Bottom of the table, without a point, questions about the squad and a new manager who has not yet settled at the club. On paper, the Monday Night Football clash at home to Liverpool does not look good for Manchester United.
After defeats to Brighton and Brentford in their opening two games of the season, Erik ten Hag’s side are struggling at the moment and one of the best teams in world football arriving at their door is the latest to he needs United. If last season’s results are anything to go by, Old Trafford could be in for a real hammering.
But while most of the footballing world was talking about United’s state of disaster on Monday, another twist came in the form of Liverpool dropping more points at home to Crystal Palace.
Image: Manchester United are bottom of the Premier League table after two defeats in two
Suddenly, Jurgen Klopp’s side are also without a win in their opening two games, and a win for United on Monday night will not only alleviate some of the problems but also lift them above their fiercest rivals in the table.
So do this United side, desperate for confidence on the pitch and in their lowest ever Premier League place, really stand a chance against Klopp’s Reds?
Well, Liverpool aren’t off to a good start
Image: Liverpool have had a tendency to concede the first goal in recent weeks
Liverpool dropping regular points so early in the season may seem strange to many, but a trend dating back to last season could be behind this staggered start to the campaign.
In their last nine games in all competitions, not including the Community Shield win against Manchester City in pre-season, Liverpool have conceded the first goal of the game in eight of them, with the only exception being the final of FA Cup goalless against Chelsea, which the Reds had to win on penalties. They have also conceded first in their last six Premier League games.
To put it simply, Liverpool have a tendency to start games slowly. Each of the last nine games has had different patterns: either Liverpool deservedly fell behind early on (conceding in the first 15 minutes in four of their last nine games) or failed to capitalize on their early dominance and conceded against game race
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Mohamed Salah’s five goals against Manchester United in 2021/22 made him the only player in Premier League history to score five goals against the Red Devils in a single season.
The reasons for this are unknown as there are many factors that can contribute to this. Last season, one could identify with the fatigue that Liverpool’s players might have felt – they played 64 games – but it is important to note that they remained unbeaten in all but one of their 90-minute games, so they had the energy to recover.
There have also been individual errors in the last nine games, particularly from their top four full-backs, while Liverpool have faced many strong teams on big stages such as knockout games and cup finals in this career Old Trafford can certainly provide another challenging environment on Monday night, especially with Liverpool already facing the pressure of reaching the top of the table.
Image: Liverpool started this season as they ended the last one by not starting the games well
“Unfortunately, every week, [there is] different situation, different team,” Klopp said when asked about the poor start to games ahead of his last game. “We have to be ready for all of them.”
United, who found themselves 4-0 down against Brentford after 35 minutes last week, know how devastating a positive start can be. Liverpool’s start in recent months should be at the forefront of their minds when they leave the tunnel on Monday.
Klopp also has several players missing
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Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher discuss Darwin Nunez’s red card for a headbutt on Joachim Andersen in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Anfield
There has been a lot of talk about morale in the United camp over the past two weeks. But all is not well at Liverpool, especially when it comes to the medical ward.
“It was like we had a witch in the building,” said Klopp, who is finding life “complicated” with so many absent from his first-team squad at this early stage of the season.
Liverpool’s main concern is in midfield, with Thiago Alcantara out for another month, and Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also on the treatment table. That leaves Jordan Henderson, Harvey Elliott and James Milner to support Fabinho in the middle of the pitch, with Naby Keita unhappy at his lack of playing time at Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Joel Matip is a doubt at the back, so Nat Phillips and Joe Gomez will compete for a place alongside Virgil van Dijk in central defense, while there is a serious lack of a striker with Darwin Nunez suspended after his card red against Crystal Palace, Diogo. Jota was still injured and Roberto Firmino has only just returned from injury and is not at 100 per cent.
Liverpool may have a strong squad – and several players could return for the Manchester United clash – but Klopp’s side will not be in the best condition they were when the two teams played those derby games in last season
Are Liverpool getting more wasteful?
Image: Liverpool have been more wasteful in recent months compared to the start of the year
One reason that could explain Liverpool’s slight difference in form is a lack of clinical finishing.
Klopp’s side have failed to score in the first half in six of their last nine games in all competitions, but a closer look at Liverpool’s game shows they haven’t switched to a different style of play .
Since the start of this challenging run since early May, Liverpool are just as good on the ball and creating more chances compared to the first half of 2022, but the only difference is the quality of their finishing.
Image: Liverpool’s clinical finishing has dipped in recent months
The Reds’ shooting accuracy and goals per 90 have dropped significantly since the start of May and they are converting just 1.63 chances per game, despite creating an average of 16 chances per game.
With Núñez suspended, as well as Firmino and Jota lacking match sharpness and not at 100 per cent, Liverpool may need to find some special inspiration at Old Trafford if they are to fix this problem.
But still, there is the Salah factor
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Liverpool’s win against Manchester United in the Premier League
Even though Liverpool have injuries and minor concerns at their end, they still have their main trump card in Mohamed Salah.
Last season, the Egyptian winger caused United plenty of problems, scoring five goals and adding two assists in the two games, which the Reds won 9-0 on aggregate.
While Salah’s goal output dipped slightly at the end of last season, especially after the Africa Cup of Nations, Liverpool’s XI has started this season in dynamic fashion.
Image: Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring Liverpool’s second at Fulham
After bagging a goal and an assist on the opening weekend of the season at Fulham, Salah created eight chances of his own in the draw with Crystal Palace, the most by any Premier League player in almost 12 months .
There will be plenty of pressure on Salah’s shoulders in terms of creativity and goals on Monday night, but the Liverpool man has shown he can handle it.