Do These Three Things To Beat Liverpool – Tips To Jose And Manchester United

One of the biggest matches of the season is coming our way this weekend as Manchester United will host bitter rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford. The clash is an extremely important for both teams, given the age-old rivalry between the clubs and the competition for the Champions League spots adds much more edge to the contest that will take place on Sunday.

The Red Devils have finally hit their strides, after a disappointing period earlier in the season, and will come into this game having not lost in 15 consecutive games, the last 9 of which they have ended up on the winning side. Jose Mourinho’s men will be on a high, having defeated Reading convincingly in the FA Cup over the weekend, before putting in another strong display against Hull City in the midweek EFL Cup semi-final clash.

When the two teams met last time at Anfield, the match ended in a dour goalless draw. But expect Jose and United to turn up the heat at the Theatre of Dreams on Sunday as they go about chasing the top four. Ahead of the titanic clash, we give you three things that Mourinho and United should do to come out on top against Jurgen Klopp’s men:

Start Zlatan Ibrahimović

This one is a no-brainer, to be honest. The giant Swede has been in excellent form in recent weeks and is United’s leading goalscorer this term, having scored 18 times in all competitions so far.

Zlatan was rested for the FA Cup tie against Reading last weekend and was left out of the squad for the EFL Cup clash against Hull on Tuesday reportedly due to an illness, but for United to triumph over the Reds, the former PSG hitman needs to feature.

In Zlatan, United have a huge presence in the attacking third and they can put his physicality to good use, pinging balls off him and bringing the wide players into the game. His intimidating presence in and around the penalty area could do enough to unnerve the Liverpool defence, that has looked shaky at best in recent weeks and despite his age, Zlatan remains one of the finest strikers in the game. According to latest reports, Ibra should be fit for Sunday’s encounter and Mourinho should look to field his most trusted lieutenant from the start.

Starve the Liverpool Forwards of Service

Liverpool were handed a 1-0 defeat by Southampton in their midweek EFL Cup clash and there was a lot that Jose and United could learn from the way the Saints played on the day.

Maintaining a strong defensive shape, Southampton cut off the supply lines to Liverpool’s forward Daniel Sturridge, while they managed to shackle the likes of Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino with great ease.

Mourinho should try and adapt a similar strategy on Sunday and the form in which Phil Jones is, alongside Chris Smalling, they should be able to deal with the threat the Liverpool attackers might pose. The left-back position remains an area of concern, though, with Marcos Rojo doubtful and Luke Shaw just returning from injury while Matteo Darmian and Daley Blind haven’t been convincing enough. Whoever plays, will have to be on top of their game against Adam Lallana and Nathaniel Clyne if United are to keep the visitors quiet.

Pace on the wings

The Liverpool full-back duo of Nathaniel Clyne and James Milner have been an important feature in Liverpool’s attacking moves, romping forward on the flanks relentlessly and creating plenty of chances. So, it becomes imperative that United look to keep the two within their own half as much as possible.

And for that to happen, Mourinho will need to play someone pacey out on the flanks, who could keep the Liverpool full-backs pinned in their own half. Marcus Rashford recently rediscovered his goal-scoring touch and should he feature in the line-up on the left-side, he could prove to be quite a handful for the Clyne, with his excellent speed and direct running.

While Juan Mata has been one of the best and the most consistent performers for the Red Devils this term, their purpose could be better served with Henrikh Mkhitaryan featuring on the opposite flank. The Armenian possesses the creativity to cut open defences and can also go past his man with ease. James Milner isn’t the quickest on the field and Mkhitaryan could give the makeshift Liverpool left-back the sternest test he has faced till date this season.