Authors: Doron and Nik

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United travelled west to Liverpool for a 4th round FA Cup game at rivals Liverpool. With injuries yet again hitting the side hard, they lined up in a 4-5-1 without key creative players Rooney or Nani. Rafael returned at right back whilst Carrick was joined in the middle by the oldies, Giggs and Scholes. Welbeck was asked to lead the line and at the back, De Gea was brought in at a ground he did well at last time out. Liverpool matched United’s formation with Carroll leading their attack and Carragher sitting in front of the back four.

Below, we discuss the talking points and invite Liverpool fans as well as United fans to join in the discussion.

Carroll and Welbeck isolated

For the most part, Carroll’s selection ahead of Bellamy seemed a strange one. He was isolated, and was only found once from a cross from wide, with Downing playing as an inverted winger on the right hand side. United dealt with his threat superbly, until of course the last minute. Smalling adopted his usual tactic of following the centre forward ‘out’. He kept in close vicinity to Carroll, pressed the space and tried to keep his back to goal. Evans, when called upon, often won the aerial duel with the big Englishman; his height often betrays his aerial ability and has the anticipation and agility required for these types of battles. The Kuyt winner was strange in that it was the first time in the match that Evans lost the duel with Carroll, but given the poor communication between the back four at that point, Carroll was given far too much space to manoeuvre. Perhaps a symptom of poor concentration late on in a frantic game, the defending was of the proverbial ‘schoolboy’ sort. Smalling starts too far right, Evans is pulled towards Carroll, and Evra makes the covering run just a fraction of second too late. De Gea may well have narrowed the angle to a greater extent too for Kuyt’s shot.

For United, it was a frustrating afternoon given their superior possession. Rooney’s industry was hugely missed, and thus the gap between Welbeck and the midfield was far too large, despite Giggs and Park doing their best to link the play. Giggs’ swap with Park on 30 mins seemed to have the desired effect of United keeping width on the left with an already congested middle, and Park able to work in between the lines and get closer to Welbeck. But despite the wonderfully taken goal (and a fantastic assist from Rafael who was superb throughout), the team didn’t create enough in the final third. Valencia was kept reasonably quiet, especially in the second half, especially given Jose Enrique’s instruction to stay deep; and with a similar scenario on the opposite side of the field, where Evra was sitting in and keeping the defensive shape, United’s usual threat from wide areas remained negligible. If just one of Young or Nani had been available, they would surely have been called upon relatively early from the bench.

Carragher struggles, Scholes dictates

Carragher struggled with pace of the game and was second best to every ball. Selected in the ‘Lucas position’ to presumably counter the (pre-empted) deep lying Rooney, the Liverpudlian was finding it hard to track Giggs’ runs from deep and Scholes’ clever movement. Liverpool’s fluid midfield didn’t help however, with Gerrard pushing on and Henderson interchanging positions with Maxi. When attacks broke down, United found it far too easy to spot the gaps on the counter. Carragher looked flustered on the ball, and lacking the energy to play in such a vital position.

Scholes sought to capitalise, and conducted proceedings with aplomb – 97% pass completion in first half, completing 75 (nearly 3 times as many as Gerrard). And he wasn’t just stationed near the centre either, Scholes and Carrick both took turns in getting forward to support the attack. When Scholes was found in deep positions, his tackling and intercepting was good too. United’s midfield controlled possession and took the game to Liverpool once they had gone one goal down. But it is what you do with the possession once you have it, and Welbeck’s isolation, and Valencia’s diminishing influence in the game proved too much for the Manchester side, as both sides seemed to be settling for a draw and a replay at Old Trafford.

Dalglish’s subs make impact

Dalglish must take credit for turning the game in their favour, roughly around the hour-mark. On 62 mins Kuyt replaced the hapless Carragher, and Adam came on for Maxi. This allowed Kuyt to drift in from the right to support the previously isolated Carroll as Liverpool pretty much maintained the 4-3-3 shape. Then on 72 mins, Bellamy came on for Gerrard, and the set up was basically a 4-4-2, with Downing going left and Carroll working more closely with another centre forward. United had coped well until this point, always having an extra man, and both fullbacks remaining largely un-ambitious. But now they had two extra problems: Bellamy moving horizontally across the field and Kuyt playing a slightly more central right midfield position. Liverpool’s backline moved forward (with United’s concomitantly retreating) and they took a greater control of the midfield, with Adam getting on the ball. That said, Ferguson didn’t help matters in replacing Schloles. United lost the momentum, and Carrick, who didn’t have his best game, was left stranded in the centre.

De Gea

When you find that you’re having to regularly defend a player, regardless of what you think, there’s probably a problem. De Gea was on the end of a lot of harsh criticism yesterday – a game where he had little to do and actually was relatively assured on most crosses. Agger’s goal though was the perfect example of David getting nowhere near where he should have been. He seemed pre-occupied with Andy Carroll rather than the ball and ended up neither going to claim the corner nor staying on his line.

The real crime in that goal though was that Agger was easily able to head the ball towards the goal anyway. For all the blue United shirts around him, none of them jumped to challenger his header and the only player whose feet did leave the ground was Agger. An avoidable goal both from the defenders and De Gea.

Oddly the goal that worried me a bit was the Kuyt’s winner. De Gea seems to have a strange habit of going down to make a save with his feet in front of him. It not only means he doesn’t spread himself as wide as possible but it’s not a very flexible position to be in if he has to get up quickly and certainly doesn’t look like a balanced pose. There is a time to use that kind of save and it’s normally when coming off your line to make yourself appear ‘big’, as perfected by Peter Schmeichel. When rooted to your line though, it doesn’t seem to really do much – it’s not as if Kuyt found the corner of the net, it was a savable shot.

League focus

Defeats are never good but this will allow United to focus on the league. Ferguson has already said that if he has a big enough pool of available players then he’ll rotate the team for the upcoming games against Ajax. With so many players out injured, fewer games is probably a good thing. On the subject of injuries, it looks like Young, Anderson and Cleverley are both close to returns whilst Ferdinand, Rooney and Nani’s injuries appear to be less serious than initially feared. Players are slowly returning and lord knows United are due some luck in that department.

Summary

United’s FA Cup campaign is over after something of a dull affair at Anfield. Despite dominating and controlling the game, United (and Liverpool) had few ideas in the final third of the pitch.

Liverpool took the lead through Daniel Agger’s unchallenged header from a corner. Fingers were pointed in De Gea’s direction as he failed to decide whether to come or stay for the ball but the United defenders were equally as culpable for not challenging Agger. United could have actually taken the lead – a surging run in-field by Valencia ended with a powerful dipping shot hitting the post with Reina beaten.

United did go in level at half time, Rafael won the ball inside the Liverpool half and cut the ball back perfectly for Park to clinically fire the ball past Reina. Through Scholes, United had controlled long spells of the game with Gerrard in particular playing a very peripheral role. After an hour, Dalglish brought on Kuyt and Adam and Liverpool started to see more possession.

The winning goal came late on in the tie – a long ball was headed on by Carroll and fell kindly into the path of Kuyt who’d been left totally free by Evra. Kuyt took the ball into the area unchallenged and fired past De Gea. The goal came too late for United to respond and Liverpool face Brighton next in the cup. Stoke are the visitors to Old Trafford on Tuesday as attention shifts back to the league and the title race again.

Author: Doron

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There was a typical Fergie surprise when the teams were announced before kick off – no Rooney, Nani, Hernandez or Anderson were starting. Instead, Jones played in midfield for the first time and Welbeck was asked to play up front alone. Steven Gerrard made his first start in 7 months for Liverpool and his goal saw them take the lead midway through the second half. Hernandez’s equaliser with nine minutes to go meant the sides had to settle for a point each. Here we discuss some of the key talking points from the game and welcome discussion from both United and Liverpool fans.

Understanding Fergie’s XI:

It read: De Gea, Smalling, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Park, Jones, Fletcher, Giggs, Young, Welbeck

The absence of Rooney, Nani, Anderson and Hernandez was intriguing but casting that aside, Fergie got it spot on and appears to be learning from past mistakes at Anfield. For once he matched Liverpool in playing a 4-2-3-1 or 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1… whatever people are calling it these days.

To understand why it was the right decision to name a team in possibly a defensive set-up one has to remember that United have been outplayed in the past three years at Anfield and overrun. Today was not like that though – United turned up and showed guts and grit ensuring that the opening 45 minutes were boring. Boring’s good as it meant Liverpool weren’t on top and weren’t finding space easily.

Chalkboard 1. Liverpool’s first half shots

As can be seen, Liverpool were restricted to only a few shots in the first half – only one of which was a good chance which Suarez in the end hit straight at De Gea whilst under pressure from Evans. In previous years, United have been too bold and left too much space particularly between their midfield and defence – something Liverpool have exploited.

The second half though produced a much more open affair as both sides tried to up the tempo. The beauty of Ferguson’s selection was that his bench contained frighteningly good ammunition – Nani, Valencia, Hernandez and Rooney. The aim was surely to keep the game tight until around 70 minutes and then start to take some risks to try and win it. As it happened, a goal from a set piece meant that the subs became enforced changes. Up to the goal though, Liverpool were still restricted to having the majority of their shots from outside the area and only managed one on target from inside the box. Ferguson’s plan had worked – in open play, United had stifled Liverpool and the subs came on to produce a goal – sadly it was an equaliser rather than a winner.

Best defensive showing yet:

For all the wins so far this season, one thing has been grating on fans – the insecure defence. Not helped by injuries, United have been often lethargic at the back, allowing too many shots and opposition players too much space. Today though, Smalling, Ferdinand, Evans and Evra were excellent as a unit and as individuals.

Chalkboard 2. United’s clearances and interceptions

Kept busy all afternoon, United’s defence rose to the challenge. Smalling returned from injury to offer a classy option down the right and repelled Enrique and Downing excellently. Ferdinand had a couple of scary moments but ultimately his quality shone through – calm in possession and he handled Suarez superbly. Evans continued his outstanding form, reading the game well and regularly nipping in front of Liverpool players to cut out crosses. Evra’s form had dipped but he was back to his beastly best ensuring Kuyt had an anonymous game. Of the 18 interceptions United made, 10 of them were made by defenders. Liverpool’s team made only 17 clearances all game – United’s defence alone accounted for 39 of the team’s 48 clearances.

