By the time Liverpool face Manchester United this Sunday, Chelsea could be nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table. Clearly, the the Reds could be under immense pressure to get a result and keep the club's title dreams alive. Can Brendan Rodgers' team go to Old Trafford and win? Anfield legend Jimmy Case thinks so, and he's confident that LFC can capitalise on United's inconsistency.
When asked about the game this week, Case - who won three European Cups during his time at Anfield - told the official Liverpool FC website:
"We'll beat them [Man United] this time. Something's amiss there at the moment.
"They're shaking, and it's always great to get one over on them. I'd love us to beat them four or five nil".
Admirable confidence from Case, but form goes right out the window in these games, and despite their erratic form this season, a team that contains Juan Mata, Robin Van Persie, and Wayne Rooney, is always capable of getting a result.
It doesn't help that Liverpool have lost their last six games at Old Trafford. The club's last victory there came in 2009, when Rafa Benitez's team put on a great display and memorably ran out 4-1 winners.
LFC have the players and the goalscoring prowess to achieve a similar scoreline this season, but the club's away for is not the best, and United will desperate for a win to stay in the race for a Europa League place (I love the final part of that sentence!)
If Liverpool lose the game and go nine points behind Chelsea, the club will still have a game in hand, but for me, that would probably spell the end of any serious title ambitions.
Can LFC beat United 'for or five nil'?
** The betting odds on Sunday's match
Author: Jaimie K
When asked about the game this week, Case - who won three European Cups during his time at Anfield - told the official Liverpool FC website:
"We'll beat them [Man United] this time. Something's amiss there at the moment.
"They're shaking, and it's always great to get one over on them. I'd love us to beat them four or five nil".
Admirable confidence from Case, but form goes right out the window in these games, and despite their erratic form this season, a team that contains Juan Mata, Robin Van Persie, and Wayne Rooney, is always capable of getting a result.
It doesn't help that Liverpool have lost their last six games at Old Trafford. The club's last victory there came in 2009, when Rafa Benitez's team put on a great display and memorably ran out 4-1 winners.
LFC have the players and the goalscoring prowess to achieve a similar scoreline this season, but the club's away for is not the best, and United will desperate for a win to stay in the race for a Europa League place (I love the final part of that sentence!)
If Liverpool lose the game and go nine points behind Chelsea, the club will still have a game in hand, but for me, that would probably spell the end of any serious title ambitions.
Can LFC beat United 'for or five nil'?
** The betting odds on Sunday's match
Author: Jaimie K
If we're at our best and Utd are average, then we definitely will. Got a question though. It's looking basically certain that Utd won't make top 4. There's these pundits saying that their massive financial resources should still be able to attract the big name players (i.e big wages, I guess as well as the prestige which comes with playing for them). What do you think of that JK? I'm sitting on the fence at the moment...
ReplyDeleteOverconfidence is dangerous. Yes, we can beat them. Yes, we need to beat them to stay in the title race. It won't be easy though. Utd are poor this season, but they will be incredibly motivated for this game. We should go into it with confidence, but also with an understanding that they will be doing everything they can to win. Old Trafford is still a difficult place to get decisions. We've seen at Stamford Bridge and the Ethiad that we don't always get the decisions we need. Clattenburg is the ref for the game, and he's never given a penalty against Utd.
ReplyDeleteReading comments from ex-players there's a sense that we've already beaten Utd. In terms of where we will finish in the league we have. Even if we lose they won't catch us, and we will still probably qualify for the Champions League. However right now we are involved in the title race. My brain and heart argue here, but the reality is that to win the league will likely require us to win 9 out of our last 10 games. To do this would be incredible. But we do have the potential. We just need a bit of luck, or rather we need to avoid bad luck - no big injuries or bad referee decisions.
I think we can win, and if we had a scoreline similar to Everton, Arsenal or Spurs then fantastic. However, I'd take a boring 1-0 or a nail-biting 6-5. We just need to win.
Ridiculous to start speculating about score lines like that at Old Trafford. It's stuff like that that creates the " delusional" reputation amongst rival fans. It was only recently we struggled to beat Fulham and Swansea plus we only drew with WBA who the mancs beat easily last week. Lets just hope for a win and not speculate about fantasy score lines.
ReplyDeleteMan U are long ball garbage, they will need the ref to have a big game for them....and they usually do in this fixture, their success has been built on dodgy refereeing especially in mankychester, if Liverpool tackle hard, attack them and take their chances Liverpool with thrash the dross.
