Liverpool appear to be at a disadvantage ahead of their big game against Manchester United, but Jurgen Klopp now has the chance to turn things around effectively.
Jurgen Klopp could overturn Liverpool’s deficit against Manchester United with a simple pick.
The Premier League table is slowly starting to show the differences between Liverpool and Manchester United. A humiliating defeat at Bournemouth was followed by an almost unbelievably successful victory. This was enough for Harry Maguire and Eric Ten Haag to win the Player of the Month and Manager of the Month awards. Looking at Manchester United’s wins this season, it’s hard to pinpoint where their opponents have actually won, with the exception of their recent win over Chelsea.
However, with the Blues back in 12th, Ten Hag remain in the top six but are now 10 points behind Liverpool.The tables may never have lied more than last season when Liverpool beat Manchester United 7-0 but missed out on Champions League qualification behind the Red Devils. With Liverpool having improved so much, can Liverpool be expected to score even more when they come to this city? That would be optimistic. And Klopp will be looking after another seemingly illogical result for Ten Hag. Those fears will be even stronger as Klopp looks ahead to this season’s fixtures. The game against Manchester United comes at a crucial time, three days after Liverpool qualified for the Europa League and five days after Ten Hag ended their European campaign.But luck can only go so far and Manchester United are proving it in the Champions League. Each seemingly dominant region in the Premier League is moving in the opposite direction in Europe, with the resulting position in Group A better reflecting the quality of performances this season. Of course, Ten Hague and Maguire were not nominated for UEFA awards. As a result, Manchester United will need to beat Bayern Munich in tomorrow’s final to have any chance of promotion not only to the Champions League, but across Europe. A win would at least guarantee them a place in the Europa League alongside Liverpool, but the Ten Hag are held level with Galatasaray in Copenhagen to face the continent’s top competition.
Liverpool’s last Europa League game was against the Reds. Union SG will take the situation seriously as they still have a chance to finish second, but nothing can knock Klopp off the top spot. In fact, Klopp overturned Manchester United’s deficit for two consecutive days. You could even say it’s counterproductive, as the Ten Hag will have to deliver on their midweek promises and Liverpool could field a significantly weakened squad.
All that remains is for Klopp to follow suit. He has made one or two unexpected decisions in similar scenarios in the past. For example, Diogo Jota once suffered a serious injury during a meaningless match. Winning is a good habit for Klopp, who does not want to take risks, but his choice ahead of the Manchester United game is clear. It would be too much of a waste to miss the opportunity to get a good rest during such a busy time. Liverpool also have the slight disadvantage of having to consider their League Cup commitments with West Ham after Wednesday’s clash with Manchester United, with Ten Hag knocked out for good in the previous round. But in time the bridge will pass. Until then, Klopp’s path is clear.
But Jurgen Klopp was the first to admit that defeat overshadowed many of Anfield’s shortcomings and could not complain about fifth place in the end.
