Man Utd vs Liverpool

[Rory Fitzgerald]

The league's top 2 goalscorers go head to head - 16 goals vs 15 goals.

 

 

 

 

 

The 10 game form guide;

 

Man Utd: W8 D1 L1

Liverpool: W4 D4 L2

 

Their home record is excellent with a record of W9 D0 L1 (Spurs of all teams were the team not to roll over). Of the 10 home games this season though they have only kept 3 clean sheets (5 overall in 21 games). The flip side is that in 9 of those 10 games they have scored at least 2 goals !! and the other was just 1 i.e. they have scored in every home league game this season.

 

Our away record is W3 D4 L3. We have 2 clean sheets away from home.

 

Their last defeat in the league was on 17-Nov-12 when they lost 1-0 away to Norwich.

 

The last 5 meetings at Old Trafford in the league has seen them win 4 and us 1.

 

United's points tally so far is impressive as only 4 teams in the past 21 years have won 52pts by the 21st game. That said, its their 2nd worst defensive record after as many games with 28 conceded.

 

Of their 21 games, the most common score has been winning 3-2 as they have won 25% of their games by this scoreline though only 1 of those wins was at Old Trafford. Its a remarkable recurrance. There have only been 10 games with a scoreline of 3-2 this season and Utd have been involved in 6 of them - winning 5 and losing 1.

 

There has been no consistency in the United team in the past 4 league games as Ferguson has rotated the team with only 5 players starting in all those 4 games. Wayne Rooney has missed the past 3 games since Swansea and Ferguson CLAIMS he will miss Liverpool - smells like the usual siht he pulls before a game with us.

bold = Played all 4

Italic = Played 3 of last 4

 

De Gea*

Rafael* Evans* Ferdinand Evra

Valencia Cleverley* Carrick Young

Van Persie Hernandez*

* Played in FA Cup

RB position has rotated between Rafael, Smalling and Jones recently.

Evans has been partnered by Ferdinand (2) and Vidic (2) in the last 4.

Giggs played the last game at Wigan but Valencia played the previous 3.

 

Our Approach ?

 

Irrespective of set up, someone needs to sit on Carrick. Play Henderson and given he is the further forward of the midfield these days, he'd be ideal to pressure Carrick. Try make them force play through Cleverley as much as possible.

 

United score plenty but they concede a few too. I think we need to go there and try to get at them rather than sitting back with a 3 man back line. 2 questions Allen or Henderson and if Sturridge plays, how is he lining Suarez and Sturridge up i.e. will one be told to naturally drift wide. I'd go with

Reina

Wisdom Skrtel Agger Johnson

Gerrard Lucas Henderson

Sturridge Suarez Sterling

(A variation could be 4-3-1-2. Rest Sterling and play Gerrard ahead of a 3 man midfield and just behind Suarez and Sturridge - he could naturally sit on Carrick in this position. The midfield could even play as a diamond with Henderson and Allen as the runners and Lucas more disciplined. However, it could put pressure on the full backs to provide width and leave us exposed).

 

Positives: The United defence is there to be got at and plenty have teams done that so by playing an attacking trio that has some pace, skill and full of confidence, we could get behind them when their attacks break down.

 

Negatives: We put Wisdom in against the best attack in the league with little cover ahead of him. The set up takes no account of Utd being the best attacking team in the league in terms of our defensive set up. It could also be the 1st time we try a front line with Suarez & Sturridge and teething problems are not something you want to be fighting as well at Old Trafford.

 

Approach would be to play our own game and look to cause them as much trouble as possible. We are likely to concede but they are not rock solid so our best form of defence looks like being ball retention and trying to expose them in defence.

 

Spoiler hides a possible 5-3-2 set up.

 

 

There is no getting away from the fact that we also have a weak underbelly. If we are to be conservative and go 5-3-2, we could go as follows;

 

Reina

Johnson Skrtel Carra Agger Downing

Gerrard Lucas Henderson

Suarez Sturridge

 

Positives: We reduce the space in the channels for United to attack us between and affords a little more cover to the full back. It also puts Suarez & Sturridge in more central positions and both are players that are not shy about running straight at goal with ability to beat a man if a chance presents itself on the break.

 

Negatives: No natural width higher up the pitch is an open invitation for their full backs to overlap even more. Downing could be up against Valencia which would be scary.

 

Approach would be very much counter attacking in nature

 

 

 

PaddyPower prices the game as follows;

 

Utd win 3/4

Draw 5/2

Liverpool 15/4

 

Oh, I almost forgot, let's f***ing batter these !!

[RBM]

We'll win this 9-0

[Cobs]

So long as no-one is killed by a football to the head ill take a 1-0 win. Suarez (handball)

[Ronnie#5]

Fergies goin to have the press pack eating out of his underpants all week. It's going to be sickening. Therefore ....

 

I've said this on here a couple of months ago but Rodgers really should just call Fergie a demented auld c*** at some stage this week.

