Tough call: Man United manager Erik ten Hag sharing tactical points with his side. One wonders if he'll get it right against Liverpool or face talk of a possible exit from Old Trafford. — Reuters
IT IS going to be a lively affair when Manchester United host Liverpool at Old Trafford next Tuesday.
With the history and rivalry between the two clubs stretching back far and wide, things can heat up pretty quickly, so trust both teams to go out onto the field with all guns blazing as they hope to get their first win of the season at the expense of the other.
These are two heavyweights of world football, yet both have not made a good start to the new campaign. The Merseyside club have only picked up two points, while Man Utd are rock-bottom of the league table with not a single point to show for all their great wealth.
And just to recap, the Red Devils lost their season opener to Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 and then were shamelessly hammered by Brentford 4-0 in their second outing.
Liverpool, on the other hand, drew with Fulham 2-2 and Crystal Palace 1-1.
Man Utd, who defeated Liverpool 4-0 in the Bangkok Century Cup in Thailand, will certainly be hoping to rediscover some of that pre-season form.
Having seemingly been well-drilled by new manager Erik ten Hag, with new training regimes and strategies during pre-season, it is a surprise to see the team fall flat on their faces – none of his players have managed to score a goal.
It seems that ten Hag, who inherited a team that finished sixth last season, still has lots to do.
Having missed out on prime target Frenkie de Jong, the Dutch manager brought in Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez, with the latter being targetted by Brentford during the match at Gtech Community Stadium in London.
Confidence and morale is on a downward trend at Old Trafford following the recent results and it could be further compounded by star player Cristiano Ronaldo’s possible exit from the club.
But whoever stays or plays, ten Hag will need to crack the whip to instil some conviction among his players if they are to have any chance of making the top-four.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have an injury crisis on their hands.
At the back, with Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip injured, Juergen Klopp can only call on Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Nat Phillips, who were unconvincing against Crystal Palace.
In midfield, Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcantara and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be out for some time, with the latter expected to be out for an extended period.
Without Thiago, the team looked disjointed and short of ideas on how to penetrate the opposition.
Harvey Elliot seems the only bright spark in midfield with the ability to play progressively, but his diminutive stature often sees him getting physically bullied.
He is expected to keep his place in the First 11 against Man Utd, alongside Fabinho and Jordan Henderson or Naby Keita in a weakened midfield.
Up front, Diogo Jota, who was injured before pre-season, is expected to be out for two more weeks, while Roberto Firmino is expected to be back in the squad this week.
With Darwin Nunez’s needless headbutt on Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen having earned him a three-match ban, Klopp will hope that Firmino will be fit enough to lead the line alongside Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz.
With Sadio Mane gone, Diaz has big boots to fill and he needs to really step up and be counted on.
The Columbian winger’s wonder goal against Crystal Palace last Monday clearly showed what he can offer up-front, but he needs to contribute goals and assists, and become a constant threat to opponents more consistently.
Salah will also have to shoulder a lot of responsibility in scoring goals and creating assists.
Klopp will certainly need to put a stop to drawing games and find solutions to their current problem.
It must be said that draws against mid-table teams and teams that have just got promoted from England’s Championship League are the main reason the Reds dropped points and missed out on the league title.
Liverpool, despite their unconvincing start, still have an edge over Man Utd.
Psychologically, last season’s 5-0 win at the Theatre of Dreams will provide the motivation the players need to come out on top.
Man United, on the other hand, will undoubtedly hope to avoid another embarrassing result and to come out swinging in order to move off the bottom of the league standings.