A better defensive performance meant a slightly less-busy-than-usual David De Gea which in turn provided a new challenge for him – concentration. He’s been kept busy in previous games and passed the test of having to make regular saves. Today though, he had only five shots to save – one, he couldn’t, the goal however he made fine saves for the other four. All were spread out over the game and he was merely a spectator for long spells as the game was battled out in midfield. David’s all-round game appeared much more fluid as he caught, punched and kicked well. For a change the media were praising him at the end rather than dissecting weaknesses.

Vidic’s return will only further boost United’s back four but he’ll have one hell of a challenge trying to dislodge Evans. It’s interesting to note that a solid back four showing coincided with Jones being removed from the defence. Now, let me make it clear, I think Jones will be a superb footballer and areas of his game are already excellent but he’s been a little bit of a liability at the back and his unpredictable nature has possibly unsettled the defenders around him. Still, his time will come.

The Jones experiment:

At Blackburn, Phil Jones played in midfield in front of the back four quite a lot. It’s something I’ve wanted to see United try with him for a couple of reasons – firstly I think our midfield could do with his balls and secondly his over-enthusiastic runs and lack of positional awareness wouldn’t be as costly as they have been at the back.

However, trialling Jones in midfield is not something I’d have done at Anfield.

It was fairly clear early on that Jones was uncomfortable in midfield. He looked lost as Liverpool players moved between the lines – unsure whether to drop deep or charge up high. In fact, he ended up trying to close down Liverpool defenders for much of the first half – admirable work if it weren’t for the fact it left Fletcher on his own (Giggs never seemed to be there) against three Liverpool central players.

Chalkboard 3. Phil Jones passing

Jones was taken off after 76 minutes having played only 22 passes – not enough of a contribution for a central midfielder (at the same point Fletcher had attempted 52 passes and Giggs, 35). Potentially Jones was tired, he’s played a lot of football already this season at a high intensity; however I think it’s more likely that the game was just too big for him to be playing in midfield.

I think Jones in midfield can be a viable option but this just wasn’t the right game to try it. More testing needed.

Opposition look: Gerrard and diving

As unpopular as it may be, I thought Gerrard had a very good game – not quite man of the match material but a very impressive showing after 7 months without a start. His energy was excellent, chasing down United players until the last minute and he showed himself to be calm and sensible in possession. Maybe the flip side of his return was that Suarez appeared a tad isolated at times but nonetheless, Liverpool are a better team with Gerrard in it. Now, where are my 19 fingers to hold up…

For what it’s worth, I think Liverpool are starting to put together a decent squad but if there’s one thing that I don’t like about it, it’s the diving which put simply is cheating. Rio Ferdinand admitted post-match he got a very slight touch on Charlie Adam for the foul from which Liverpool scored the subsequent free kick, however the faint touch certainly wasn’t enough to make all 25 stone (I’ve made his weight up, it’s probably more than that) of Adam suddenly come crashing down to earth in the way he did.

That incident is the obvious one to pick out but the diving can be extended to Downing (terrible attempt at a dive in the first half) and Suarez who is the worst culprit. I know Nani has been a drama queen in the past but Suarez drops to the ground every time he’s touched, I’ve not seen anyone that bad since Ronaldo’s debut season at United. Ferguson commented on it after the game, telling the BBC, “the boy Suarez dives all over the place” – he’s not half right.

Anything else?

Quick mention for Danny Welbeck. Asked to play up front on his own he put in a really selfless performance. He chased Liverpool defenders down all day and picked his times to drop deep and link up play well. His strength and determination to both keep and win the ball ensured United were able to clear their lines knowing he’d invariably get possession or force Liverpool backwards. To cap it all off he got a really important flick on from Nani’s corner from which Hernandez scored. Another really mature performance from the 20 year old, well done Danny.

In summary…

A certain improvement on recent seasons – defeat was avoided. Whilst some might describe United as toothless in attack at times, they’d be overlooking the fact that the defence were superb at keeping Liverpool at bay. Gerrard’s free kick should never have gotten through the wall but at least Giggs has his testicles in-tact. The response to going behind though was excellent and Hernandez’s excellent finish ensured a hard fought but satisfying point was won. Kudos to De Gea for some good saves, particularly one at full stretch late on to deny Henderson a spectacular winner. United jet off to Romania next to play FC Oțelul Galați on Tuesday (a must-win game) – but most eyes will already be on next weekend when City come to Old Trafford. Top spot has been relinquished for now but United remain unbeaten and are finally looking solid at the back.

Author: Doron

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“Come back when you’ve won 18″ they said. Well we’ve won 18 won 19 and now we’re back and we’re on top again. Hello Anfield, Manchester United are in town.

The opposition:

The rivals. The other industrial superpower of the north-west. The other successful English club side. Tradition, history, fan-base, atmosphere and craving for attacking football – United and Liverpool share so many similarities that this fixture is just the ultimate game of the season.

Liverpool’s last game was Kenny’s 32nd since his return, he’s now lasted longer than Hodgson (31 games). Intriguingly if every competitive game was given points like a league game, Liverpool are only 0.2 points per game better off under Dalglish than they were under Hodgson. However, because it’s Kenny in charge, everything Liverpool achieve under him will be exaggerated. He can do no wrong. Understandable to a point, he is a Liverpool legend and the fans will love him no matter what but results have to match investment – a cool £110m in just 10 months (granted, that’s not a net spend figure).

This summer’s core recruitees have an air of sensibility about them, well sort of. Most have Premier League experience and are good players or have the potential to be good players. Downing’s acquisition seems particularly smart – the winger will always be laden with his early England failings after much promise however he is now a very good crosser of the ball who’s worked hard on his weaker foot to add more of an unpredictability to his game. At £6.3m, Jose Enrique could be one of the bargains of the window. He was excellent at Newcastle and finally gives Newcastle a good left back option.

Personally I’m not a big Charlie Adam fan. I think he’s a luxury player who has to be carried by his team. His start so far has been somewhat unimpressive from my point of view and with the return of Gerrard I wouldn’t be surprised to see Adam eventually relegated to the bench. Henderson is more one for the future but even so, one struggles to see him ever becoming a top-end player – still a good option to have (another one, like Carroll, who is lumbered with a price tag). Are either Adam or Henderson an upgrade on Meireles? For me, no.

Other players also joined including a second spell at the club for Craig Bellamny (two stints at Liverpool and one at City… could he be more dislikeable?). Importantly, plenty of deadwood and sub-averageness left albeit at rock bottom prices. There is something of a rebuilding phase going on at Anfield – talented youth (some not in the first team yet) being merged with experience and big signings. The issue is of course that Champions League football is expected if not this season then next. Do Liverpool have the quality that the other top teams have and do they have good enough squad players? With the exceptions of Suarez, Reina and Gerrard, I’m not sure that they do yet. Progress this year will be the return of European football but let’s face it, no Liverpool fan really wants Europa League stuff.

Form:

As starts to the season go, it’s been uncharacteristically good for United. Before the International break they were joint top of the table and unbeaten – not quite a 100% record, a draw in their last away game at Stoke ensured two points have been dropped so far. With 7 points already gained from three away games, United are already doing infinitely better than last season. Bolton was the only clean sheet kept on their travels but it’s worth noting United have scored in every game so far this season.

Wayne Rooney is the league’s top scorer with 9 goals (Suarez is Liverpool’s top scorer with 4). Assists-wise, Ashley Young is joint second with 5 assists – just behind him are Adam and Kuyt, both on three.

Liverpool are 5th after seven games and have already lost twice – both away from home. Goals haven’t been free-flowing for them as of yet – they’ve failed to score in two of their games and are yet to keep a clean sheet at home. Victories at home over Wolves and Bolton were routine even if they both contained the odd scare however the opening day draw against Sunderland suggests that Anfield isn’t quite a fortress yet this season. They went into the international break in perfect fashion, winning 2-0 away at neighbours Everton.

Team news:

The United squad is as strong as it’s been in some time. Only Rafael, Cleverley (and Gibson) remain sidelined, although Rafael is back in training. Vidic is available but may miss out if he feels he’s not ready for such an intense game yet. International knocks to Fabio, Evra and Young have been brushed off by Ferguson – they are all fit.

Liverpool have no players missing – Glen Johnson, Martin Kelly, Daniel Agger and Fabio Aurelio are all back and available. Steven Gerrard is expected to make his first start in seven months for the side.

United formation and starting XI prediction:

Diabolical recent showings at Anfield have often come back to the initial selection – too bold, too brave. It’s nice to think United can always play a 4-4-2 and take the game to the opposition; but the reality is that sometimes a system has to be changed to prevent defeat first and foremost. Liverpool is one of those cases and this time, we have to match them with a 4-5-1. That’s not to say it has to be negative, on the counter the team I’ve chosen will still have pace and trickery but importantly it should be able to defend against Liverpool well and not be overrun in the middle.

De Gea will no doubt get a hostile reception at Anfield and if the Liverpool fans have any sense of humour, he may even expect the odd doughnut hurled in his direction. In front of him there may at long last be a first choice centre back pairing of Vidic and Ferdinand (only started two games together this season – City and WBA). Evra picks himself at left back whilst right back is a little less clear. Fabio, Jones and Smalling are fit. I’d rule Fabio out simply because the other two have played more this year and I’d pick Smalling ahead of Jones. Jones has been excellent but he is defensively naive and positionally poor – this isn’t a game that he can afford to make mistakes in at the back so Smalling who is more assured defensively at the moment would be my choice to start.

The last thing United want in the midfield area is to be overrun. Playing a five man midfield should ensure that doesn’t happen and doesn’t therefore necessitate a holding midfielder – Carrick. Fletcher and Anderson will have to do most of the work and prove they can play together in a pair, with Giggs providing the link between midfield and attack just ahead of them. Giggs has proven that age isn’t slowing him down and has been thriving in a fairly undefined free central role.

Out wide, Nani and Young provide a really dangerous threat – Liverpool’s right back area is a weakness and both will want turns running at whoever starts there. Valencia and Park offer less dynamic but more hard working options too. Rooney is the obvious choice of striker to lead the line – a bench with Welbeck, Hernandez and Berbatov on it offers scarily good potential if United have to chase the game.

