Liverpool vs Manchester United
Anfield, Liverpool, England
Sunday, March 5th, 2023 | 11:30am | USA
What a whirlwind week it’s been in England. From Chelsea’s and Liverpool’s continued struggles to the 100,000 Magpies’ supporters descending upon the English captions city of London to see Newcastle get completely outplayed by a resurrected Red Devils squad led by Dutchman Erik ten Hag. It’s been an inthralling watch!
This week we have England’s biggest rivalry (at least in terms of silverware), Liverpool versus Manchester United, to look forward to in the Premier League at Anfield thus Sunday! Despite Liverpool’s struggles this season, the Reds still has an outside shot at securing European football for next season. Europa League or Europa Conference League qualification should be certain come season’s end, however can Liverpool crawl all the way back inside the Top 4 to earn a place in next year’s Champions League? That’s the big question, and one that will become a tad clearer come roughly 1:30pm EST on Sunday. The reds have hit a recent run of for within the domestic league as they’ve secured seven of a possible nine points from their last three matches. A positive result, even a draw in this particular fixture, would be helpful in continuing to climb up the table.
The Reds defensive woes have been much maligned throughout the 2022-23 campaign. Most of the criticism has come in the direction of one player, right back Trent Alexander-Arnold. Pundits and fans alike have been clamoring for him to lose his place in the team and suggesting that he’s the biggest reason why the defense continues to look like Swiss cheese. However, was the defense gapping with wholes when he was a main fixture at right back during Liverpool’s Champions League winning season or the other two years when the Reds reached the UCL Final? Or how about the season when Liverpool won the Premier League for the first time in over 30 years? Was Trent a massive liability then? The real answer is no. TAA has never been a dominant defensive player and yet for all those years it hasn’t mattered. Alexander-Arnold is a decent defender, an average defender. However, for all of those seasons, Virgil Van Dyke played like his salary indicates, a world class center-half. And wether it’d be Joel Matip or Ibrahima Konate, those two players had played to their potential and respective salaries earned. In addition, goalkeeper Allison Becker played as if he was the world’s best ‘keeper, because he was and the results showed, but that’s not the case anymore. Currently none of Trent’s backline teammates (excluding Andy Robertson) are playing to their potential or what their wages would indicate.
Now as it pertains to TAA, many would say the same thing, except Alexander-Arnold, whilst obtaining the title of a right back, doesn’t get paid for being a lockdown defender. No, rather he gets paid handsomely for his offensive prowess, like it or not. What makes Trent so dynamic and the reason why Klopp has stuck with him through thick and thin is because TAA is a massive component to the success of the Reds offensive system. Trent has excellent vision and incredible passing skills. Without a doubt, he's the best crosser of the ball in the entire Premier League and perhaps in the world. For a player that’s still jus 24 yrs of age, he’s already set the record for most assists by a defender in a PL season (2019-20) with 13 assists. In addition, he currently sits third all-time in career assists by a defender, only behind the retired Leighton Baines and current Liverpool teammate Andy Robertson, who's 3.5 years TAA’s senior. Also, it’s worth noting that the homegrown talent became the youngest Englishman to ever start two consecutive Champions League finals at the tender age of 20.
So, as it pertains to this Sunday against Manchester United, the question facing the Liverpool defense shouldn’t be focused on TAA, but rather his colleagues on the backline and between the sicks. Will those players, Van Dyke, Konate, Matip, Allison, Joe Gomez, raise their levels of performance back to that of yesteryear? If they do, then the Reds will handle the resurgent Marcus Rashford and the rest of the Red Devils.
Speaking of Marcus Rashford and Manchester United, they’re coming into this massive fixture on the backs of winning the club’s first trophy since 2017! It was an impressive performance against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup Final, a 2-0 scoreline that included another goal by Rashford this season. Rashford is currently third on the Premier League goalscoring chart for this year’s campaign, only behind Erling Haaland and Harry Kane. In addition, since the return of the domestic season — post winter world cup, no player has scored more in all comps in England than Rashford. Coincidentally, he primarily plays right wing, which means he’ll be going up against none other than the aforementioned Trent Alexander-Arnold at right back and either Matip, Konte or Gomez at right center-half. This will likely be a pivotal matchup to watch as the fixture unfolds.
LSB Prediction
For starters, the crowd at Anfield will be moving. Goosebumps are sure to emerge on one’s skin as England’s two most storied clubs walk out from the Anfield tunnel to a 50,000 person choir signing You’ll Never Walk Alone. The scene will be set, all eyes descending upon Liverpool awaiting to see the spectacle unfold on the field. When the opening whistle blows, the Reds will be come out energized, playing with grit and determination. They’ll dictate the play int he opening stanza and will go ahead as just reward. However, much like the Real Madrid, Manchester United will keep its cool thanks to serial winners in Casimero and Raphael Varane. In the end, United will push for an equalizer and get it through Marcus Rashford. Liverpool 1 - 1 Manchester United