ReplyDeleteI would be more confident if we were playing the MU of February, but they have found form of late. It will be a tougher match than Case thinks. However, if we play the pressing game we are capable of with a healthy squad and don't make any stupendous mental defensive set-piece errors that we seem to inexplicably do it, then we should win.
ReplyDeleteOne year away may not be the end all be all, but when they miss CL again, then I think it will start to crumble a bit. All depends on if they keep bringing in cash with the commercial side of things.
ReplyDeleteJamie, isn't it 10 pts clear if Chelsea wins?
ReplyDeleteFinally this game is coming - last weekend I felt like a kid with no saturday morning cartoons to look forward too.
ReplyDeleteThat scoreline is definitely possible - a couple early goals to demoralize them, then they implode! Would be great. We just need to open the flood gates!
Last time out (cup game) I think we played better, but they got one on a set piece. It was Suarez first game back, he was just getting warmed up, Sturridge had an off day - maybe because Suarez had just come back, Kolo missed a sitter, etc. But things have changed since then - the team is in sync,they won't play with fear, and UTD are fragile - so they beat the baggies and Crystal palace - they also drew with Fulham and lost to Stoke recently.
It could go either way, seeing this is a big game, but the opportunity is there to pummel them!
well i dont think we will beat them 4 or 5, i think they have some good players like mata rooney van persie and others even tough i can say you if LFC start the game with confidence and dominate the game then we can win even 7
ReplyDeleteBased on what? We haven't pummelled an 11 man team away from home all season! Stop getting carried away!
ReplyDeleteI can't figure out if you're being sarcastic or not...
ReplyDeleteTottenham in December?
This match is going to be very difficult for us. The idea that we're going to win by 4 or 5 goals is unreasonable on most days against lesser competition... let alone against MU at OT.
ReplyDeleteIn my view, I could see us winning the game 3-2, or 2-1. But I could also see us losing 2-1, or draw 1-1.
If our defense plays well we will win. If our defense plays poorly, all bets are off as I don't think we'll be good enough to overcome their talent (which admittedly has under-performed this season)
I said 11 man. We have struggled frequently against average teams away yet people start predicting fantasy scorelines against United. I don't get it!
ReplyDeleteCrazy lot!! Liverpool is excited about nothing. Every match is different. United don't need any motivation to beat Liverpool. Man United 2 - 1 Liverpool is the weekend scoreline. You can come back to me after final whistle.
ReplyDeleteI think we will win it. Whether it will be a push over is another matter. I we score early like we did against Arsenal, then it could be a hammering.
ReplyDeleteBut its more likely that it will be a very close game.
We played well in the away fixtures against City and Chelsea before Christmas, though; those matches really could have gone our way with a little luck. It'll be similar against Man Utd I imagine.
ReplyDeleteI guess everybody says before every game " Im not that confident about this one, gonna be tough" etc and we aint losing in 2014 yet! Same as the majority im expecting a tough game, because we barely ever win at old toilet, plus just red mark clattenburg is the ref and he didnt give a single pen against mancs in the last 19 games!! Suarez the victim again? Looks like. The other concern for me is whether BR starts sakho and lucas, would they ruin the game we have been playing? Who would you take off, coutinho agger? Im fearing BR will screw it there. Id stick with the same line up because sakho and lucas didnt play for months and going straight back in not the ideal for me, but in the other hand we're quite poor in defence, would their comeback improve it? Real hard choice for BR. Finally we won at spurs stoke and southampton away now its time to win at old t, five years without a win is too much, gotta end this nightmare.
ReplyDeleteI love the final part part of that sentence too Jaimie.
ReplyDeleteWe already had two against Spurs before they got a man sent off. The floodgates were open and we may well have gotten a couple more anyway.
ReplyDeleteWhat is Moyes going to do about the best strike partnership in the EPL?
ReplyDeleteBe afraid Moyes, be very afraid...
I will be very surprised to see any high profile players arriving at Utd with Moyes in charge. Now Mata can be used to challenge my claim but which other club in their right mind would pay 40 million for Mata?
ReplyDeleteThe absence of CL footie is going to add to their problems. The hope for them is to pay over the way odds i.e. Mata or offer ridiculous wages.
