Liverpool host Manchester United Sunday in one of the biggest games of the season. (TV: Fox Soccer 830 am ET) The match is already England’s fiercest rivalry; now with United losing to Chelsea on Tuesday and Arsenal clawing at their Premiership lead, "King" Kenny Dalglish and the Reds have the opportunity to inflict real pain in the latest edition of this bitter confrontation .
The Fox Soccer team sat down to break down the big game and give you our insights as to what we can expect Sunday morning.
Q: How important is this fixture now, following Chelsea’s win over United midweek? Does it make this game that much bigger?
WARREN BARTON: I think it’s a huge game now after the result Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge. As fans, we want the big teams and the big games to be played under pressure, and what has happened, is that what was already a huge game, has been made all that more important. I know Kenny Dalglish. I played for him of course, and I know he’d like nothing more than to send Manchester United’s season off the rails. Because of the rivalry, this would be a huge game anyway: now it’s so much more intense.
NICK WEBSTER: Well, I do think you have to look at the big picture. That result didn’t hurt them [Manchester United]: they are still top of the table and four points clear. The title is there to be taken and they are in charge of their own destiny. And the fact is, there is no better closer in the business than Sir Alex Ferguson. Yes, you don’t want to lose to a close rival, but you do what he did: blame the referee and then move on.
Q: These big games are pressure cookers, but just how intense is a game like this?
WARREN BARTON: I think there will be a big edge in this one. You saw that Tuesday night, and I think we’ve seen that now every time the big teams have played each other. People are up for this game: the fans, the players, even the kit man wants to be out there in a game like this! It’s so tense, but as a player, it’s also great: that passion really brings out the best in you.
NICK WEBSTER: This game is everything for Ferguson because he has such a sense of history, and he has made it his mission from Day One to knock Liverpool off their perch - and that’s a literal quote. He wants to go to Anfield and take all three points. Chelsea is a big game, Arsenal is a big game, the Manchester Derby is a big game. But this game is the one Sir Alex wants to win. When it comes to Liverpool, he always pulls out all the stops.
KEITH COSTIGAN: There’s a lot of pressure on Liverpool in this one, and it all boils down to the fact that Manchester United are going for their 19th league title. For a long time, the thing that Liverpool fans always said was that Liverpool were the most successful team in England and had won the most in Europe. If United pass them this year, it will be a very difficult day for those fans. So, for anyone to say that Liverpool doesn’t have as much to play for is not accurate. They want to derail United’s championship dreams.
Q: What changes do the two teams make for Sunday?
KEITH COSTIGAN: I wouldn’t be surprised if Dalglish decides to play with an extra central defender as he did against Chelsea, and that’s either three at the back or five at the back, depending on how you look at it. The thing is Liverpool doesn’t have any wide players, guys who can get crosses in, so by adding another center back, you allow Glen Johnson and Fabio Aurelio to get up the field. Steven Gerrard and Raul Meireles like to get forward and having that cover back there gives you more balance and allows you to play two up front. I don’t think Dalglish wants to play Luis Suarez alone, I think he’ll have him with Dirk Kuyt, because he can play with his back to the goal, allowing Suarez to float and find space between the United midfield and the back four. And don’t forget that Andy Carroll looks like he will be available, so don't be surprised to see him play a part in proceedings.
NICK WEBSTER: I think if Sir Alex was to be candid, he’d admit he made a mistake on Tuesday. That was the first unchanged squad he’d fielded since 2008, and Javier Hernandez wasn’t the right choice. Wayne Rooney has had a solid partnership with Dimitar Berbatov, and I think they missed that against Chelsea. Now this week we know changes are coming because he won’t have Nemanja Vidic (suspended) and Rio Ferdinand, and so it’s time for Chris Smalling to step up and be a man. But look who else he has to throw in there: Wes Brown has been there and won it all, John O’Shea is a fine player and he has the best 'keeper right now in the world in Edwin van der Sar. That’s real depth.
