Manchester United vs Liverpool needs no introduction; Jose Mourinho vs Jurgen Klopp likewise – so let’s get straight on with it.
We talked to Liverpool fan and social media extraordinaire Ste Hoare about Sunday’s match…
1) United and Liverpool have a rich history and that makes this a huge fixture. In your opinion, is it the biggest in the league?
I do, yes. Even when one of the two teams is struggling, everyone is talking about this game. The fact both sides are doing pretty well this year only heightens its significance further. There are plenty of big games in the Premier League but this is the biggest.
2) Which of the two sides do you think had the better transfer window? Why?
Tough one. United went and splashed the cash and got some excellent players. Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp did things slightly differently. He did spend a bit on money but chose to do so on younger players who he felt he could develop. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sadio Mane were the two most important buys I feel, but I honestly couldn’t say which side did better business.
3) Liverpool are 8 points behind leaders Chelsea and 5 ahead of United – what would you put this down to?
We, when we are playing well, are the best attacking side in the league. We hit a level where we could just score goals for fun and we blew teams away. Chelsea’s run was amazing but if I was them, I’d be worried that after a 13 game winning streak, the gap is only five points. United had a slow start and then found themselves dominating games without winning them. We’ve had that issue a bit too as have most teams at some stage, bar Chelsea. It’s going to be an interesting title race that’s for sure!
4) It is thought that on Sunday, Coutinho will make his first league appearance since November – how big a difference will that make to the side?
It’s massive. We missed him a lot. It’s no coincidence that we looked a bit less dangerous when he was out of the side. He’s a genius and can unlock stubborn defences and can also score from 30 yards with relative ease.
5) Where do you think the game will be won on Sunday?
If we can keep a lid on Zlatan and the derive to him, I fancy us to have enough attacking prowess to score and win. If we let Zlatan dictate the game, we’re in for a tough ride. We’ll look to press and counter and at Anfield – Jose Mourinho parked the bus to stop us doing that. I’m not sure he can do that at Old Trafford so we could look to exploit that.
6) What do you think Liverpool need to do to step up that one gear further and really assert themselves domestically again? Is January investment needed?
We’re already starting to do that. We’ve got a world class manager who has us playing his brand of football. If we keep it up, we’ll definitely finish in the top four and possibly could win the league. As for January, I still think we are one winger short and we rely on Sadio Mane too much. I’d like us to buy another pacy winger but I doubt we will.
7) Prediction for the game?
Honestly this is such a tough game to call. United are full of confidence and are playing well and we’ve had a little stutter recently. Having said that, Klopp’s record in big away games is unbelievable so I’ll back us to get another win. I’ll say 2-1 to Liverpool.