Even a wounded beast still got energy to fight back. Never underestimate your foe or you might get overwhelm. Personally I think we might need a way to dominate midfield and be caution with crossing since MU now play cross a lot and we are most vulnerable in the air. Maybe Moyes practice crossing just to deal with LFC. Lolz
ReplyDeleteI just want 3 points, 1-0 will do. TBH our league position compared to the mancs rubs enough salt in the wound. If the floodgates open so be it, but let's treat them with a certain amount of respect (not too much mind you:) )
ReplyDeleteIf Liverpool set up as with Southampton, we will get beat as diamond with work against experience of Mata, Rooney, VP, & Carrick. The hard pressing will be the key from all of our outfield players: Utd at home playing for the pride of their season: we don't have to chase the game & even a point wouldn't be end of the world for us but devastating for Utd. Conserve energy, hit on the break, and we should be ok. In the warm up game for Lucas & Sakho (@ WHU) Lucas looked really rusty timing wise and Sakho looked ok but came off as a precaution as he felt his ham string tighten. They should start on the bench & come on to shore up if we have sufficient lead in last 20 mins. Know it's a cliché but I think the first goal will be everything this game...
ReplyDeleteMan Utd's home form this season is about as good as that of Norwich, Newcastle, Hull, West Brom. Teams like that. They are only where they are in the table because of their excellent away form. They are a more successful team away from home than us, in fact. I'm always concerned about teams like that, because it seems to me that they will start to correct their record at some point. The only question is whether they've bottomed out yet. I don't think so, personally. They are insanely inconsistent, though, which makes them hard to predict. To go from losing to Olympiakos at home, to beating West Brom away -- it's madness. I don't know what to make of them. Classic team in transition I suppose.
ReplyDeleteBut whichever Utd turns up, they have weaknesses in defence that they can't hide, and that we are well-equipped to exploit. I think we'll give them the run-around in midfield. I think their defenders can't live with our strikers. But the same goes the other way. They will cause us real problems in attack. But their confidence will break before ours does, and if it comes to a gunfight, we've got bigger guns and more of them. 4-2 to LFC, anyone?
Yes only two,we were playing well but it's pretty obvious the sending off enabled us to "pumel" them!
ReplyDeleteExactly but the luck went city & Chelsea's way & we lost! Yes I expect it similar against Utd & that we need a bit of luck to go our way. Any win will do it's stupid to start speculating about how many we'll score!
ReplyDeleteThe Ferguson factor is no longer there. With Ferguson it would have always been 'we will win no matter what or else' but with Moyes it is 'hmmm...WTF have I let myself in for'.
ReplyDeleteBased on I haven't seen a Liverpool game in 2 weeks, and would really like to see a pummelling.
ReplyDeleteAlso look at Sotton - sure they controlled good chunks of the game, but we still could have won 5-0. We scored 5 against Stoke, 5 against Tottenham (down to 10 men). But you can't say we don't have it in is to put 4,5, or more past them - even on the Road. Go without any defefensive errors (it has to start happening consistently) and it could be a clean sheet.
Don't get me wrong, things could go pear shaped, but I expected a well rested, energetic, Hungry Liverpool - facing a vulnerable MU. If Everton, New Castle, Spurs and SWANSEA can beat them there, so can we!
Oh yeah, and West Brom!
ReplyDeleteStrentghten our midfiield..keep up the pressure.henderson is our key player tomorrow...sturridge on scoresheet.4-1 to liverpool..History repeats
ReplyDelete2-1 'll be fine for me. I would have said 1-0, but with this defense, I am sure we 'll not be able to keep a clean sheet. Hoping SSS scores at least twice & RVP has a bad day.
ReplyDeleteDon't know what back line BR 'll put, but if it's Agger-Skartel, I am afraid we 'll need to score 4 or to win. Don't know how fit is Mamadou, but I won't have played Johnson at LB, rather would have played Agger as LB & Skartek-Mamadou as CB. Lucas & SG as CM, Pipo as AM, Suarez & Hendo in wide ares to start with. Later Hendo replacing Pipo & Sterling speeding for last 30 min & Allen replacing Lucas (who must not be fit enough for a 60 min hustle). If we get a 2 goals advantage, someone off-loading Sturridge for last 5 min+stoppage.
I think, we need to start fast & keep MU under that sort of pressure which Sir Alex used to keep on opponents at OT. We are not a team to grind out 1-0 & only way we can win this match by constantly pressing & playing a free flowing attacking game.
If chelsea win and we dont, they will be 10 points clear, not 9
ReplyDelete