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The battle for fourth place goes to the test at Anfield in English football’s greatest derby: Liverpool versus Manchester United. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 12:15am AEDT on Monday morning.
In a fixture that has captivated hearts and minds of global football audiences, it is amazing that Liverpool and Manchester United rarely if ever seem to be competing on level footing.
Think about it. When have these two clubs ever met as contemporary equals, competing for the same prize?
Liverpool were languishing in the old Second Division during the days of Sir Matt Busby, while United’s managerial position was a merry-go-round during the era of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley.
Indeed, the early days of the Sir Alex Ferguson era was marked more by the failure of United to meet Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool pedigree, not the reverse that would eventuate more than 20 years later.
Yet Monday morning will show these two great institutions to be what they are – equal. Granted, they both compete for a position about three spots lower than their loyal fans would demand, but there’s no talk of one team playing for trophies and the other for mere “pride”. Win this, and Champions League football next season can be yours.
Manchester United enters this game with two significant elements in their favour. Retaining fourth place with a two point lead above their rivals is one aspect, but another stark advantage is the memory of seeing off a then-dismantled Liverpool 3-0 in December.
Indeed, United should remember this fondly – they are the last team to have beaten Liverpool in the Premier League.
The Reds have picked up 32 points since that disappointing day at Old Trafford, spearheaded by Brendan Rodgers’ back three formation that was tried in its infancy against United. Since conceding three that day, Liverpool have kept eight clean sheets from 13.
Having won narrowly at Swansea last Tuesday morning thanks to a fortunate Jordan Henderson goal, Liverpool will be aware that such a poor display will likely be meted with ruthless punishment by their rivals.
For this reason, the key selection for Rodgers may not be who is in, but more markedly who is left out. The return of Steven Gerrard from the bench last week was positive, but Rodgers may be loathe to risk him starting at the expense of the recent partnership grown by Henderson and Joe Allen, even if poignancy of Gerrard’s final game against United is a factor.
More importantly, Rodgers may opt to start Raheem Sterling as a frontman alongside the workmanship of Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho, and confine Daniel Sturridge to a subs role. Seeking energy from the off is a critical must in a fixture that gives neither time nor space, and Sterling is a critical element to Liverpool’s recent form.
After batting off numerous accusations of dour football, Louis van Gaal’s United dispatched Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 last weekend in one of their more entertaining displays. Central to this was the influence of Marouane Fellaini, who walked off Old Trafford last week to rousing applause – an impossible notion to envisage following his deeply embedded association with David Moyes.
Fellaini’s support behind and around Wayne Rooney was influential to goals scored by both players, while Michael Carrick’s return to the side alongside Ander Herrera has complimented increased forward momentum. Yet dispatching Spurs at home is a far cry from a trip to Anfield at the best of times.
While van Gaal may be loathe to change the formation, there may be a temptation to rest Juan Mata in favour of another winger, either in multi-million pound signing Angel di Maria or youngster Adnan Januzaj. Such a tactic will be based on exploiting Liverpool’s occasional aerial weakness.
Despite the temptation to retain their two-point buffer, a win for United may take them to second, should Manchester City and Arsenal both lose. Yet Liverpool will be geared to both avenge their 3-0 loss in December, and skip ahead as they set up their own assault of the top four with eight to play.
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