Liverpool will visit Manchester United this coming Monday 22 August at Old Trafford in a Premier League matchday 3 fixture. Although both teams are not in the best shape, it seems that the Red Devils' crisis is bigger than the ones on Merseyside, at least in terms of points.
Manchester United have lost their first two games, the last by a 4-0 scoreline, while Liverpool, despite injuries, have managed two draws against Fulham and Crystal Palace in the first two games. Jurgen Klopp's side will be confident of a good game, despite the absentees and apparent striker crisis.
Manchester United players are no longer clear on the name of Erik Ten Hag, and after back-to-back defeats at the start of the campaign, there seems to be unease in the squad ahead of the clash with Liverpool. Ten Hag is the sixth manager in charge of United since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.
David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick all faced intense criticism during their time at Old Trafford, while United fans plan protests on Monday, Ten Hag could be facing internal scrutiny. According to the Manchester Evening News, "some United players believe Ten Hag's approach does not suit his abilities", and prefer a "more pragmatic approach".
It is still unclear to many what strategy Ten Hag has adopted, particularly in his use of new signing Christian Eriksen, who has been deployed as both a striker and a defensive midfielder. In the 4-0 defeat to Brentford, Eriksen was under relentless pressure due to the amateurish possession play of David De Gea and Harry Maguire.
The same report claims that Ten Hag is considering dropping Maguire for the visit of Liverpool, suggesting instead Raphael Varane to partner Lisandro Martinez. All the indications are that Ten Hag's job is in jeopardy at Old Trafford against Liverpool, especially if defeat comes by a comprehensive scoreline.
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