 

Guarantees him a bit of breathing room & he has the added luxury of being completely true!

Edited January 6, 2013 by Ronnie#5

[stressederic]

Be good to win this. It'd make me happy.

[Red Yoda]

-----------------Reina

 

Wisdom Skrtel Agger Johnson

 

Gerrard------Lucas----Henderson

 

Sturridge----Suarez-------Sterling

 

 

Bench :

 

Jones----Robinson----Carragher----Allen----Shelvey----Suso----Downing

[Benzo-13]

Kill em all.

[Rory Fitzgerald]

-----------------Reina

 

Wisdom Skrtel Agger Johnson

 

Gerrard------Lucas----Henderson

 

Sturridge----Suarez-------Sterling

 

 

What I said then

[RafaShanks]

-----------------Reina

 

Wisdom Skrtel Agger Johnson

 

Gerrard------Lucas----Henderson

 

Sturridge----Suarez-------Sterling

 

 

Bench :

 

Jones----Robinson----Carragher----Allen----Shelvey----Suso----Downing

 

Aye. That's our strongest team. Have a feeling that BR won't go with this though.

 

Lets smash these horrible c**ts.

[Tommy Cockles]

Have you been on some sort of course Rory?

[Rory Fitzgerald]

Have you been on some sort of course Rory?

 

Sun Tzu says in The Art of War;

So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.

If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.

If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.

 

Edited January 6, 2013 by Rory Fitzgerald

[Tommy Cockles]

You clearly have been on a course.

[Swipe]

I'll take a draw. Be good if RVP contracted a tropical disease during the week.

[Epic Swindle]

Team picks itself I think but I'm going to do it anyway.

 

Reina

Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique

Lucas Allen

Gerrard

Danny Luis Sterling

 

We'll win this by the way.

[Swan Red]

Enrique's out?

[CarraLegend]

Think we'll lose due to corrupt officiating. Mark Halsey quite clearly had decided who was winning the first meeting earlier this season before it had even kicked off and I'll be stunned if its not the case again here whoever is reffing. But hopefully we give it a good go anyway so theres at least some positives ahead of trips to Arsenal and City over the next month or so.

[Epic Swindle]

Enrique's out?

 

s**** he is isn't he.

[Red Yoda]

What I said then

 

 

Well ok then , lol , ah , yes i agree with Rory .

[Raj]

Id rather we played Robinson than Wisdom

I prefer that we play players in their natural position. I also think Robinson is a better all round footballer

[Cam]

A big test for Rodgers is this. The home game was too soon into his tenure for his pre & post-match comments to matter but he can't go all Hodgson on us in the run-up and if Ferguson starts with the sly comments then he needs to come out all guns a-blazing. Going on the warpath is just what Rodgers needs - partly with us fans but mainly to give of the air of authority he strives for with his aura; he's a man of many words and instilling an occasional sense of fear about him into his players, rivals & the media can only help.

 

We could also do with p*ssing them off bigtime - just don't turn up for the match or play 13 men. Sure, it'll all be null & void but it'll be worth it.

[Swipe]

Team picks itself I think but I'm going to do it anyway.

 

Reina

Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique

Lucas Allen

Gerrard

Danny Luis Sterling

 

We'll win this by the way.

 

I think he'll play Henderson rather than Allen.

[lfc003]

-------------- Pepe -----------

-- Andre Skrtel Agger Glen --

- Lucas Leiva - Gerrard -

----------- Henderson ----------

- Sturridge - Luis - Downing -

 

Subs: Jones, Carra, Suso, Sterling, Allen, Jonjo, Robinson

Edited January 6, 2013 by lfc003

[Ombudsam]

how are we going to give our full bcks enough protection if we play both Suarez and Sturridge. And if either of them do track back then how do we make sure they are not sacrificing their attacking. I think I'd keep downing in over Sterling btw

[drvegapunk]

how are we going to give our full bcks enough protection if we play both Suarez and Sturridge. And if either of them do track back then how do we make sure they are not sacrificing their attacking. I think I'd keep downing in over Sterling btw

 

I agree, and with Wisdom or Robinson probably playing I'd put Downing on their side as he'll be more willing and able to cover.

Also Sturridge may not be fully fit, so subbing him for Sterling later on would allow us to keep shape and pace in attack.

 

So:

 

.....................Pepe

Wisdom...Skrtel...Agger...Johnson

.............Gerrard...Lucas

................Henderson

....Downing...Suarez...Sturridge

 

Tell Downing to keep his position and the width and have Sturridge exploit spaces left by Luis, with Johnson bombing on.

[growler]

Their right side needs to be pegged back so I would put Johnson at lb and Suarez at left forward. I'd put downing wisdom on evra. I'd play Lucas and Henderson and put Gerrard on carrick.

 

Bringing on sterling 2nd half gives us something from the bench too as done Allen if things are going a certain way.