Key battle:

Gerrard vs. Fletcher – Liverpool’s captain is back. Stevie Gee after 7 months without a start is set to return in his familiar midfield role playing behind a striker – probably Suarez. After so long out he may well be off the pace or age may have caught up with him a little bit but there’s no doubting that their talisman is a danger and a crowd-lifter. So often, stopping him can mean stopping Liverpool.

There should be a particular emphasis on stopping Gerrard should he play; more so than usual. United have failed to have any control over the midfield area in recent years and have generally allowed a playmaker to play around them. Stopping Gerrard effectively brings it back to two vs two in the middle – something United thrive on (particularly if Adam also starts).

Tasked with this job you’d have thought would be Darren Fletcher (football genius (FYI, that is from a chant)). He’s back to good form now after a sluggish start following his long virus-induced lay-off. His energy, work rate and calmness in possession are key features that the United midfield has been benefiting from. Importantly he’s an ‘in your face’ kind of player – he’ll get stuck in and attempt to ruffle-up whoever he’s up against. On Gerrard’s return, the last thing he’ll want will be a pumped Darren Fletcher snapping at his heels.

There’s little doubt that Suarez vs. the United defence will be huge as will Nani/Young vs. Liverpool’s right back but previous games against Liverpool have been lost in the middle. This year it’s time to right that wrong and Darren Fletcher may be key to that.

History and last meeting:

182 previous competitive games have been played between these great sides. United are looking for their 61st league win at Anfield and 10th in the Premier League era. It’ll be the 20th Premier League meeting at Anfield and surprisingly United have a winning record, losing on 7 occasions.

Last season this fixture ended 3-1 to Liverpool. Dirk Kuyt’s easy hat-trick was a real low point in such a wonderful season (19 times). A late consolation goal from Javier Hernandez ensured there would be no clean sheet for Reina. Sadly my immediate memory of the game is Carragher’s assault on Nani – well, no assault but it was a bloody awful challenge and he should have been sent off.

Prediction:

This seems like such a hard game to call – United have had a good start to the season and simply cannot be as bad as last year at Anfield; Liverpool have been strong at home but their own recent form has not been convincing. A lot may hinge on whether Ferguson goes with a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-2 – should it be the former as I hope it will, then I’ll predict a 2-1 United win.

Referee:

Andre Marriner – his second United game of the season – the first one was also an away game, at Bolton. His early season form indicates some first half leniency with his yellow cards but he can get quite card happy late on in the game.

Connections:

There are no real squad connections but Charlie Adam is a United fan and has in the past had (and may still have) season tickets at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, up until last year the two sides were connected on 18 league titles but United are now the top dogs in the land with 19 in case you didn’t know.

Quick facts:

- There have been four red cards in the last four Premier League meetings at Anfield – three for United.
- The last three Anfield visits have all ended in defeat.
- United have scored five goals in the last five minutes of games this season.

They say:

Ferguson on Rio and Vidic: “Rio and Nemanja are well aware they are going to have to play well to keep their places. Rio is back to his best form… the big question mark is whether Vidic is ready.”

Ferguson on Evans: “Jonny Evans’ form has been absolutely brilliant so I don’t have any real concerns about who I play because they’re all playing particularly well.”

Ferguson on the atmosphere at Anfield: “The history both clubs have should be appreciated by both sets of fans. That’s sometimes annoying when I hear silly chants about Munich, about Hillsborough, I don’t think it does either club any good at all because, without each other, there wouldn’t be the English league.”

Rio on Anfield: “Anfield is a hostile place, but there is no better place to win at as a Manchester United player.”

Dalglish on United: “There is no point in being envious. They’ve set a standard for everyone else to follow or surpass and it’s up to us to take up the challenge and we’ll try our best to do that.”

Downing on the International break: “If we beat Manchester United we’ll say the break did us good. If we don’t people will point the finger and say the break killed us a bit.”

Adam on the Liverpool challenge: “It’s not about sending out a message, it’s your own pride and performance being at this club. We have to win every game at this club and that’s our challenge.”

Links:

For all pre-match banter, tactical discussions, team and score predictions click here.

Pre-match blog looking at the midfield battle and how that will be key.

Q&A with a Liverpool fan covering varies aspects of the United-Liverpool rivalry.

Videos:

Author: Stretford_End

Over the years United and Liverpool can boast about some of the most iconic midfielders this country is lucky enough to have ever seen. From Robson to Keane for United and Souness to Gerrard for Liverpool, there have been some epic clashes in the centre of the park. The match at Anfield will mark the 183rd time the two sides have met but United haven’t picked up a victory (at Anfield) since the 1-0 win in the December of 2007 (scored by Carlos Tevez of all people). In the time since that victory United have lost 2-1 in 08/09, 2-0 in 09/10 and 3-1 last season. Last season, United looked extremely pedestrian in the middle of the midfield, with Scholes and Carrick – this time around, I expect Ferguson to look for energy and drive in Fletcher and Anderson.

In 2007, Anderson and Hargreaves were the midfield duo in a 1-0 victory. Benitez would always line up his sides in a 4-2-3-1 formation, which of course means that United midfield duo would be outnumbered against the defensive clog that is Javier Mascherano, the industrious Gerrard and the guile and craft of Yossi Benayoun. Having said that, United had Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo in the lineup – with Tevez and Rooney often dropping deep to vacate space for Cristiano Ronaldo to run into. If my memory serves me correctly, Ronaldo had a poor match and was eventually moved up top after United sustained heavy Liverpool pressure towards the end of the match and tried to counter attack. Below you can see how Tevez and Rooney worked back to put in tackles deeper when United weren’t in possession of the football, which no doubt helped to bulk up the midfield presence:

Carlos Tevez Tackles versus Liverpool in 2007

Wayne Rooney Tackles versus Liverpool in 2007

If I was to pick my formation for the Liverpool match, I would like to see a lineup of 4-4-1-1, with Rooney operating off Danny Welbeck – who’s physical presence and pace could cause Carragher and Agger problems. Nani wide right to take on the impressive Enrique and hopefully try and nullify his surging attacking runs – something that Antonio Valencia has done very well at down the seasons. Ashley Young should play wide left and will provide that attacking threat from cutting in onto his right foot to either unleash a shot or try and influence play and create space for Patrice Evra to bomb into. That leaves the two key central positions.

Fletcher and Anderson, for me, will provide the legs and energy whilst having the quality to keep the ball and make Liverpool’s quartet work for the ball. Anderson has superb stamina and will be key at tracking runs from midfield and will help to press high up the pitch, which in turn will put pressure on Liverpool’s deeper creative threats – like the direct Charlie Adam who does look to go long at times. The obvious aerial ability of Andy Carroll will be a threat to United, meaning that any outlet that could provide service will need to be dealt with. Fletcher will no doubt still be having nightmares from Wednesday night following another superb Spanish performance – but Scotland’s captain lasted 85 minutes in what was a monumentally hard task. He has always been an extremely fit lad and it was a big blow to lose him towards the end of last season following an illness.

I’ve also spoken previously about the introduction of Chris Smalling at right back in games that of a physical nature and sides that are dangerous from set pieces – which will no doubt be an issue with the delivery of Downing and Adam from corners and free kicks. However, much depends on the fitness of Nemanja Vidic, who played midweek for Serbia and missed a crucial penalty for his country – who will miss Euro 2012. Either Anderson or Fletcher will have to pick up deep Suarez, who will no doubt try and influence play closer to his own goal rather than on the shoulder of the centre half.

So, I would probably have a midfield four as follows, which of course is supported by the roaming Wayne Rooney:

So what do you think? Will United lineup this way or will Ferguson opt for a 4-3-3 with Rooney as a lone forward supported by Nani and Young in wide areas? Will the pressing and stamina of both Fletcher and Anderson help to nullify Liverpool’s attacking threat from deep? Anderson and Fletcher can also initiate counter attacks and run with the ball through midfield before distributing to either of the front four.

Any comments/thoughts are always welcome in the comments box.

Author: Doron

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Ahead of the Liverpool game this weekend we decided to put various Liverpool-United related questions forward to serial tweeter and avid Liverpool fan, Mal Bennett. The topics covered include the biggest diver, the NextGen series and why Liverpool have had the edge at Anfield lately…

1. What do you think makes a Liverpool-United game so special?

It’s mainly the rivalry between the two teams vying to see who can be the best. The football is normally much better than at a derby (vs. Everton) because it seems to be about winning with flair instead of just winning at all costs. The sheer weight of history and success from both sides means whoever wins has a certain aura of superiority and historical self righteousness. You can see that in both the 4-1 Liverpool win at Old Trafford and the hat-trick Berbatov scored against us there too – easily the highest and lowest points of Old Trafford matches in recent years!!

2. Recall your best and worst memory from a United game at Anfield…

Best would be the match last year, a player who had never scored against you went and scored three of the easiest goals I’ve ever seen. Whilst Dirk Kuyt may have scored the goals, Luis Suarez was easily the most mesmeric player I’ve seen in a Liverpool shirt for close on 20 years in that game.

To be honest, every time United visit is the worst as it brings out the absolute animal in many fans of both clubs. The chanting is the worst aspect of this: Munich, Heysel & Hillsborough. I find it all despicable and I’ve been quite vociferous in my opposition to any chanting of this nature. For me, that is the worst aspect of any United visit.

3. Why do you think Liverpool have had the edge in this fixture recently?

I think our regular winning at Anfield is more to do with the fact we’ve been the underdog. We fail to see the end of the match and play until you’re not only beaten but beaten down. There is a killing mentality to Liverpool in these games. Not content with just victory, we seek to deliver the killer blow again and again.

The history that both teams have plays a crucial part as well, neither team wants to be bested. There is a secret respect that both teams and fans have for each other, it’s definitely driven both clubs to try and wrestle wins from each other. The ‘perch’ quote from Fergie was jealousy and the hatred we feel for United is jealousy. But there is plenty of respect in there, (just buried very deep).

4. Give us your thoughts on the summer signings?

Doni is a decent backup keeper, nothing more. Henderson is a future midfield anchor and I’m very happy with his performances and commitment so far. Downing has probably pleased me the most, his wing-play has been a revelation to a team that hasn’t had it really since Barnes. Adam is special, he can deliver superb crosses, decent free kicks, penalties and has a good eye for a pass – he is Gerrard’s immediate replacement. Coates is a fantastic signing and I’m really looking forward to seeing him and Agger form a partnership. Enrique was an essential buy as the left back area has been a problem since Riise was sold. His pace and link up play with Carroll is crucial, as they showed at Newcastle.

