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Manchester United’s win over Liverpool happened less than three weeks ago but so inconsistent are Erik ten Hag’s men that it already feels like a different era.
Two deflating performances have followed that false dawn in a season littered with those.
After ending Jurgen Klopp’s men’s dreams of a quadruple in that 4-3 win (a scoreline that has since become traumatic), they will now hope to inflict a big dent in their Premier League hopes.
To do that, they need to be aware of the following themes in the game-
The Rashford rage
Will the real Marcus Rashford please stand up? In fact, does anyone even know anymore which version of Rashford is actually believable? Is it the 40 goals plus assists version of last year or the perenially plodding version of this year?
One thing is for sure, whichever version of Rashford is the true one, he always saves his best for Liverpool. Klopp’s men is the team he has scored the most against out of any other top-six rival.
Even in the FA Cup game, he salvaged a horrendous game with a huge effort in injury time and salvaged that one for his team. With United lacking patterns in attack, a transition-heavy game might actually suit him again, as it did in that FA Cup fixture.
A clinical version of Rashford is an absolute necessity for United to repeat the result of that game as well.
He has arguably already used up all of the fan credit he had after a great last season. Now it’s time to build it back up, starting with this game.
Casemiro collapsing
Casemiro didn’t play in the FA Cup game but seeing his performances since then, it looks like he saved United from themselves with his absence.
The Brazilian hasn’t been helped by Ten Hag’s tactics of making every game a bout between two drunk boxers throwing haymakers at each other all the time, his own decline has also been obvious.
Liverpool’s dynamic midfielders, especially Alexis Mac Allister, who has enjoyed his ascent to world-class status this season, would be relishing the chance to run at him.
Casemiro needs to turn back the clock and not even a long way, just this time last season would work, that’s how rapid his decline has been.
Ten Hag might not even select him and just go with the team that beat the same opposition on March 17 but if he does, Casemiro cannot afford to be walking liability. He almost got away with it against Chelsea because they have got problems of their own. Liverpool will make it ugly if he repeats that performance.
Which Manchester United will turn up?
Ultimately, with Ten Hag’s tactics, it is impossible to predict United games anymore. The past three fixtures encapsulate it perfectly. Nobody knows which United will turn up when Liverpool visit but at least the mentality and drive to win won’t be in question.
Because, unfortunately, due to Ten Hag’s insistence on making every game a gamble of who scores more in a field of chaos, it will just come down to which team is more clinical.
The manager has kept brushing aside the ridiculous number of shots they concede but ultimately, Onana’s overperformance and United’s luck will run out. They just have to hope that doesn’t happen at the biggest game in English football.
At the other end, they need to keep being clinical to provide themselves a cushion for Liverpool’s unavoidable assault.
It’s not very pretty, it’s definitely not sustainable, but it is thrilling when it comes off, as the FA Cup game showed. A repeat would do nicely.
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