Liverpool vs Manchester United
Sunday March 5th, 4.30pm, Anfield
Referee: Andy Madley. Assistants: Adam Nunn, Harry Lennard. Fourth official: Chris Kavanagh. VAR: David Coote. Assistant VAR: Timothy Wood.
It isn’t the despair that kills you, they say, but the hope. This season has been a yo-yo with the odd game or two looking like a renaissance might be around the corner only for the same issues to kick back in whenever we play someone decent.
One team that’s become used to that feeling is Man United, who’ve deservedly been the butt of our jokes for most of the last nine seasons. They ran out 2-1 winners in an August game that was preceded by a march against the Glazers and began by Martinez chopping down Salah inside two minutes, after which point we never really got back into the game. I got a text from a Manc-supporting mate after the game and replied: “Let’s see what happens when you come to Anfield”.
Well, that game is upon us now and the teams feel a world away from the ones responsible for a 9-0 aggregate score last season. We've generally looked exhausted, listless, unfocused and disjointed while they’ve lost one in 11 in the league, to leaders Arsenal, as Casemiro has added authority to the midfield, Rashford is hitting what could be a career peak and Sancho has begun to look like he might not be a colossal waste of money after all. They look like they’ve finally got a good manager in and they just picked up their first silverware for a few years which will put the team on a mental high.
But this is far from cut and dried. The clubs’ league record over the last five games is pretty much equal and our defence, which has looked so shaky this season, has kept four consecutive clean sheets in the league despite the team as a whole not playing well. Even the capitulation against Real came after we dominated the first half an hour, and we've repeatedly had periods in games this season when we've suddenly flicked a switch and looked lethal again, if only for a few minutes.
So what will the teams look like? I think we’ll play much the same 11 as against Wolves, with Robbo coming in for Tsimikas and Hendo for Elliott (this may seem unlikely given Harvey's counterprssing stats but I think Fabinho's performance last night wiill give Klopp the incentive to start him with Hendo in a game this big). Bobby is fit again and is and could come into the front three, as could Gakpo.
As for the Mancs, they should start with De Gea in goal, Dalot and Shaw flanking Varane and Martinez at the back, Casemiro next to Fred in the midfield two, Fernandes at the pivot with Rashford, Weghorst and Anthony ahead. Weakened midfield or not, we have to come at them early, set the tone and have Nunez look to bully their back four at every opportunity.
We’re six points off the Champions League places with a goal in hand, and while winning it this year looks a long, long way off right now, a win here would be a huge step in the right direction, especially with Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City coming up in the next five weeks. With Qatar lining up a multibillion-pound bid for them while our own organisation is a bit up in the air, we don’t know what the future will hold for each club, but it’s Man United at home. That should be incentive enough.