There are some decent young lads that have been brought in too, Bijev and Nacho. Look out for these boys, they will shine for our youth team.

5. The Andy Carroll signing will always evoke criticism for the price, is that fair?

Of course it’s fair. Just like the £6 million paid for Bebe and the £32.4 million paid for Berbatov. We rate our players on how much we have invested in them. £35 million is an absurd amount of money for anyone, but then £80 million for Ronaldo is too.

Carroll will always divide opinion. We bought him last minute yet he had clearly been a target for Dalglish & Comolli. If we had the time we could have gotten him for much, much cheaper. I am under no illusions that Suarez & Carroll will soon be a strike partnership like that of Keegan & Toshack.

6. Is it at all worrying when someone like Reina hints more than once that he’s questioning his future at the club?

I am very disturbed about only one aspect of his recent excerpt in the Mail, that of the near move to Valencia. I understand why he wanted to move, as the misery had no end in sight but he came to that conclusion a bit too soon for me. Although, he has stayed and whilst his loyalty is questionable, his passion and belief for the club isn’t. He is Liverpool through and through.

7. Has Kenny really rejuvenated Liverpool? His record vs. Hodgson’s is almost identical.

Dalglish has a win percentage of 56% and Hodgson of 43% – a massive 13% difference. However statistics aside, there is no similarity between the two teams. Hodgson’s Liverpool were cautious, unoriginal, lacked any piercing attacking threat, defensively ancient and his training sessions were bordering on archaeological. Whereas Dalglish has brought in Clarke and Keen and started to rejuvenate the sessions. He has put a much greater responsibility onto the youth; the money invested and the time spent training them needs to start paying off. The belief of winning and of playing proper football is evident in some of the wins we’ve recorded. The last Anfield win against United showed a side that could confound even the Champions, a well worked win. I only expect to qualify for the Champions League this season, nothing more, a piece of silverware would be nice but not essential.

8. Is there an area of the team you think Liverpool are particularly weak in?

We are weak on the right hand side. Johnson is inconsistent, one week defensively brilliant and with great forward runs, the next week he may get caught short and his game is shattered early. Kelly is an injury risk at the moment, his injuries seem to take a length of time, it’s like that for Gerrard too, get him fully fit again before playing him. Playing Kuyt on the right or Henderson isn’t ideal. I would love to see Maxi get more game-time.

9. How do you think United can hurt Liverpool on Saturday and visa versa?

United getting down the right flank of Liverpool and exposing Carraghers tired legs is a very real risk. If Nani and Young play, they will swap sides and keep attacking Johnson.

I think Liverpool can expose Evans again. He really isn’t that much to write home about, if I’m honest. I think if we get the ball into Carroll and Suarez we will cause you massive problems, you just can’t deal with the pace of Suarez who’s also very inventive and incredible with the ball. He is the main problem for United

10. Beneath all the rivalry, is it possible to have respect for United or Ferguson on any level?

I respect Fergie 100%. His record is amazing. His longevity is outstanding. But in the modern game he wouldn’t have lasted past his first season. However, his belief in the young lads and his knack of getting the best out of them is almost without equal. I do like the football that United play though – it’s expressive and relentless. Something I see Liverpool do time after time yet without getting the result. Slowly but surely though, Liverpool are waking up.

11. Liverpool entered a team into the NextGen Series this season – what have you made of it so far?

I covered the NextGen tournament extensively up to the second group game, I had to stop due to illness. I was incredibly excited about Liverpool’s chances, the previous season we had missed out on the Academy league and the FA Youth Cup. There are some fantastic talents in that team and a good European experience will benefit them so much. Players to look out for are, Raheem Sterling, Adam Morgan, Kristian Adorjan, Tyrell Belford, Toni Silva, Michael Ngoo and Andre Wisdom. Big talents for both club and country.

The performances have been a little disappointing. The initial loss to Sporting was deserved, they are a very good team and top the group with three games to go. Liverpool need a win away to Sporting to stay in the competition, anything less will eliminate them.

12. Last year’s FAYC game at Anfield was one of the highlights of last season for me, have you high hopes for a lot players in the Reserves and U18s?

That match was epic. I was in the Kop for that one. The aggression, passion and skill from both sets of players was incredible. Ultimately we lost our focus and that cost us the game but I was more than happy with the performance.

This year I expect the U18′s to keep progressing, I’m not too bothered with winning anything, just as long as we lose playing great football. That might sound odd, but it’s all about development of body and character at that level. I don’t want the young lads to win trophies over developing the mental strength to fight and come back from losses. The reserves are something with which I find myself a little apathetic towards. It feels to me that they seem to just be a team for rehabilitation. I would sooner see them play in the lower leagues just like in Spain and Germany.

13. If you had to pick one player from the United team to play for Liverpool now, who would you pick and why?

I would love Nani to play for Liverpool. I know he is a big baby and an actor but his pace and goal threat from either flank is very impressive. Also impressed with Jones, Cleverley, Welbeck and Valencia.

14. Who’s the biggest diver, Nani or Suarez?!

Nani. Terrible big baby. To be honest though, I’m as exasperated with this aspect of the modern game as I am with the lack of goal line technology. There simply is no place for simulation, acting or cheating. It should be the number one priority for next season for all clubs and referees.

15. Finally, let’s have a score prediction…

Liverpool 3-1 United. I honestly cant see any change from the last match. I’ll even throw in the scorers – Suarez with two, Carroll with the other and Nani for United.

Let’s hope not!

AUTHOR: – The Mancunian Red (Guest Blogger)

The question of who is the greatest manager to have managed in Britain has been a question which has been discussed but never properly analysed. It obviously has countless problems as it isn’t possible to compare many of the factors like for like. The criteria which I use to assess the managers obviously cannot be based purely on the number of trophies won, we also need to assess the resources and problems and longevity of success. I will begin with a brief explanation of the managers career then analyse some of the best and worst aspects of his career!

After much thought I narrowed the list to Clough, Busby, Fergie and Paisley. Leaving out the likes of Shankly, Herbert Chapman (the self proclaimed special one) and Sir Alf Ramsay was not easy and I will be happy to debate the pros and cons of my analysis should anyone desire. The case for Chapman is probably strongest and I should note I do feel at unease by his omission.

Sir Matt Busby

Busby managed just one club his entire career and that was in the top division. He took over United immediately after the 2nd World war had ended, there had been no top class football played in England for 6 years, all clubs struggled to get themselves organised and of course players were a long long way from being fit or having adequate diet. United were not one of the major forces in English football, far from it they weren’t even the major force in Manchester.

Old Trafford had been bombed and had to take their neighbour’s generous approach to use Maine Road. Busby had strong beliefs on how football should be played and was an innovator, he famously played with a five man attack which brought the crowds flocking to watch them play and United managed to finish 2nd three times on the run and win the FA cup in 1948 for only the 2nd time in their history a thirty nine years after the first success.

Busby had arrived and got United noticed, however he wanted more much more and with the help of Jimmy Murphy the assistant manager and coach went looking for the brightest young talents throughout the British Isles. This was ground breaking, teams in the past had never been created with so much emphasis on youth and inexperience.
Duncan Edwards was amazingly snatched out of the hands of his home town club the great Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bobby Charlton from Newcastle, Liam Whelan from Ireland and Mark Jones from Barnsley. These are just a few of many examples. Furthermore Busby went against the tide of football thinking in the day and gave youth en masse its chance and while it would be a mistake to believe all were young and developed talent, a sufficient number was to be recognised as the Busby Babes.

United won the title in 1951/52, 1956/7 and 1957/8 as the babes were introduced to the first team. At this point nearly all football fans loved Manchester United they combined entertainment with winners and looked set to dominate the league for another decade or more. They had come very close to winning the domestic double but for a goalkeeping injury and no substitutes and looked as if they would be fighting it out with Real Madrid for the European Cup.

In but a few short years Busby had transformed United from a mediocre club that couldn’t even use its own ground to one of the most talked about and admired clubs in Europe and this looked to be just the start. Unfortunately Munich was to end much of this. United’s team was devastated; even some of the players who continued were never the same.

Once again Busby was determined to build another great team, his third but was determined as always to do so playing attractive cavalier football, it took many years to rebuild the club and not just the team, the effect of Munich on everyone at the club can never be underestimated, even the new players coming through were obviously on to a loser – “they are no Duncan Edwards” “there will never be another set of lads like the babes” made it all the more difficult for the next crop.

Busby’s last great team started off by winning the FA Cup in 63 followed by 2 titles in 1964/5 and 1966/7 and the first English team to win the European Cup in 1968 after Busby had gone against the wishes of the governing body to enter United in the European Cup in 1956.

The Best, Law and Charlton era excited fans throughout the world, and Busby had once again re-enforced Manchester United as the biggest name in British football and one of the biggest in Europe. His legacy gave United their world-wide fan base and massive support throughout the British isles, London alone in the late 1960s had a 10,000 supporters club. These were also hardened fans and saw United through the bad times, which were to follow and keep the name of United in the headlines.

Other managers may have won more but to understand how great a manager he was we need to understand the point at which he started, the number of great teams he created, and what might have been had it not been for Munich. During his time at United he didn’t spend excessively. There wasn’t a top 4 or even top 10 or 20 any club was capable of winning the title and did. Competition in other words was much stiffer and more difficult to win trophies. He had the ability to spot good players and get the players to want to play for him.

Sir Matt Busby did not buy any players between 1953-57. Moreover he always wanted his sides to entertain. “Go out and enjoy yourselves” was his usual last words before the players left the dressing room. Busby was a top class manager for 20 years, all you need to do is think of all the number of top class decisions he had to make in that time. Moreover he was ahead of his time in developing youth and taking United in to the European Cup against the wishes and recommendations of the governing body.

Criticism of Busby has been made in several ways, because we were 3rd and unlikely to win the title before the Munich crash it has been argued that United would not have dominated either the English or European scene as much as some have predicted. Also it has been said that while he was an excellent judge of players, his coaching and tactics were either weak on nonexistent and one of the reasons he never had a United team which dominated in the way Liverpool or Fergie’s teams did later on. With the likes of Best, Charlton, Law, Crerand and Stiles et al United should have won much more.