KEITH COSTIGAN: Yes, and Liverpool have to get a lot out of Gerrard. By his own account, he hasn’t had a great season, but in games like this, you look to the big players. With Fernando Torres turning his back on the club, I think the fans look to Gerrard more than ever. That doesn’t necessarily mean goals, it means leading by example and putting a positive attitude out on the field.
Q: Is this a match that can decide the title?
WARREN BARTON: I think the game can define the title. With Arsenal playing Sunderland the day before - and they are expected to win that match despite all their injuries - this piles pressure on United. For them, this is like the three week spell Chelsea had in December that effectively salted their title hopes away. The result could open the race right up, and then United have Champions League, FA Cup and league matches back to back to back. That’s a lot of distractions.
NICK WEBSTER: Well, this is the business end of the season, and if you look at United’s record all-time, this is when they put their foot on the pedal. They are also a team that is used to playing multiple games and on all fronts, and that is a huge advantage. Look at the likes of Man City and Tottenham that are trying to do that this season - they’ve found it very difficult. That’s not true with United, and it's due to Ferguson’s ability to manage resources. Tuesday, Paul Scholes started and Ryan Giggs came off the bench; I guarantee you that Sunday, Giggs will start and the old heads and experience will come in because that is how this team grinds out results. Now, they know they can go to Anfield, and they don’t need to win, but they don’t want to lose. I think we’ll see a tight, tactical game ending in a nil-nil draw, actually.
Q: Keith, Liverpool are out of the title chase, so where does this one fit in for them?
KEITH COSTIGAN: Liverpool have different expectations. I know people are hoping for Champions League football again next season, but the reality is that’s not going to happen. A win raises spirits, no doubt, but you look at the squads in front of Liverpool, with Chelsea and Tottenham, and they are better teams. They know they have a rebuilding job at Anfield, and there’s a lot of work to be done. The target now is to finish fifth or sixth.
Q: Sir Alex always manages to generate controversy, and he’s already started up with it, blaming the referee in the Chelsea match for the loss. What’s behind this?
WARREN BARTON: Let’s be clear: Chelsea won it in the second half, not Martin Atkinson. Chelsea lifted their power game. But comments like that are pure Sir Alex, and it’s so ironic, coming a week after Mark Clattenburg was the best thing since sliced bread. All of us in the game take whatever Sir Alex says with a grain of salt, but those kinds of comments, if you are a United player, are so great because they take the focus off what happened in the game and protect you. That kind of cover from your manager is vital. When it comes down to it, all Sir Alex is concerned about is Manchester United, and he’s going to do whatever he can for that club. He’s wiser than all of us. It’s great spin for his club and his men.
NICK WEBSTER: Exactly: Remember that what we saw earlier in the season when Rooney was in the press talking about his contract was so rare. United players don’t complain and everything stays in the squad. It’s a huge strength and it comes from the top. Sir Alex is a master at this: he wants all the pressure on him - not his players - and he thrives under it. I give him a day or two before he goes out in the press and starts making all sort of outrageous statements, but he does that because he knows how to deflect pressure. I think people forget that he has more experience that just about anyone else - he may be the most experienced manager in world football. All the experience he gained in Scotland, and with Aberdeen, and now with such a long history at this club, he brings every week and it’s all to shield his players.
Q: Dalglish hasn’t said much this week, but that doesn’t mean he’s silent, right, Keith?
KEITH COSTIGAN: Well, they say Dalglish is quieter, but he’s a smart man, and smart in where and how he says things. He really plays off Ferguson and is quite witty. They used to go at it back and forth in the 1980s and I think you could argue Dalglish got the better of those duels. Right now, he knows there’s no point in coming out and being as talkative as Ferguson; he’s instead going to be supportive of his players. One of his biggest attributes is his man management, where he makes his men feel wanted. A great example of that is Johnson: Roy Hodgson publicly said Johnson wasn’t up to it, and when Dalglish comes in and backs Johnson, Johnson’s form improved. Behind the scenes, I think he’s telling his players, it’s us against everyone else, a siege mentality.
Jamie Trecker is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering the UEFA Champions League and the Barclay's Premier League.
