Liverpool v Man Utd tactics: Alex Keble previews the big Premier League clash at Anfield
Despite the huge points gap between the two, Alex Keble has a tactical word of caution for Liverpool as they face their dangerous old enemy Man Utd at Anfield.
It’s an old adage, and often a bland cliché, that form goes out of the window on derby day, but if the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford is anything to go by then the North-West derby conforms to this more than most. Liverpool and Manchester United are separated by 27 points in the Premier League table and yet it would be unwise to write off Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
For starters, Liverpool may again play the rivalry and play the badge, rather than recognise the huge tactical and technical chasm between the two sides this season. But more significantly, Jurgen Klopp will probably once again be fearful of the sheer amount of pace United have on both flanks. United are deeply flawed, and yet in many ways they are precisely the sort of team that can cause the league-leaders problems – and possibly even end their unbeaten record.
Throughout his time as permanent manager Solskjaer has focused far too heavily on speed, failing to give detailed tactical instructions for when United are faced with deep-lying opponents. It’s why they so often fall flat when forced to hog possession only to come alive when allowed to sit deep and counter-attack. United have won 14 points from eight games against the Big Six (plus Leicester City), a record that has suddenly worsened after defeats to Arsenal and Man City in the last fortnight.
Liverpool would be wise, then, to show caution, particularly given the importance of their full-backs bombing forward in Klopp’s 4-3-3. Throughout the campaign so far they have managed to avoid looking vulnerable despite Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold practically playing as wingers, leaving just two centre-backs and a defensive midfielder to shepherd an entire half of the pitch.
Red Devils a danger on the break
Fabinho’s absence this weekend puts their defensive strength in doubt, as does the form of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Mason Greenwood, three players with a brilliant sense of how and when to pierce down the wings. The most significant tactical battle of this game is the result of its inevitable wider pattern; as Liverpool dominate the ball, probing for a gap in Solskjaer’s sturdy defence, United will wait for the chance to break at speed behind the hosts’ full-backs.
The plan could easily work, especially if Fred performs as well as he did in the 2-1 win at the Etihad in December, a game that closely resembles how Sunday’s clash could turn out. Man City held 72% possession but were exposed on the counter thanks to superb displays from Fred and Scott McTominay, who not only kept Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva quiet but sharply instigated break-aways with sharp forward passing.
Players like Fred are much better when United’s shape is naturally more compressed – in other words, pinned in their own third – because an absence of detailed coaching from Solskjaer can otherwise leave the central midfielders with too much ground to cover. Roles are simplified and minds are focused by Big Six clashes and United’s easily recognisable game-plan: soak up pressure and sprint down the wings.
But Liverpool remain favourites, of course, and certainly in front of the Kop would expect their constant pressure to eventually lead to goals. The mismatch in key battlegrounds would certainly suggest United fans should be more worried than their rivals.
Brandon Williams has deputised well at left-back but the very selection of a young and inexperienced player in this role reflects Solskjaer’s lack of options. His positional play, from a defensive standpoint, has caused some problems in recent weeks and Mohamed Salah will expect to find joy running directly at the 19-year-old. By contrast, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a brick wall and the league’s best tackler; Sadio Mane will have to change up his game to get the better of the England international.
Hosts should dominate in midfield
To return to the midfield battle, Liverpool should have the telling advantage irrespective of Fred’s talent. McTominay is a huge miss, while in United’s 2-1 win at the Etihad Jesse Lingard performed admirably as a number ten who could sew the lines between a deep blockade and a counter-attacking front three. Lingard missed the 4-0 win over Norwich through illness, and even if he is fully recovered by this weekend may not be in the right head space. Rumours of impending departure have only grown since Lingard hired Mino Raiola as his agent.
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Consequently, Georgino Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should be able to swarm and unsettle United enough to shut down those breaks at source. That Liverpool have conceded just one goal in their last 11 matches in all competitions is as much to do with the complexity and tenacity of Klopp’s midfield as it is Virgil van Dijk’s work at the back.
And yet, and yet. Solskjaer has only played Klopp twice as a manager, drawing both. This fixture has a habit of throwing up surprises, from the 1-1 back in October to the peculiar 0-0 draw in February of the 2018/19 season that dented Liverpool’s momentum and ultimately proved to be a title-denying result.
The pace in the United attack could be a serious problem should Liverpool over-stretch themselves in search of a winning goal. The pressure of wanting to hold onto their unbeaten league record could create some tension where previously Liverpool have shown nerves of steel. A Man Utd victory is by no means out of the question.
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