With players of the calibre of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney in your midst, you know your team will score goals and it's up to their colleagues to ensure they really count.
With that in mind, Sir Alex Ferguson will hammer home the absolute importance of keeping a clean sheet to his side, despite his obvious appreciation of football's finer, attacking points. The message will be clear: give nothing away because winning games 1-0 here and there will be the key to winning the title. That is the key to the consistency that he craves.
It might not be pretty, ladies and gentlemen, but if it yields victories in a decisive phase of the season then no one will complain. Ferguson certainly won't want his sides to have to chase games with a Champions League campaign still ongoing.
So, first and foremost, his team will be ordered to defend as a tight-knit group and when forays forward break down everyone - including Rooney and Ronaldo - will be expected to work back when they've lost the ball.
Discipline will be called for and, initially at least, there will be no gung-ho attacking.
Instead, the United players will be told to break down Liverpool in a systematic manner knowing that the likes of the wonderful Jamie Carragher will ensure they give nothing away.
The speculative, glory-hunting 30-yarders from Nani that left Ferguson exasperated against Bolton will be cut out.
In place of that, he will want his wingers to get down the wings to deliver crosses and he will want others to play the ball patiently and incisively around the edge of the penalty area, looking for a way through via one-twos.
In keeping Liverpool under pressure, Ferguson will know that free-kicks are bound to be conceded and that will pave the way for Ronaldo to take centre-stage at dead-ball situations which is bound to send shivers down Jose Reina's spine.
But it certainly won't be easy for United because Liverpool have really tightened up at the back and in Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso they have a formidable midfield duo while, of course, in attack Fernando Torres has belatedly, but only partially, vindicated his manager's rotation policies.
In keeping Liverpool under pressure, Ferguson will know that free-kicks are bound to be conceded and that will pave the way for Ronaldo to take centre-stage at dead-ball situations which is bound to send shivers down Jose Reina's spine.
But it certainly won't be easy for United because Liverpool have really tightened up at the back and in Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso they have a formidable midfield duo while, of course, in attack Fernando Torres has belatedly, but only partially, vindicated his manager's rotation policies.
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Key Clash: Vidic v Gerrard
Everyone knows about Steven Gerrard's tremendous shooting ability outside the penalty area, but his running off the ball is highly potent as well.
From a deep-lying role, Gerrard regularly bursts into the box to link up with the more advanced Fernando Torres and it will be up to Nemanja Vidic to spot the danger even when he's otherwise occupied with the Spaniard.
Both Gerrard and Torres are playing out of this world and Vidic will have his hands full keeping them at bay if Rio Ferdinand is absent through injury.
Rafael Benitez should follow the example of the late, great Joe Fagan to bolster his chances of prevailing over Sir Alex Ferguson for the first time.
Ahead of the European Cup final victory over Roma in 1984, the then Liverpool manager ripped up his opposition dossier in front of his players.
Benitez should do something similar because I sense that over-elaborate planning, paying too much attention to United players in past meetings has inhibited Liverpool.
Set them free, Rafa.
Key Clash: Vidic v Gerrard
Everyone knows about Steven Gerrard's tremendous shooting ability outside the penalty area, but his running off the ball is highly potent as well.
From a deep-lying role, Gerrard regularly bursts into the box to link up with the more advanced Fernando Torres and it will be up to Nemanja Vidic to spot the danger even when he's otherwise occupied with the Spaniard.
Both Gerrard and Torres are playing out of this world and Vidic will have his hands full keeping them at bay if Rio Ferdinand is absent through injury.
Rafael Benitez should follow the example of the late, great Joe Fagan to bolster his chances of prevailing over Sir Alex Ferguson for the first time.
Ahead of the European Cup final victory over Roma in 1984, the then Liverpool manager ripped up his opposition dossier in front of his players.
Benitez should do something similar because I sense that over-elaborate planning, paying too much attention to United players in past meetings has inhibited Liverpool.
Set them free, Rafa.
1 comment:
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