More criticism has been labelled at the state in which he left United in, the players had grown old and the youth at the club was in a pretty poor state. From 1964-72 United bought only 3 players, Ian Ure, Alex Stepney and Willie Morgan, and one of those was bought by Wilf McGuinness – Ian Ure in his short stay as manager at the club. Also Busby only managed one club and in one division, his skills would almost certainly have been tested further and knowledge of the game if he would have managed other clubs and in other divisions with players perhaps less reluctant to join the club. Also players were in those days virtually owned by the club and had little power or say and had to toe the line or risk losing money that they just could not afford to lose. Motivating players in those days wasn’t a major issue. And lastly it should be pointed out Jimmy Murphy was by Busby’s side all the time he was a manager, Murphy’s influence is often vastly underestimated by fans and has been seen as an essential part of the Busby legend that should not be over looked. For example Clough never won a trophy without Taylor by his side, to underestimate Murphy’s role would be a mistake!

It should also be pointed out that while United were by no means the only club to do this, it is recognised that the club did offer large inducements to young players and their families to convince the player to sign for United. So while transfer money wasn’t a factor illegal inducements were.

Trophies won :
• First Division (5): 1951–52, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1964–65, 1966–67
• FA Cup (2): 1947–48, 1962–63
• FA Charity Shield (5): 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967
• European Cup (1): 1967–68

Sir Alex Ferguson

Alex Ferguson has enjoyed his first success as a manager with St Mirren (1974–78), taking the club from the Scottish second division to the Premier Division. He has succeeded at every level of football from the lower leagues of Scottish football to taking on and beating the Scottish giants before he moved South and took United to the title for the first time in 26 years and to dominate English football for a couple of decades. Not only has this meant he has had to get the best out of players at virtually every professional level he has done it over a time in World football where he would have had to change his style and knowledge considerably.

The modern day professional is a multi millionaire before many are out of their teens, when Fergie managed the player daren’t cross the line as he would lose his place in the side and win bonuses meant a lot and not to just the lower level pros. In the 70s and 80s professional players who didn’t find work in the game often struggled to make a decent living, therefore motivation wasn’t as telling a factor as it has become today.

Furthermore the game has changed so much, the top sides for many seasons only had to concern themselves with first team players and a couple of backups, but today great teams aren’t enough squad and squad rotation is critical, managing players who have to be left out is a skill in it’s own right as is buying these players and explaining the situation.

Of course football teams have changed so much in their make up for the majority of his career all he would have needed to know was Scottish footballers. Managers today need to have an understanding of players from all over the world and of course a scouting network to match. How much easier must it have been when all you needed to judge was the best of British available? Then of course there is managing multi national players, rarely have we seen Fergie have problems that other managers have.

The list goes of the training methods, systems, diet etc these have changed radically in Fergie’s years of management and he has had to keep on top of these changes. Managers such as Paisley, Clough, Shankly who are true greats in their own right cannot compare to the numerous variables Fergie has had to contend with. Busby a brilliant manager never had to manage at all the different levels or adapt to the modern game. And we all know how unlucky he was with the great Munich side but still Busby only managed less than half of Fergie’s trophies at United alone.

Moreover, Fergie had to contend with the problems of history and United’s glamour when he came to United. The glamour meant teams lifted their game when they played against us while the combination of history and glamour meant many big time players couldn’t cope with the Old Trafford stage Birtles Davenport Brazil et al. When Fergie has built great teams he has built them to last and not for the odd season or two. He had little money at any of his clubs in Scotland but at United he was given funds, although to understand his position you have to understand that much of Fergie’s money has been created by his success, which created the wealth.

Criticism of Fergie can be labelled in several ways, he has made poor buys at times such as Veron, Taibi, Kleberson, Forlan, Djemba Djemba et al and in his time at United while he has dominated the English scene he has failed to dominate Europe in the same way. Although it should be pointed out he was hampered with the non English players rule for several seasons and no club has managed to win back to back Champions League trophies. Moreover, does the Premiership and its lack of Christmas/New Year break make it more difficult to win the Champions League? The Premiership has always been easier to win compared to division one in the 50s, 60s, 70s and the spending under Fergie has been higher, even in real terms than all the other top managers discussed. Although it can be said Fergie has earned his transfer budged primarily through success.

In his early years he had to buy from the lower divisions and sell as well as make the big transfer, which was very similar to the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle et al. However, unlike Busby’s day the number of clubs capable of winning the Premiership was only a fraction compared to today’s football. However it could again be argued that this was because Busby’s United never dominated football.

Trophies won :

St. Mirren
• Scottish First Division (1): 1976–77
Aberdeen
• Scottish Premier Division (3): 1979–80, 1983–84, 1984–85
• Scottish Cup (4): 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86
• Scottish League Cup (1): 1985–86
• UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (1): 1982–83
• UEFA Super Cup (1): 1983
Manchester United
• Premier League (11): 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
• FA Cup (5): 1989–90, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04
• League Cup (4): 1991–92, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10
• FA Charity/Community Shield (9): 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010 (* shared)
• UEFA Champions League (2): 1998–99, 2007–08
• UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (1): 1990–91
• UEFA Super Cup (1): 1991
• Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999
• FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Brian Clough

We now turn our attentions to Clough a career in management that began in 1965 to 1993.

To win the league with two different clubs is a remarkable feat, to do it with two teams that were in the second division when he first took over is a remarkable achievement and unsurpassed in English football.
Neither Derby nor Forest were recognised as large clubs. United, Liverpool, City, Arsenal, Leeds, Everton, Spurs, Villa, Newcastle and Sunderland to name but a few were much bigger clubs. Not only did he conquer the English league but managed to also conquer Europe winning the European Cup twice with Forest. Although never winning the FA cup he won the League cup. His teams always played wonderful attractive football and respected referees.
Unfortunately towards the end of his career he like Busby lost the plot to an even greater degree and Forest were relegated. He had fallen out with his great partner and friend a number of years earlier, Peter Taylor, and he never won any major trophy without him by his side (he won the League Cup but never the European Cup FA Cup or League). Clough failed at Leeds and Brighton, although some say he was never given a chance many argued that he should have been given the England job.

Clough’s reign at Derby was ended with a dispute with directors and chairman, which resulted in him being replaced he predicted that Derby could carry on for a few years without him but then it would fall apart. His prediction was true – Derby won the league again under the new management but shortly afterwards fell into a demise which to be truthful they have never fully come out of. It is probably slightly unfair to say that the manager who replaced Clough had no impact; he did after all manage the team when they won it.

Clough’s style although obviously extremely successful at times has to be questioned, he failed to hold down a top job with a big club lasting only 44 days with Leeds and he was never given the England job which brings in to question his style. Clough, although at times extremely successful has not managed it continuously over many years to match some of his compatriots.

Clough did remarkable things with Taylor at Derby and Forest but he could of and should have won a lot more trophies with the money at Forest. He created the wealth but failed to buy well with the results. Fashanu, Hartford, Wallace and Ward are just some of the players that failed to produce the goods for him when he could have won more; he also failed at Brighton and Leeds.

Trophies won :

Derby County
Winner:
• First Division: 1971–72
• Second Division: 1968–69
• Watney Cup: 1970
Leeds United
Runner-up:
• FA Charity Shield: 1974
Nottingham Forest
Winner:
• First Division: 1977–78
• League Cup: 1977–78, 1978–79, 1988–89, 1989–90
• European Cup: 1978–79, 1979–80
• FA Charity Shield: 1978
• European Super Cup: 1979
Runner-up:
• League Championship: 1978–79
• FA Cup: 1990–91
• League Cup: 1979–80, 1991–92
• European Super Cup: 1980
• Intercontinental Cup: 1980

Bob Paisley

We now turn to Bob Paisley, who managed Liverpool from 1974 to 1983

In many ways Paisley is the most successful manager, three European Cups, 6 League championships and 2 league cups. The FA cup always eluded him but in just 9 years of management what an achievement. He has won more European Cups than any manager in Britain; he did so when the only means to qualify was to win either the league or the European cup unlike today when you can finish 4th and still qualify. In 1999 United would not have been able to win the European cup and the treble had those rules still have been in place.

While it is true that Paisley’s efforts have to be put into context of what Bill Shankly had achieved previously, it would be a major mistake to give undue credit to Shanks at the expense of Paisley: Shankly turned Liverpool from an average second division side into the best team in England and one of the best in Europe. He joined in 1959 and got them promoted and won the league in 1964, 1966 and 1973, the FA Cup in 1965, and 1974, and the UEFA Cup in 1973.

He also left the club in the excellent shape, Paisley had been Liverpool coach under Shankly for numerous years and had never been manager before or after he resigned the Liverpool job. He himself left the club in a fantastic condition for Fagan and then Dalglish to carry on both the Liverpool way and their success, which was orchestrated by Shankly such as the world renowned boot room and training and fitness regimes. One of the most interesting ‘tit bits’ I come across researching this article was that Paisley could work out just watching a player training if he was on the verge of being injured.

However, Paisley took Liverpool into unknown territory, his team ruled both British and European football simultaneously under his charge, and unlike the other managers had no dry spells to speak of, only the odd year. However, his limited experience only 9 years at the top level, managing just one club, which was perhaps the richest club in England at the time, being able to break the transfer record and bring in the likes of Dalglish for £440,000, his lack of experience and therefore success at lower level leaves question marks as to whether he could have built clubs up from comparatively poor starting points such as Fergie at Aberdeen, St Mirren and to a lesser degree United, and Busby both after his appointment and again in 1958, and Clough at Derby and Forest.

I leave it up to you to decide but in my opinion Fergie just edges it over Busby! I should say that my only reservation to this list is Herbert Chapman whose career had it been after the 2nd world war would have been in this list and very close to the top at worst. I should also say Sir Alf Ramsey and Shankly deserve special mentions as great managers too.

Trophies Won:

Liverpool
• First Division
• Champions: 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83
• Runners-up: 1974–75, 1977–78
• European Cup
• Winners: 1977, 1978, 1981
• UEFA Cup
• Winners: 1976
• FA Cup
• Runners-up: 1977
• Football League Cup
• Winners: 1981, 1982, 1983
• Runners-up: 1978
• European Super Cup
• Winners: 1977
• Runners-up: 1978
• FA Charity Shield
• Winners: 1976, 1979, 1980, 1982
• Shared: 1977

Based on success at different levels, longevity, the changing game, and continued success it is difficult to see beyond Fergie.

