When Liverpool left the pitch having won a point away from home against Arsenal, in a performance which heralded the kind of optimism that had now been seen among the Liverpool faithful since January it seemed that this time we were finally going somewhere. The new signings who had so far been exposed to first team action were showing early promise and any supporter you listened to delighted in echoing the common refrain of “tell you what I would have taken 7 out of 9 points from these three games before the start of the season”.
Fast forward one week and that optimism had been usurped by despair yet again. If the Arsenal game was supposed to show us how far we have come well then the game against West Ham showed us just how much father there is to go on our road to redemption. The fact that a performance like this came at Anfield only added to the anguish and in the end it somehow left most of us feeling worse than what was previously believed to be this side’s darkest day back on the last day of last season. And with good reason too. All of a sudden we saw how Benteke could struggle to influence a game, we saw our that defense (which had previously kept 3 clean sheets) was far from being the impenetrable unit it had previously appeared to be with Dejan Lovren seeming to return to type and prove his many doubters right.
The most unwelcome international break which followed that game couldn’t have come at a worse time for miserable reds who were left with no escape for at least a fort night. The fact that this chance for redemption comes against United at Old Trafford does little to inspire confidence that our moods will be lifted much come Saturday evening. We were soundly beaten 3-0 here last season as United completed the double over us and our record at this ground over the years is far from impressive. You wont find many arguing with my description that this is hardly the greatest Liverpool side ever created. The thing is though, this is far from a vintage United side either and if you spoke many of their fans I believe you would find that, currently our mindsets are not so dis-similar. They had ground out a couple of wins to start their Premier League season without ever looking truly convincing, they then had a stale draw against Newcastle before slipping to a damaging defeat away to Swansea. The only differences between our season is their lack of a truly promising performance such as ours versus Arsenal and also their lack of a home defeat like ours against West Ham. The point of my ramblings is not to convince anybody that we are certainly going to go there and return with all three points at 7:30 on Saturday, what I am trying to show is that this result is not a foregone conclusion for either side.
It is far too early to talk about six pointers or the likes, but this game definitely has more about it that simply the 3 points which are on offer. Both managers are currently experiencing some real internal pressure and although it seems outlandish to suggest that this single result could result in either being removed from their position, it is not in doubt that the pressure will be multiplied on either manager if they were to lose this game. It is of course possible that the need to not lose this game could result in something of a stale mate, certainly in the latter stages if the game is tied in a score draw (the only result which could realistically see both managers saving face). However the Old Trafford faithful will not accept a team sitting back, at home against such a hated rival. This is the reason why I think it is possible for Liverpool to get something from this game. We’ve shown our most promising signs against teams that are willing to play. Whilst there is no denying our struggles at times, I think it is clear to most that they are most clearly visible against opponents willing to give us the ball and repel our attacks, this is why our recent home record has been so poor as teams are so willing to soak up pressure at Anfield. Away from home, away from the frustrated Anfield crown, with our ever excellent away fans providing the loudest support they can possibly muster egging us on could just prove to be exactly what is needed at the moment.
While in truth this game offers nothing more than 3 points to the victor, with plenty of season remaining for a loser to make up that difference, if one team does emerge victorious it will be the perfect remedy to their recent ills, whilst the loser will have to take another sip of the poisoned chalice as the pressure on their leader approaches breaking point.
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