Tactical Preview: Liverpool vs. Manchester United

Thought the match will be all about the awful findings over the cover up of the Hillsborough disaster, the match between Liverpool and Manchester United could be very interesting. With the Anfield side sitting at a lowly 18th, after a poor start to the season from Rodgers' team, and their rivals United in 5th, winning all three matches after their opening day defeat vs. Moyes' Everton.

The pressure is being put on Rodger's to change his tiki-taka philosophy, though we all know he won't, and he shouldn't, though especially with their near rivals Everton sitting 2nd, I think some Liverpool fans might disagree with that. This match could be pivotal for the Manager from Northern Ireland. Should he lose, the pressure would get a lot heavier on him, whereas if they manage to walk away with a crucial three points, the momentum could really kick-start their season.

Game Plans

I think we all know Rodgers' plan will be to stick to his philosophy with which he had success with at Swansea, but what will be interesting is how Ferguson goes about stopping them. He could look to score on the counter-attack, with number 10 Shinji Kagawa orchestrating quick breaks in between spells of Liverpool dominance on the ball. However, the United legend might not be comfortable with them having a large share of the possession, though they haven't been at all effective with it so far. If this is the case, another route that he could go on is how Moyes' played against Rodgers' old club yesterday. He could look to stop the Reds playing but due to his side lacking physicality, I doubt he could recreate Everton's great game against the Swans.

Line Ups

Rodgers will be setting his side up in a 4-2-3-1 that he sticks religiously to, whilst with Kagawa a possibility, Ferguson could turn to the 4-2-1-3 that he used at the start of the season before the Japanese midfielder was injured on international duty. Should Kagawa not play however, you can expect to see the 4-4-2 with Welbeck and Hernandez up front.

The Liverpool team I think will not be given many changes, but with Enrique back fit, Martin Kelly could miss out with Johnson returning to his favoured right-back position whilst Enrique comes in on the left. Only one player in the Reds' midfield is used to this clash, though he is one of the most experienced and influential player on the pitch, Steven Gerrard. This lack of experience playing United could show, as their rivals have more experience in Carrick and Scholes.

Alexander Buttner will I'm sure start ahead of Evra, meaning this game I'm sure won't be as controversial as their last meeting, and his teammate on the opposite flank Rafael will be likely to start as well at right-back. If he is available, Kagawa will play but it's the first part which is uncertain. If he does however feature, then he could be crucial in United's side and he will be influential in most of their attacks. Behind him, Carrick will keep his place after a good goal against Galatasary mid-week, whilst Scholes could feature due to his experience as he would keep the tempo, but Cleverley would be an option as the midfield legend might not have the legs to play in such an energetic match. The young midfielder could actually fill in Kagawa's role if the Japanese midfielder isn't fit though.

 

Areas of Interest - Flanks

In Johnson and Enrique, Liverpool have to attacking wing-backs who will look to get forward whenever possible, I think Ferguson could take advantage of this by allocating RVP and Nani these slots and giving them the job of using the space that the wing-backs leave behind. Johnson has been caught out on numerous  occasions this season whilst going forward, and is something Ferguson could take the upper hand on the wings should he do so. Buttner will also look to get forward and support Nani on the left flank, and Johnson will have to be alert as if he ventures forward to much, the Reds' full-back could easily get exposed.

Areas of Interest -  Midfield Battle

In consideration of Liverpool's emphasis on possession this season, you'd have thought Ferguson would have played a defensive midfield, but with Scholes and Kagawa, the Red Devils don't have a lot of defensive backing from the middle of the pitch.

Kagawa will have to leave his second striker role and play deeper to stop Joe Allen from playing, as the ex-Swansea midfield could play a big part in his sides possession play, being one of the few used to Rodgers' philosophy.

Jonjo Shelvey I think could be given the responsibility of stopping Paul Scholes from creating attacks from deep, since the brilliant United midfielder will play a part in a lot of his team's attacks, especially if they choose to go forward on the break. Another way to stop Scholes is by outnumbering him - something Spain did to neutralise Pirlo's effect on the game in the Euro 2012 final. If Suarez drops onto Scholes as well as Shelvey, then they could put too much pressure for him to pass the ball as well as he is capable of doing.

On the final point of both trios, Gerrard will be looking to support the attack as he has done so well in his years at Anfield, and will probably be seen higher than Suarez at times, with the Uruguay centre-forward tending to drop deep from his original position. However, the Anfield legend will face some opposition as Carrick will look to curtail his effect in the final third.

The edge in the midfield battle I think could come from Suarez dropping into the frame, and simply outnumbering United's trio. Kagawa needs to stick into the midfield and not roam into the striker position as he will leave his two midfield teammates exposed.

Prediction: Liverpool 1 - 2 United

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