Ask any United supporter and they’d swear that Liverpool have held the Indian sign over them at Anfield in the last two seasons.
Who can forget how a resurgent Liverpool led by the irrepressible Luis Suarez ran rings around what some United fans would argue was a makeshift defence in March this year. Nevertheless, it was a comprehensive victory that would surely have left a bitter taste in the mouths of every Red Devils fan.
This weekend Manchester United make the short Lancashire trip down the M62 to their arch rivals, the team they knocked off the proverbial perch last season. It’s going to be a cracker of a game, one that’s as hard to predict as it is palpable to watch.
United will be in a bullish mood considering the fact that they had started the season like a house on fire but Liverpool haven’t done too badly themselves. Kenny Dalglish has built a team that have been steady if not spectacular and the return of Captain Marvel, Steven Gerrard should be a massive boost for them.
If there are weaknesses in both teams I’d say it would be in the defence – perhaps more so with United than Liverpool. The absence of Nemanja Vidic who has been out since the game against West Brom has exposed a frailty not normally associated with a United side.
Even the imperious Phil Jones who has looked absolutely phenomenal in a United shirt has done little to plug the gaps noticed in their games against Chelsea, FC Basel and more recently, Norwich City. It looks likely though that Vidic is set to return but again Anfield has never been a great hunting ground for him.
What United might lack in defence, they’ll most certainly make up for in attack where the combination of Rooney, Ashley Young and Welbeck or Hernandez could prove more than a handful for Carragher and company.
Rooney will no doubt be the subject of vitriolic abuse because of his Evertonian roots and will also be reminded at every opportunity of his misfortunes last week while playing for England.
One can only hope that whatever is thrown at him is kept at the level of good old banter and that the game is not marred by overzealous supporters from both sides whose verbal Tourette’s in the past have been anything but cordial.
Will United exorcise their Anfield demons on Saturday or will they be handed a familiar lesson by Liverpool? I’d go out on a limb and say United will edge this encounter by a very slight margin.
follow Abiye at Talk EPL
Who can forget how a resurgent Liverpool led by the irrepressible Luis Suarez ran rings around what some United fans would argue was a makeshift defence in March this year. Nevertheless, it was a comprehensive victory that would surely have left a bitter taste in the mouths of every Red Devils fan.
This weekend Manchester United make the short Lancashire trip down the M62 to their arch rivals, the team they knocked off the proverbial perch last season. It’s going to be a cracker of a game, one that’s as hard to predict as it is palpable to watch.
United will be in a bullish mood considering the fact that they had started the season like a house on fire but Liverpool haven’t done too badly themselves. Kenny Dalglish has built a team that have been steady if not spectacular and the return of Captain Marvel, Steven Gerrard should be a massive boost for them.
If there are weaknesses in both teams I’d say it would be in the defence – perhaps more so with United than Liverpool. The absence of Nemanja Vidic who has been out since the game against West Brom has exposed a frailty not normally associated with a United side.Even the imperious Phil Jones who has looked absolutely phenomenal in a United shirt has done little to plug the gaps noticed in their games against Chelsea, FC Basel and more recently, Norwich City. It looks likely though that Vidic is set to return but again Anfield has never been a great hunting ground for him.
What United might lack in defence, they’ll most certainly make up for in attack where the combination of Rooney, Ashley Young and Welbeck or Hernandez could prove more than a handful for Carragher and company.
Rooney will no doubt be the subject of vitriolic abuse because of his Evertonian roots and will also be reminded at every opportunity of his misfortunes last week while playing for England.
One can only hope that whatever is thrown at him is kept at the level of good old banter and that the game is not marred by overzealous supporters from both sides whose verbal Tourette’s in the past have been anything but cordial.
Will United exorcise their Anfield demons on Saturday or will they be handed a familiar lesson by Liverpool? I’d go out on a limb and say United will edge this encounter by a very slight margin.
follow Abiye at Talk EPL
As the cliche goes "form-book goes out the window with this one."
ReplyDeleteWith both teams having great attacks, I can't see either side keeping a clean sheet. Neither defence has looked rock-solid this season.
I just hope the game isn't decided by controversial ref decisions...
- Wilson.
Have to say on the balance of play today, Liverpool just about deserved to win the game. It wasn't a spectacular display by both teams and lacked the fireworks I expected perhaps until the last 10 minutes but there's certainly no doubt that Liverpool are on the up under Dalglish and Sir Alex was tentative in his line-up. Gerrard had a massive game and De Gea made saves that showed why United spent all that money for him.
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