AUTHOR: – Doron

I dislike Liverpool FC as much as the next United fan. But that’s normal right? That’s natural when there is an intense rivalry in sport. I’d be hard-pushed to find a Liverpool fan who doesn’t feel similarly about United. However, underneath the layers of rivalry, there are two very similar clubs with much in common.

I write this off the back of attending the FA Youth Cup tie at Anfield yesterday which was won by United 3-2. Reading the media reports of the game and having a quick scour at Twitter there has been a lot of focus on chants by some United fans in attendance about the Hillsborough and Heysel disasters.

It seemed a shame that these press reports were choosing to lead with titles such as “Liverpool v Manchester United youth tie marred by Hillsborough abuse” in the Independent; “Manchester United’s FA Youth Cup victory over Liverpool ends with hostile scenes” in The Telegraph; and “Sick chants, three arrests and four red cards ruin FA Youth Cup clash between Liverpool and Manchester United” in the Daily Mail. Actually, there was a brilliant game of football there yesterday, a match with passion between two rival sides. I’d rather watch games where no players are sent off but in many ways it’s nice to see that the rivalry and intensity of a Liverpool vs. Manchester United fixture doesn’t cool-off at U18 level.

Here’s the truth though about yesterday in terms of the sick chanting…

I decided to go purely for the football. I’m an avid supporter of our Reserve and Academy team and met up with similar like-minded fans at the game. There were between 300 and 400 United fans in attendance and the majority were there for the game – family and friends of the players playing or supporters like myself.

It’s sadly true that chants about the tragic death of Liverpool supporters at Hillsborough were sung about. As far as I could tell, there were no chants about Heysel. I must stress that these chants came from a minority of fans. It was actually quite refreshing to have some kind of atmosphere amongst the away fans at an Academy game; nearly all of us were singing songs about our own club. It’s also true that a few United fans were withdrawn from the stadium (and possibly arrested) for lighting a flare just before half-time.

The Kop, where Liverpool fans were seated (unless there were some above us too) was quiet on the day. I’ve not watched the full match back yet but I’m sure the chants about Hillsborough, even if only by 75 fans, would have been clearly heard on TV. It’s unacceptable from United fans however (and this doesn’t at all make the chants in any way ok) the reports in the media make it seem like this is the first time it’s happened. Indeed, sat in the Stretford End when we hosted Liverpool for the FA Cup tie in January, the chants were sung then too.

At this point, the blog originally contained the paragraph quoted below. Hand on heart, I believe I heard songs about Munich, however many Liverpool fans who were in The Kop have since told me they didn’t hear any. If I am wrong, I apologise and stand corrected. I won’t delete the paragraph as I’ll no doubt have names thrown at me but will leave it in as it’s relevant to some of the comments on the page. Of course Munich chanting happens at other games between the sides and is equally unacceptable.

“What also bothers me, is that none of these reports mention that chants about Munich were sung by a minority of Liverpool too. Consider this, The Kop is full, it holds just under 12,500 fans and I’m pretty certain I can hear Munich chants. There’s bound to be more than the 75 people singing around me about Hillsborough chanting about Munich opposite me, yet not a single one of these reports mentions it. Indeed, John Aldridge, a Liverpool fan, local lad and former player quite rightly expressed his disgust at the chants by some United fans on his Twitter page; however when questioned by myself and a few other Reds why he wasn’t also condemning the Liverpool fans who chanted about Munich he said nothing and ignored the question. I’m not suggesting John advocates Munich chants, even without knowing him I can safely say he’s equally as disgusted by them – any human being would be.”

Upon leaving the stadium I was greeted on the Anfield Road by Liverpool fans shouting “Munich bastard” at me (before any clever so-and-so asks how Liverpool fans could get round from The Kop so quickly, I was one of the last to leave as I’m on crutches and The Kop started to empty before full time).

 

Full Time in the game

 

The United players come and applaud the fans

It felt somewhat disappointing to wake up this morning and read online stories that lead with the behaviour of a minority of United supporters. When Liverpool fans chant about Munich, I’m sure likewise, it’s just that, a minority. Whilst I dislike the club, the fans are fine in general. On this blog we’ve had very pleasant comments from Liverpool supporters last weekend. I spoke with some Liverpool fans there in a pub after the game and didn’t have a single problem. The taxi drivers who took me to and from Anfield were both Liverpool fans and engaged in some light banter about the rivalry between our two clubs.

It’s sad that these chants exist, but they’ll never go away. Only on Saturday did journalist David Stringer say, “On a train up to Manchester, packed with Arsenal fans amusing themselves by singing the Munich song. Despicable.”. At that same game, songs were sung about Arsene Wenger. Unfortunately we’ll never rid the game of these chants, however we can condemn them.

It’s right the papers pointed out that a few United fans sang chants, it’s right to expose them.

Upon reflection, four red cards in the game was a good thing for the rivalry – it runs deep. It’s a good rivalry between two successful and ultimately very similar clubs. Passion was running high yesterday and the game itself was exciting, something that seems lost by the media reportings.

Fans on either side of the Liverpool-United divide won’t rush to admit it but there are many similarities between our clubs: legendary and successful managers; 18 league titles; European successes; traditionally manual labour Cities; a passion for Youth football (as I wrote about last week); and finally tragic disasters that will never be forgotten.

It’s that final similarity that fans should respect more than any other. Munich, Hillsborough and Heysel will never be forgotten in football. It’s an absolute credit to Liverpool fans and says a lot about them that on the recent anniversary of the Munich Disaster many of them tweeted respectful things.

As for our media, poorly researched and inaccurate match reports about yesterday aside (for example the Telegraph suggest Tunnicliffe is our captain when Thorpe is) – it’s good they reported the misdemeanour’s of the fans yet United fans shouldn’t be the only ones made an example out of.

In light of yesterday’s events and with the anniversaries of first Hillsborough and then Heysel coming up in the next two months, United fans should pay their respects to the loss of life. Chanting about them isn’t clever. Chanting about Munich isn’t clever. Sometimes football and rivalries should come second.

Any comments that include derogatory statements about Munich, Hillsborough or Heysel will be deleted

AUTHOR: – Doron and Tony

“This club strives for young players to come through the ranks. It’s within the United ethos” – Darren Fletcher. Never could a sentence be truer – United are simply the greatest club at producing young players for the first team. This weekend, United’s U18 side are at Anfield to face Liverpool in the quarter finals of the FA Youth Cup, we’ll compare the history of the two Academies and take a look at the current sides and how they’ve gotten this far.

Why write a piece ahead of this game in particular?

Man United are the FA Youth Cup’s record winners with nine triumphs – five of those came in the first five years of the competition (starting in 1953). Liverpool only won the trophy for the first time in 1996 and have gone on to win it twice since. The competition is considered to be prestigious with over 400 teams entering. It was originally set-up to help stimulate football post-War amongst the younger generations. Today, the final gets TV and media coverage emphasising just how important this competition is considered for the future of young footballers.

When Manchester United’s youth pedigree is mentioned, automatically people think back to the class of ’92. Truth be told, it was the following year that Scholes and Phil Neville played in the FA Youth Cup final, joining Gary Neville, Giggs, Beckham and Butt who’d played the year before but unsurprisingly ’93 is forgotten as United lost the final to Leeds. Few people outside of United truly appreciate just how successful United’s Academy has been at producing footballers for the first team. By contrast, to quote both The Liverpool Echo and Christopher Davies from the Daily Mail, Liverpool have a “famous youth system”. Fame aside, just how do the two Academies compare?

Academies head-to-head:

Comparing Liverpool’s Academy success in terms of actually producing players for the club with United’s is quite staggering:

Liverpool have brought through 69 players from the Youth team
Manchester United have brought through 161 players from the Youth team

Liverpool have had 19 of those 69 reach 100 league appearances or more
Manchester United have had 38 of those 161 players reach 100 league appearances or more

Liverpool youth players have amassed 6,519 First Team league games
Manchester United players have amassed 12,505 First Team league games

Liverpool have won five European Cups with 7 Youth players featuring in the successful finals
Manchester United have won three European Cups with 17 Youth players featuring in the successful finals

NB definition of a Youth player is someone who played youth football at an under 18 level; the criteria for going on to be included as a first team player involves not playing first team football for any other club. For example, Lee Sharpe is excluded as he played first team football for Torquay before joining United

Whilst the figures show that all-round United’s Academy has been far more successful, one has to recognise that United’s is a freak Academy. The success the club have had in terms of production is no fluke but is unmatched by anyone. Liverpool, like United can boast of players playing at the top level in English football who didn’t quite make it at the club – Stephen Warnock and Danny Guthrie being two good examples.

United’s success, is as I said no fluke. Taking inspiration from Sir Matt Bubsy, Jimmy Murphy and Joe Armstrong, United have always tried to replicate the achievements of The Busby Babes – home produced players. The Sir Alex Ferguson era has been particularly fruitful but this success has been down to having passionate people overseeing the Academy – Brian Kidd, Eric Harrison, Nobby Stiles and more recently Brian McClair.

Of the two sides, Liverpool have had the most recent success, winning the competition in 2006 and then beating United to it in 2007 on penalties. United’s last victory came back in 2003. The sides have met on ten occasions in this tournament with United victorious six times:

30th October 1954 – United won 4-1 at Anfield (Colman, Brennan 2, Adams)
8th October 1960 – United won 3-0 at Old Trafford (Chisnall, Ackerley 2)
17th January 1966 – United lost 0-3
25th January 1982 – United drew 0-0 at Old Trafford
1st February 1982 – United won 1-0 at Anfield (Pearson)
9th February 1991 – United won 3-1 at Old Trafford (Gordon pen, Giggs, McKee)
5th March 1996 – United lost 2-3 at Anfield (Brebner, Twiss)
7th January 1997 – United won 2-1 at Anfield (D. Brown, Notman pen)
14th April 2007 – United won 2-1 at Anfield (OG and Hewson pen)
26th April 2007 – United lost 0-1 at Old Trafford and 3-4 on pens in Final

The eleventh meeting between the two sides in this competition may yet be the most memorable. Rarely in recent years has a United Academy team been so talked about (increased awareness via Twitter, blogs and the club website) or had so much coverage on MUTV. Likewise, this Liverpool side will seek to once again win the trophy but also the players will try to progress on into the first team, something that personnel from previous sides failed to do during the Benitez era. Ahead of the game we’ll tell you how each side has got this far and pick out a couple of players worth watching.

