing up the subject of Luis.

[Dave D]

I think we'll batter them, it feels like 2009 all over again.

Not sure about the Lucas/Allen midfield though, I'd replace Allen with Henderson, and replace Downing with Sterling. S-S-S upfront.

Onwards and upwards lads, we're unbeaten in all competitions this year!

[scared_person]

The left back situation is the biggest issue for us. I think a Lucas - Gerrard - Henderson midfield can exert a degree of control and I would back Suarez + 2 others to threaten the dodgy Manc defence but I worry about us at full back.

Downing doesn't have the heart or the defensive nous to do the job, and Robinson isn't strong enough to compete in a game like this yet. I'd guess we go with Wisdom at RB and Glen on the left. I'd much rather Glen lined up against Nani, who I suppose is likely to start on their left?

[Funky_Gibbons]

Thought that we played really well in the first fixture at Anfield, but were undone by a couple of poor referring decisions. We still dominated the game with ten men and deserved to take a least a point.

What encourages me is that we are in a better place now than were back then. The fixture list meant that Rodger’s had to bed his new system while playing some very tough opponents making the task all the more difficult. I like to think we are beginning to see tangible evidence a style and system beginning to unfold.

Think we will need to score at least two goals if we are to win this. Both sides have porous defences, we have conceded 26 and they have conceded 28 but we have kept 8 clean sheets compared to their 5.

[Harinder]

They are lethal in the final third of the pitch. My irrational hatred is Antonio Valencia. On his day, he has it all to hurt us. Power and pace on the wing to break into the box and either he'll pick out a striker or attempt one himself. Defence will need to be on guard and not leave gaps for RVP/Hernandez to exploit

The middle is old. Scholes/Carrick can be bypassed and their defensive issues arise from the duck billed platypus on legs and Vidic. If we deploy the same starting midfield trio of Gerrard, Henderson and Lucas I really feel our pressing will yield some favourable results

I don't know if Rodgers will go for both Sturridge/Suarez from the off. It may leave him short of options on the bench in regards to game changers up front.

When Reading had a first half glut against them they pushed them back hard and fast. We may just do the same and we should be better in defence

They aren't anything special. What hurt last season when we went there is that they looked ordinary and the difference was that we had some team members who let the match go past them. I don't think that will happen again 

[Crosby Nick]

Downing doesn't have the heart or the defensive nous to do the job, and Robinson isn't strong enough to compete in a game like this yet. I'd guess we go with Wisdom at RB and Glen on the left. I'd much rather Glen lined up against Nani, who I suppose is likely to start on their left?

Nani is out of favour I think? In recent weks I think it's been Young and Valencia on the wings, could be wrong.

It's a funny one, Henderson's energy would be vital, shame we can't play him where he has been but also on the right so he can get back and help Wisom (if he does get the nod there).

[jediwarrior]

I would like to see Suarez score and then repeat his dive that he did in front of Moyles in front of Baconface. This in turn will finally see Baconface explode and the whole ground soaked in whisky.

I really hope we play Sturridge and Suarez up front together, I think both would find and make plenty of space for the other player. Got to take our clear cut chances and make sure we stay on our feet during tackles as Webb will be happy to red card one of our players.

[Phil M]

Nani is out of favour I think?

Nani has a hamstring injury mate.

[Dar]

Don't get caught in the trap of stepping out with a negative frame of mind from the outset because of the Ref!, let it slide, concentrate on what we can control.

[Outer Mongolian Red]

I'd definitely have Wisdom RB and Johnson LB for this, Wisdom has had experience at Goodison Park, he was quite good there so he knows what to expect with regards to a massive game in your rivals backyard.

Really? I thought he struggled a lot in that one,he was lucky that Mirallas had to come off injured at half time.I would start him in this one though,we don't really have much other options.

[MichaelA]

Right, let's try again after a few deletions. Please be aware that there is more to discuss than the identity of the referee, and that we want more than just one liners in response to articles. Thanks.

Hear hear!


Now.

LET'S FUCKING TWAT THESE MANC BASTARDS!

[Phil M]

A help or a hindrance?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20845749


No doubt he'll start now given his manager's penchant for this sort of sh*tehawkery.

[Red Eyed]

Why do we always play them when something happens?

