Manchester United vs Liverpool: A marked difference in the Arne Slot and Erik ten Hag projects
It may be cliché but form does go out of the window when Manchester United and Liverpool face off.
Heading into the clash at Anfield during the 2022/23 campaign, the Red Devils had lost just one of their previous 11 matches in the Premier League and had racked up eight wins in the process.
By comparison, Liverpool had lost three and drawn two during the same period. The Reds had suffered heavy defeats to Brentford, Brighton and Wolves.
United had beaten Liverpool in the reverse fixture earlier in the season and many pundits were tipped Erik Ten Hag’s side to make a statement at Anfield. Few predicted a historic 7-0 win for the Reds, but that is exactly what happened.
Last season, it was United struggling while Liverpool had their eyes on an unprecedented quadruple.
Ten Hag masterminded a 0-0 draw at Anfield before United claimed a 4-3 win over their rivals in the FA Cup and then dented Liverpool’s title hopes with a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford.
Before the Anfield clash, Liverpool had won four of their last five in the Premier League, only dropping points against Manchester City at the Etihad.
United had lost two of their last three before making the trip to Merseyside. Bournemouth romped to a 3-0 win at Old Trafford and Newcastle had eked out a 1-0 victory at St James’ Park.
United had also dropped points in four of their past five games before hosting Liverpool at Old Trafford in the Premier League while Jurgen Klopp’s side were on a seven-match unbeaten streak, a run which included six wins.
Form really is irrelevant when these two sides meet. And United, once again, will be thankful for this.
The Red Devils have invested heavily this summer and are now into year three of the Ten Hag project. Despite this, they look far from convincing.
United needed an 87th-minute goal from new signing Joshua Zirkee to kick off their campaign with a win over Fulham before a 2-1 loss to Brighton last weekend.
It was a deserved defeat too with the Seagulls carving out chances with an expected goals (xG) value of 2.09 at the Amex.
They still appear to be a team in transition.
They should be a lot more settled now.
There should be a clear identity.
Ten Hag’s arrival from Ajax was supposed to usher in a new era of dominance. It hasn’t.
United are still very much a counter-attacking team that can cause problems for bigger sides before struggling against those they should, on paper at least, beat.
The Red Devils are still struggling to dominate and they’re struggling to impose their supposed quality onto the opposition.
That isn’t solely Ten Hag’s fault, but the Dutch coach should not escape criticism. Especially when you see what Arne Slot has already done at Liverpool.
We may only be two games into the new season but there’s a marked difference in the Reds this term.
They are controlling possession, space and game state.
Whereas last season, the Reds would dominate the ball, averaging 62% possession, this was often sterile.
They would regularly be 1-0 down inside the opening quarter of a game and then the opposition would sit off and allow Liverpool to have the ball. Klopp’s side didn’t dominate the space, their opponents did.
And the game state, for a lot of the matches, was the Reds having to find a way back into it having fallen behind to an early goal.
It was chaos rather than calm.
In the games so far this term, it has been the complete opposite.
Liverpool have barely given up any opportunities and they’ve grown into games in the second half as teams have tired. they have the highest xG total (5.3) in the league and the best defensive record, having allowed teams opportunities worth just 0.8 xG.
Granted, the opposition hasn’t been the best.
Ipswich are tipped for a relegation battle while Brentford are expected to be in the lower half of the table. However, last season at Anfield, the Bees had chances worth 1.7 xG in the 3-0 defeat.
Liverpool won that game by a greater margin but the game on Sunday was much more controlled. It was a routine, comfortable 2-0 win for Slot’s side.
The Reds completed 92% of their passes against Thomas Frank’s side, their highest passing accuracy in a Premier League game on record.
This is Slot-ball, and the players have quickly adapted to it.
It’s why key players such as Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all thriving.
The Reds have racked up 92 touches in the opposition box across these two games. For context, United have managed just 50.
Liverpool have 10 big chances to the six carved out by the Red Devils. Ten Hag and his team have given up chances worth 2.5 xG.
Strong in attack, even stronger in defence, Liverpool look like a Slot side despite being just two games into his tenure as boss and having made no signings.
Ten Hag is three years into his reign at United, he’s spent big money across the team and he’s still trying to put his stamp on things.
He has a knack for getting a result against the Anfield outfit. He treats it like a one-off game.
If Liverpool can control the game though and limit the transitional moments, the United boss could well suffer just a second loss against the Merseyside club.
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