Liverpool U18s in the FA Youth Cup 2010/11:

Premier League side’s Academies enter the competition at the third round stage and have to win three matches before reaching the quarter finals:

3rd Round: Notts County 0-4 Liverpool (Adorjan, Ngoo 2, Sterling)
4th Round: Liverpool 3-1 Crystal Palace (Gauti Emilsson 2, Coady) – after extra time
5th Round: Liverpool 9-0 Southend (Sterling 5, Coady, Sama, Morgan, Silva)

Since defeating Southend, Liverpool have played four games and scored 15 goals; however they’ve not kept a clean sheet. They are currently on a 12 match unbeaten and most recently beat Blackburn 5-1. Their last defeat was back in October against West Brom.

Raheem Sterling, the 16 year old flying winger has been talked already in the press following his brace against Southend. He was signed last summer from Q.P.R and already then was being dubbed a future star. His impact has been so impressive that he was recently involved in the first team squad for a Europa League match. His lightning pace will no doubt keep United’s fullbacks busy.

Conor Coady is an England Youth international who can play at centre back or in the midfield. He captained the Liverpool U18 side last year and now is a member of the Reserve team but still plays some of the U18 games. He’s known for being very calm in possession and a good organiser of his team-mates. Like Sterling, Coady has been with the first-team and he now trains with them too at Melwood (the rest of the U18s train at Kirkby).

Suso or Jesus Fernandez Saez is a 17 year old Spanish player signed in the summer from Cadiz CF. He plays as a striker who likes to drop deep. His dribbling and close control have earned him a lot of praise and he’s been involved with the first team on a number of occasions now. He signed a professional contract with the club six months ago and despite rarely playing at U18 any more he’s likely to feature against United.

Finally, Michael Ngoo may trigger something inside Red heads – he was on trial at the club 18 months ago but ended up joining Liverpool from Southend. Due to his height, comparisons have been made with Peter Crouch. Jason Banton is a left winger or a striker who has recently joined from Blackburn. He’s given United problems in the past and is considered to be a highly talented and very fast player.

Man United U18s in the FA Youth Cup 2010/11:

United’s progress so far hasn’t been quite as impressive as Liverpool’s but the scorelines tell only half the story:

3rd Round: Man United 3-2 Portsmouth (Pogba, OG, W.Keane)

United made hard-work of what was quite a one sided match. Paul Pogba’s stunning long range shot opened the scoring before the Portsmouth goalkeeper punched Larnell Cole’s corner into his own net. William Keane made it three with a superb finish after good work by Tunnicliffe and would have had a hat-trick had two further goals not been incorrectly ruled out. Despite poor conditions, United passed the ball about superbly but were stunned and punished for thinking the game was over as Pompey scored two late goals inside the last five minutes.

4th Round: West Ham 0-1 Man United (W.Keane)

In truth, the game at West Ham was a poor one. Neither side were truly able to control the game as West Ham’s tough tackling matched up well against United. The only goal came in the first half and stemmed from some great skill and a goal keeping error. Larnell Cole juggled the ball before hitting a volley at goal; Cowler, in goal spilled the ball and William Keane’s striking instincts saw him react first to smash the ball into the net. United held out at the end and West Ham were unlucky not to have a penalty following a Fornasier handball.

5th Round: Man United 1-0 Newcastle United (Morrison)

The victory over Newcastle was the most comfortable of the lot. It was amazing that the scoreline ended 1-0 as United had 35 efforts on goal. The midfield trio of Tunnicliffe, Pogba and Morrison were simply unplayable. It was a moment of magic from Morrison that won the game. Morrison dummied two players inside the box before making space on his weaker side and smashing the ball in off the underside of the bar. It was an entertaining performance but United will be concerned they couldn’t make the scoreline more emphatic.

The win over Newcastle came off the back of three straight league defeats for the side. However since then there have been impressive wins, 6-1 over Man City and 3-0 away at Blackburn. Most recently they drew 2-2 to Stoke. All three performances though were excellent and have seen two players in particular receive a lot of praise.

Larnell Cole is a young midfielder at United who’s played in 18 of the 23 Academy games this season. Having played 20 times last year, Cole, a central midfielder looked like he might struggle for games due to the trio of Tunnicliffe, Pogba and Morrison all being ahead of him. This year however, with the Academy lacking wingers, he’s been able to make the right wing position his own. Cole has always been quick but short and had struggled against bigger players but work in the gym looks to be paying off and despite still being little he is now quite stocky and looks much more confident.

Cole’s technically superb. He’s quite different from some of the midfielders that have come through the ranks at the club in that respect. He loves time on the ball and seems to have an incredible ability to make it stick to his feet. His low centre of gravity gives him superb balance and a quick shimmy of his body sends an opponent the wrong way. He recently played in his favoured central position against Man City and ended up scoring a stunning hat-trick. After that game against City, Jim Ryan who works at the Academy said of Cole (and Lingard):

“It’s a nice story… both of these boys came through the system of the club but they’ve always been very small, especially Jessie, very thin… and on some Sunday mornings they’ve had to take hammerings from other teams, maybe City, where their physical size has overpowered them but they’ve persevered and persevered and the Youth Academy has persevered with them until they play on Saturday morning and they become almost unplayable, the two of them, against the same boys, probably, that were knocking them about 3 or 4 years ago… it’s great for the boys, absolutely a credit to them, but it’s also nice for all the Academy coaches who persevered and persevered with boys who might have been released by other clubs.”

Cole hasn’t featured for the Reserves this season but made two appearances last year. The second as a sub in the final game of the season when he came off the bench to score a stunning winning goal away at Burnley. His style has at times been compared to the current great Barcelona players, Iniesta and Xavi. Whilst that does seem rather far-fetched he is certainly in that mould of passing and moving and keeping the ball whilst his vision is excellent. He should start at Anfield, certainly his recent form deserves it.

Michele Fornasier is still just 17 but already has become a commanding and destructive (in a good sense) centre back. He has formed a strong partnership with Tom Thorpe this season which has been compared to the Vidic/Ferdinand partnership in the first team. Fornasier joined in the summer of 2009 from Fiorentina. He had captained their youth sides right up to the U16 level. His transfer made headliness as United were accused of poaching the youngster. He was on trial at the club as part of the squad was entered into the annual Milk Cup tournament and then signed a formal contract. United were never charged as the transfer was deemed to be legal.

In his first season, Fornasier played 18 times for the Academy and made one reserve appearance as a substitute. This season he has made more appearances than anyone else at U18 level, playing 19 times and has made one further substitute appearance for the Reserve team. Like Vidic, Fornasier seems to be brave and courageous – he challenges and generally wins every header whilst he’s tough tackling if the ball is on the ground. He’s not fast but his positional play has definitely improved and seems to have compensated for any battles he may have lost based on speed.

Importantly his partnership with Thorpe has provided a real back-bone to the side. Both players are able to play the ball well and don’t look uncomfortable with it at their feet. There are concerns over the fitness of the pair though. Fornasier was hauled off at half time against Stoke whilst Thorpe injured his back against Blackburn at the end of February and hasn’t featured since.

Should United’s first choice centre back pairing miss out then it will be a huge blow as the centre forward pairing of William Keane and John Cofie has been broken too. Cofie is recovery from knee surgery and this game will be too soon for him whilst Keane suffered a dead leg against well over a month ago now and is yet to return although he may do for this fixture.

Besides the players mentioned already, this site has profiled the exciting midfield trio of Paul Pogba, Ravel Morrison and Ryan Tunnicliffe this season too.

In conclusion…

The game should be excellent, there is no doubting that this United side is as strong as any in recent history. The winners will take on Chelsea, the current holders of the cup in a two legged semi-final. It pits two of the best Academies at present in the country against each other for the first of three meetings that will take place before mid-April. History is on United’s side but luck with injuries isn’t at the moment. Certainly Liverpool’s once famous Academy will try and claim the bragging rights of the North, however in my own opinion, they have a long way to go before they can come close to toppling the impressive record that United have of producing first team players.

NB Tickets are available on the gate for this game. Fans will be segregated and United I believe will have the usual away section that’s given to the club for first team games. Kick off is at midday.

A few pictures from the ‘archives’:

FA Youth Cup winners in 1992

Manchester United U18 side in 1992

FA Youth Cup winners in 1995

FA Youth Cup winners in 2003

Our thanks to TriciaRKG for the pictures

AUTHOR: – Doron and Tony

AUTHOR: – Bricki

Do you matter?

I mean you buy the shirt, you pay for your tickets (or tv subscription), you cheer the team on through good and bad… so do you matter?

I ask this question because in the last week we have lost two games that could define our season and approach a cup game against the team who are closest to stopping our title push… So why have we heard nothing from our manager?

Granted we heard from him straight after the Chelsea game but that was merely complaining about the referees performance. After the break we got with Rooney staying on the pitch against Wigan it was hard to take the complaints too seriously anyway.

Yet once charged for his comments post match we were denied the opportunity of the Friday morning press conference and any views we could take into the Liverpool game over the weekend. This resulted in the build up for the game being dominated by the journalists having to work with what they had… a silent Sir Alex and the percieved injustice done against the team.

I am not a fan of managers being interviewed moments after the game has finished so this is not a complaint that we didnt see anyone from the club as they left the pitch. To not have anyone attend a press conference before or after the game though is a fairly big message to the fans that they do not matter.

In the immediate aftermath of the game a managers emotions can still be very high, evidenced by the comments about the referee that Sir Alex made after the Chelsea game. A 20 – 30 minute break before sitting down with the press/tv would allow a manager to compose his thoughts, see any replays he may need on certain incidents and prepare himself for the questioning that is to follow.

After the poor results of the last week, down partly to decisions not going our way, poor performances and some general bad luck now is the time i want to hear Sir Alex on how the team will handle it and the approach to be taken.