[whtwht]

One way to beat them . Like we have done in the past , is to try and dominate midfield. I'd play Henderson with Gerrard and Lucas. Allen off the bench . Up front id go with Sturridge , Suarez and Sterling . Plus id like to see us take some long rangers and test the keeper , the more questions we ask of them , the more likely a positive outcome .

Obviously KEEP the ball way from Van persie . Im happy to keep possession of the ball , but no dicey one-twos just outside our penalty area please.

[redmark]

Keep it civil folks.

Will we try to counteract their XI with an alteration to our system, e.g 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 or should we stay true to what has been quite successful for us of late?

Who should start at left back? I'd be in favour of Glen Johnson starting there to stifle Valencia with the strength and athleticism of Wisdom on the right, despite his rawness.

I suspect we might, while maintaining some pace and attacking flair to keep them honest on the counter; but attempting to hold possession and frustrate when we can.

       Sturridge
Suarez         
<< Allen  Gerrard  Henderson >>
Lucas
Johnson     Agger     Skrtel     Wisdom

Asking Allen and Henderson to shuttle across, supporting the fullback defensively while taking control of central midfield. If under heavy pressure, both Sturridge and Suarez can drop onto their fullbacks.

And, in a very small minority on RAWK, I don't mind Webb.

[Crosby Nick]

Nani has a hamstring injury mate.

As I thought.

Also, don't think you'll see Scholes unless we sit back and start giving them time on the ball. Think it's been Carrick and Cleverly in the big games recently? Henderson in an advanced role could be crucial to hassle Carrick and stop him getting them going. Whoever plays at Centre Back for them has fairly average distribution I always think so hope we press them high and early and force Ferdinand/Vidic/Evans into errors.

[gamble]

Mixed feelings about this one, we are much better than we were in september when we met them last, but doubt we'll be able to control any aspect of the game. Would prefer Johnson at LB but have seen that wisdom doesn't get the most help from sterling on the right side when they play together.

They have a dodgy defence and would be good to exploit that but their ability to come back in a game and finishers like RVP and Hernandez will give me sleepless nights until sunday.

A performance akin to Chelsea at stamford bridge would do me, as would any point. Doubt we will see a good game, much like last year's game at OT. I remember swansea's game at OT last year and BR's team really played well. The atmosphere will be totally different in this game though so am not expecting anything, if I am at least hopeful BR has something up his sleeve.

Hard to be rational about this one - it's not one you can bet on, just hope our players stay on their feet and movement is good.

[Simon C]

Really enjoyed the OP, realistically I'd take a draw (head speaking)

We'll beat 2-0 (heart speaking)

Really looking forward to this game as I do with all our games against them.

BRING IT ON!!

[Funky_Gibbons]

A help or a hindrance?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20845749


No doubt he'll start now given his manager's penchant for this sort of sh*tehawkery.

I'll believe it when I see it.

United players have a habit of making miraculous recoveries after being ruled out of games. 

[GBF]

meh! Im sure it will be a boring and uneventful game

[spider-neil]

I think Downing is going to be part of the front 3 rather than Sterling.

[Phil M]

I'll believe it when I see it.

United players have a habit of making miraculous recoveries after being ruled out of games. 

Indeed, Roy Keane used to make the most amazing overnight recoveries known to modern medicine in his united days I seem to recall.

[Funky_Gibbons]

I think Downing is going to be part of the front 3 rather than Sterling.

But how much nicer is it to have genuine options all of a sudden? Do you start with Sturridge? Central or out wide? Sterling or Downing for the other side?

And we still have Borini to come in soon.

[Crosby Nick]

I thought Webb had a decent game in our match v Stoke. He let a lot of stuff go when he realized we were trying to fight fire with fire and kept it flowing quite well.

What we have to control is not letting him make any 'big' decisions. No lunging tackles in the middle of the pitch, the sort we've seen Gerrard and Shelvey sent off for (even if we felt they were harsh).

I think we may keep Sturridge on the bench, start Downing on the right to support Wisdom with Sterling on the left. Agree with shouts for Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson in the middle.

[Koppler]

Thanks for the write up. Hopefully we see Suarez and ridges playing together and linking up well. Man U have a championship level defense right now and we can get goals it's just stopping them from also scoring where our problem will be.

[Geppvindh's]

This is one game where we can get the better of an opposition in midfield. A midfield trio of Lucas, Gerrard and Henderson should more or less be better or at least match Cleverley/Carrick or Scholes/Carrick. Mind you, Rooney's injury might mean Fergie could stack up the midfield with alll three of Cleverley, Carrick and Scholes, with Zidane of course at the tip of it behind van Persie.

Either way, Lucas needs to be absolutely on top of his game either while tracking the number 10 or trying to cover crosses being cut back into the box. This is my major area of concern/fear with this United side. They will most definitely not score through the middle, unless Agger and Skrtel manage to fuck up like the first goal away at Stoke or if we play a silly backpass. They use the full width of the pitch, get their wingers and even full backs into decent crossing positions, and more importantly pump men into the box. On occasions this season I've seen at least 6 men in and around the box when a cross was ready to be put in. Valencia might have gone a bit stale in recent times but he is capable of skinning his man on the outside and delivering a mean cross. Enrique's absence is my major concern here. Jonhson at left back has been tremendous, however playing a right footed left back works against most wingers who cut in, but Valencia always goes on the outside. How Rodgers deals with the threat from their right wing could well determine the result here. Credit where it's due, and I hate the c*nt, but Rafael too has had an excellent season offensively and this compounds my worries.

On the other side of the pitch, if there is one team that defends set pieces worse than us, it has to be United. I wouldn't be surprised if we score through a corner or a freekick this game. Suarez will be vital (well, duh) as will Sturridge running off him. What we can expect (and I hope) would be for Suarez to start through the middle, Sturridge on the right, Sterling left and Suarez and Sturridge regualrly swapping positions.
 
Defenders have a hard time tracking Suarez when he plays as a lone striker, imagine if he is given the freedom to exploit the entire forward line! I really really hope Vidic starts because psychologically those red cards against us should be playing on his mind and also I cannot imagine the havoc Suarez can cause to him. He's not played in a long time but is still a top defender and as much as Evans is inferior to him, he's in much better form than Vidic has been in 2 full seasons. I'd also let Suarez  make a lot of runs on their left, just to wind Evra up, and also because frankly, he's shite
 
Henderson's engine and closing down is much needed, as is Gerrard's concentration. He cannot afford to lose possession in the middle of the park like he'd done earlier in the season. Credit to him, he's been largely good the past 4-5 games.

Major concerns:
Will Enrique make a return?
Can we prevent Valencia/Rafael from getting into dangerous crossing positions?
Can we keep van Persie quiet?
Gerrard and Suarez need to be on top of their game
Still not convinced by our attitude when we go behind. Do we have the bottle to pull ourselves together and manage a win in such a situation?

Not been so excited about a tie at Old Trafford since the 4-1. Come on you red men 

[scared_person]

Mixed feelings about this one, we are much better than we were in september when we met them last, but doubt we'll be able to control any aspect of the game. Would prefer Johnson at LB but have seen that wisdom doesn't get the most help from sterling on the right side when they play together.

They have a dodgy defence and would be good to exploit that but their ability to come back in a game and finishers like RVP and Hernandez will give me sleepless nights until sunday.

A performance akin to Chelsea at stamford bridge would do me, as would any point. Doubt we will see a good game, much like last year's game at OT. I remember swansea's game at OT last year and BR's team really played well. The atmosphere will be totally different in this game though so am not expecting anything, if I am at least hopeful BR has something up his sleeve.

Hard to be rational about this one - it's not one you can bet on, just hope our players stay on their feet and movement is good.

I disagree with this. I think our midfield can win the battle in the middle of the park. I do think we're going to be terribly open on whichever flank Glen isn't on, but if we can get hold of the ball in the middle then I think we can trouble their defense.

The more I think about the full back situation, the more I reckon 5 at the back may be the answer. Johnson and Downing as wing backs, Humongous D and Luis up front, and try to push Stevie a bit further forward?

[JonnyDubb]

I always seem to be more confident going into games against Man U and Chelsea than teams around the bottom of the table. The way they've been defending recently I can see us scoring at least a couple of goals, but unfortunately the same can be said for us. Glad Rooney's out for this one but I fear the Dutchman. I think we'll go with Lucas-Gerrard-Henderson in midfield, they'll be hitting us hard on the break and we can't afford to leave the sort of space that has caught us out in games this season. As much as I hate Man U, I love our games against them - my 2 favorite of the season.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Indeed, Roy Keane used to make the most amazing overnight recoveries known to modern medicine in his united days I seem to recall.

United's F.A. Cup replay against West Ham has been rescheduled three days after this game so it may affect their team selection.