The ‘siege’ mentality that the team takes on in times of ‘perceived’ injustices has proven useful in the past but to leave the fans out of this situation by even refusing to speak local or in house media is not going to help the fans get behind the team. To not give the fans any sort of comment or news out of the squad smacks of a child taking their ball home because they are not getting what they want.

Dont get me wrong i dont feel we had much ‘luck’ in the decisions of the last two games but we also got a big slice of luck in the Wigan game and in others over the season so to back a referee one week and slaughter one the week after doesnt help the team either.

I am more interested in the approach the manager takes in preparing for a game, the tactics, the style of play and the players who have been doing well or not in training. On his day Sir Alex is a joy to listen to and has many opinions on the game that are relevant but to not allow the fans access to this thought process will back fire in the long run as people tire of the ‘childish’ attitude he takes.

The amount of money, time and devotion that fans put into following and supporting the club should guarantee that we are given the time by the team management to hear their thoughts in the good and bad times.

To deny the the fans access to hearing from their own team/management is like taking a childs favourite toy away from them, eventually they will tire asking for it and move onto something else… Will the fans tire and look elsewhere? it may not happen overnight but its not impossible…

AUTHOR: – Doron

The chance to open up a 6 point lead over Arsenal was squandered as United fell to back-to-back defeats for the first time in nearly two years. Liverpool powered to a 3-1 win and below we’ll try to discuss the main talking points.

Talking Points

4-4-2 over 4-5-1?

It came as a huge surprise to me when I saw the team lining up in a 4-4-2 formation. Despite incorrectly predicting the personnel in our match preview I still expected a 4-5-1 system to be used with Giggs inside and Rooney wide left. The beauty of such a system was that it allows for a change to a 4-4-2 without the need for any substitutions – Giggs wide left and Rooney rotates round to be a striker.

The next surprise was to see a flat back four from Liverpool in a change from their usual formation Kenny Dalglish has adopted. Liverpool lined up with Meireles on the right and Maxi on the left, both as narrow wingers. In the middle, Gerrard sat deep with Lucas just ahead of him. Kuyt and Suarez rotated their movement; whilst one held high, the other would go deep to complete a three man central midfield for Liverpool:

Click on images to enlarge

Heatmaps for Suarez and Kuyt

As shown above, Suarez spent 46% off his time when passing the ball away from the final third of the pitch, and Kuyt 48%. By dropping deep, especially in defence it meant that United were overrun in the middle:

Liverpool’s 3 men in the middle vs United’s 2 men

As shown (above) it left Carrick and Scholes to play against three central plays and two wingers coming narrow, hence both Scholes and Carrick were isolated and as we’d come to discover, both would have poor games. As the game went on it became clear that United were struggling. Liverpool continuously had a man spare – usually the runner, someone coming from deep and arriving into the penalty area. So obvious was this early on that it lead to the commentator on Sky saying after only 13 minutes, “this game is already looking stretched” – quite simply there was too much space for Liverpool around the United midfield.

As soon as Liverpool scored their two quick-fire goals – which despite United enjoy periods of possession – had been looking more likely than any United goal, United had to stick with their 4-4-2 as it is generally the more attacking of the two formations we tend to deploy.

Personally, and no one has to agree if they don’t want to, but I feel United started too boldly with a 4-4-2. I’d have preferred caution and sense with a 4-5-1 with the option to revert to the more attacking formation should it be needed. It’s not often that Ferguson gets the tactics wrong, and on the rare occasions he does, he usually makes the correct changes to fix it (Blackpool away is a great example). However, today I think he is as responsible as any of the players in slipping below the standard required. After all, we laud the great man when we win so he too is as accountable when we lose, and certainly isn’t excused from any criticism.

United unable to get the ball back or forward

For all the possession United had today (562 attempted passes with a success rate of 79% compared to Liverpool’s 421 passes at a success rate of 70%) United created very little and used the ball ineffectively. One can argue the point that the tactics restricted the play – with an outnumbered midfield it meant as hard as it was to defend against Liverpool, it was even harder to break them down. United lacked options as players were quickly closed down however this doesn’t excuse the poor individual performances and the fact United seemed unable to conjure up anything for the majority of the game that threatened Liverpool:

Nani and Giggs passing

Carrick and Scholes passing

Whilst the two chalkboards above both show how United actually kept the ball well (blue = successful passes), they emphasise how hard it was for our midfield four to play a successful ball into the box. Only 8 times throughout the match did United successfully pass the ball into the Liverpool penalty area (the diagrams show 6 but Rooney played 2 successful balls into the penalty area in the second half when he went to the left wing). By contrast, Liverpool managed this on 15 occasions. As if Liverpool needed help in the box, United assisted two of their goals anyway!

On the three occasions, United nearly did score (before Chicharito’s late goal) the delivery into the box was only good from set pieces. Berbatov hit the post with a moment of inspiration – a long range shot with the outside of his boot; Brown had a half-header deflected and cleared off the line whilst the best chance fell to Berbatov who had a header following a flick-on cleared off the line.

Liverpool successfully nullified the threat that United pose and rely on this season – wing play. Only four successful crosses were completed out of 22. It begs the question, do United rely on wingers too much? Wing play has always been associated with the club but this season there appears to be a lot of reliance on our wide players for attacking inspiration. I don’t have a problem with this and think it’s an easy excuse to make when on one of the rare occasions this season our wingers failed to “gee-up” the team but I do believe it’s a point well worthy of discussion.

United’s unsuccessful (18) and successful crosses (4)

United’s inability to get the ball forward effectively was not helped by an inability to get the ball back. Across the midfield there were failed tackles with 11 attempted and only 2 won:

The only two successful midfield tackles (in blue)

Once again it is possible to point at the tactics and suggest they didn’t help in this instance. United’s midfielders were outnumbered and the spare man meant it was hard to get a tackle in for fear of leaving someone free. As it was, United often committed themselves and allowed a free runner to get in behind the midfield.

The only positives

In a game where 3 goals were conceded it may seem strange to suggest that the centre backs did well. Missing Vidic, Ferdinand and Evans, the pairing of Brown and Smalling would have appeared susceptible. The pair had never started a game together at centre back and were not helped today. Rafael, for all his promise shown this season, looked like a player who hadn’t featured recently, whilst Evra, captain on the day looked unfit and unable to run easily all game. Pressure was therefore on Brown and Smalling to keep Liverpool at bay.

Both centre backs could have done better for the first Liverpool goal however other than that I felt they did well enough. Neither could have predicted Nani inexplicable header towards his own goal that set up Liverpool’s second goal and although Smalling played Kuyt onside for the third goal, Edwin should have parried the ball round the post rather than at the feet of Kuyt to smash the ball in.

Smalling once again looked an assured presence on the ball and alongside Brown, the pair won lots of key tackles:

Smalling and Brown tackles

The pair were kept busy all afternoon and the next chalkboard merely emphasises that (unsuccessful clearances count for very little so don’t read too much into all the red dots):

Smalling and Brown clearances

In the initial aftermath of the game, it seems like there were very few positives to take but I felt our centre backs did well given the lack of support they had from under-performing team-mates around them.

Bad tackles

Just before half-time the game took a nasty twist. A late, bad, rash and reckless foul on Nani by Carragher infuriated United players. Nani was able to get up, grab the referee to point out the damage before rolling on the floor again and crying. An explanation as to how Nani was able to get up in the first place is simple – adrenaline. Only once the pain hit him did he fall back down again, the initial shock of the tackle was yet to hit him.

The challenge by Carragher was truly awful. Phil Dowd got it wrong by not sending him off, that’s straightforward and clear-cut. It seems lucky that the injury to Nani is only a deep gash yet he was unable to take part in any more of the game.

Here’s the tackle in case you missed it:

A couple of images of the wound have been put online too, the first was uploaded by The Sun (although one has to question if it’s been doctored – what is the white in the wound?):

The second was uploaded by Craig Norwood and is more graphic but clearly the same wound (see the rip at the top of the wound going to the right in both pictures):

The sudden anger that entered into the game lead to another poor challenge just a minute later. This time, Rafael launched into a tackle on Lucas. Rafael got yellow carded by referee Dowd but Maxi escaped caution having fouled Rafael badly in the build-up. Arguably both players were lucky to escape red cards.

You can make your own mind up by re-watching that incident here:

Match Conclusion

A trip to Anfield offered the perfect opportunity to complete a hat-trick of wins this season over arch rivals Liverpool. In the league, three points would have opened a six point gap over Arsenal. However, Liverpool started the game strongly with Luis Suarez looked dangerous. The first close effort of the afternoon came from Berbatov though – 25 yards out he hit a dipping shot with the outside of his boot that had Reina beaten but just clipped the post. Liverpool started to prod more and only solid defending stopped them getting a real sighting of goal.

It was United again though who came close to scoring. A Wes Brown header took a deflection and had to be cleared off the line by Liverpool. The breakthrough came on 34 minutes, Suarez’s feet were took quick for Rafael, Carrick and Brown, his shot was saved by van der Sar but Kuyt following up beat Smalling to the ball to tap in from a yard. Only two minutes later the lead was doubled. A Suarez cross was inexplicably headed the wrong way by Nani and Kuyt was able to nod home unchallenged from yards out. The half ended with Nani off injured after a shocking tackle by Carragher who was only shown a yellow card. As tempers flared two more poor tackles followed, Maxi on Rafael and Rafael on Lucas – both offenders were lucky to stay on the pitch but only Rafael was booked.

United started the second half with purpose and had another header cleared off the line, this time it came off Berbatov’s head. Van der Sar did well to save an effort from Meireles who was clean through on goal however the veteran keeper was at fault for Liverpool’s third goal. Suarez’s free kick was parried into the path of the onside Kuyt to tap home for a hat-trick. Edwin will be disappointed not to have turned the ball away from goal and behind for a corner as the free kick wasn’t particularly powerful. United did finally score, Chicharito headed home well from a Giggs cross deep in injury time for his 10th league goal from only 14 shots on target. A terrible afternoon was compounded by the club refusing to speak to any media sources including MUTV and banning the players from doing so too.

Aside from the game, Park and Valencia did travel with the playing squad to Anfield, suggesting they are both now close to returns. With Nani injured they may be needed soon as United will look to avoid three defeats in a row when they take on Arsenal at Old Trafford in the FA Cup on Saturday 12th March.

AUTHOR: – Doron