EPL: Manchester United vs. Chelsea Tactical Preview

Manchester United takes on Chelsea at Old Trafford in a game that for many will decide the destination of the English Premier League title for this season.

With just three games to go, the two teams left standing after all the dust has settled are just separated by three points with an equal goal difference.

In other words, whoever wins this game should take the title and when all is said and done, this game for all intents and purposes is a final.

Luis Suarez to Liverpool Could be the First Step in Fernando Torres Leaving

Liverpool FC is closing in on the signature of the Ajax centre forward Luis Suarez. However, the signing immediately begs two questions:

1) Why sign Suarez when the rest of team needs undoubted strengthening? And maybe more importantly,

2) Does Suarez coming in speed up the departure of Fernando Torres?

There is little doubt that this campaign has been one of the worst Liverpool fans or players have ever had to endure.

Roy Hodgson was brought into the club last July by Christian Purslow and was immediately hailed as the man to steady the sinking ship, but the truth worked out far differently than either man could imagine.

His steady approach, after the scattershot transfer dealings of Rafael Benitez, was seen as the way to get the club back on track, as Martin Broughton sought a new owner, and although a top four finish was the very most Liverpool fans expected, a season of improvement on and off the pitch was the very least Hodgson had to produce.

Instead, Hodgson's campaign stuttered from the start and after just 31 games in charge of the Reds, as Liverpool slipped towards the relegation zone, with a record reading W-13 D-9 L-9 the likable manager found himself heading towards the growing dole queues in Croydon.

The ex-Reds boss' biggest mistake at Anfield was in alienating the Liverpool fan base and The Kop in particular. He had umpteen chances to stake his claim with the Anfield faithful but he bungled every single one.

From refusing to take Fabio Capello up with playing Steven Gerrard for 90 minutes when the Liverpool captain should have only played for 45 minutes while on England duty (Manchester United’s and Chelsea’s players only played for 45) to taking a diplomatic stance when Sir Alex Ferguson accused Fernando Torres of trying to get John O'Shea sent off, Hodgson just did not know how to act as a manager of a big club.

There is an old saying in the workplace. A man may have been working for 35 years but if he has done the same thing every year, then he doesn’t have 35 years worth of experience he just has one.
This would seem to be the case with Hodgson at Liverpool. He just seemed out of his depth and did not know what to do from day one.

After looking for the job last summer when he did not like any of the managers he was profiling, including Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish has been given the job to right the good ship Liverpool.

In just three games there has been enough improvement in the team to suggest that, instead of fighting it out in the lower reaches of the league, Liverpool could indeed mount a challenge to finish in the European spots.

The Scot has a tough task ahead, because there can be little doubt that the current squad needs improving.
There are glaring holes all over the first team squad. Quite simply there are far too many players not of Liverpool quality currently residing in red shirts and it says much that, for a long time, the two best players under Roy Hodgson were probably Sotirios Krygiakos and Lucas Leivia.

The ex-Fulham boss did not enamour himself to Liverpool fans with his summer signings or tactics but it must be said that the new additions were just like adding water to an already burning oil fire.

Now as we pass the halfway point of the season, NESV look set to prove to Liverpool fans that they mean business and that LFC is still a big club.

To send this message out to the fans, Damien Comolli has contacted Ajax about the availability of Luis Suarez.

Currently the negotiations between the two clubs are about £8 million apart, with Liverpool valuing the striker at around £15 million while Ajax want an estimated £23 million for the 23-year-old.

Suarez is one of the most sought-after players in world football at the moment. Barcelona and Manchester United both sent scouts to assess him last season when he bagged 49 goals in 48 games.

His overall record at Ajax is impressive. Over the last four years, he has never failed to score fewer than 20 goals a season, and his current record reads as having played 154 games with 110 goals.

Rumour of his impending transfer from Ajax went into overdrive two weeks ago when Ajax announced that Suarez was being removed as captain of the club and from there he has been linked with various clubs like Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool.

While there is no doubting his class or his potential, one must have to question the reasoning behind signing such a player for so much money, especially as the rest of the squad needs strengthening.

Stephen Warnock and Charlie Adam have both been linked with the club in recent days and would be welcome additions to the changing room, but that still leaves the glaring holes at centre half, central midfield, and out wide.

Of course, Liverpool definitely needs to sign a centre forward. Neglecting to bring in a player who could replace Fernando Torres was one of the prime reasons for both Rafael Benitez and Roy Hodgson getting sacked, but it seems madness to sign a player of £20 million type calibre unless he is going to play all the time.
The main problem there is that both Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez operate primarily as lone strikers for their respective teams.

Torres has been at Liverpool since 2007 and has never played with a real partner, unless you count Steven Gerrard playing just behind him.

Rafael Benitez is one of the most astute tactical managers in the game and even he failed to find a strike partner for the Liverpool No. 9.

Gerrard's best position is as the supporting midfielder, so if Suarez does come in, then Liverpool will gain in one area but lose in the other. Gerrard would revert to a traditional central midfielder when he simply does not know how to dictate a game from deep.

The other option for Liverpool on Suarez is to utilise him with Torres in the same way that Peter Beardsley complemented John Aldridge in Dalglish's first stint at Liverpool in the late '80s.

The problems with that particular tactic are that Torres' link up play is not up to the same class as his finishing and that he is a player who plays his best football when facing the goal rather than away from it.

It is also worth noting that John Aldridge was sold by Dalglish while he was still at his peak...

No, the Suarez signing only makes sense, to me anyway, on two levels.

1) He is a big-money signing that will get the fans back on board and,

2) His signing is the first part in Torres' future transfer.

The latter statement makes particular sense when you realise that Pere Guardiola is Pep Guardiola's brother as well as being Luis Suarez's agent.

It is no secret that Barcelona have indicated that they want to bring Torres and Fabregas back to Spain next season and Suarez's signing follows NESV's ideal by bringing in a player with vast potential while selling another at what could be his peak value.

If Suarez does indeed come in, he would be too valuable to leave on the bench so it would look as if Dalglish will be employing a 4-4-2 type system for the rest of the season with Steven Gerrard and possibly Charlie Adam as his two main central midfielders.

The problem with that set up is that it leaves the two centre halves exposed.

One would have to assume that since Martin Kelly is commanding the right full berth that Dalglish will stick with the youngster out there instead of the haphazard Glen Johnson, with Stephen Warnock coming in at left full.

That would leave Liverpool with a very one-paced back line and with a team whose tactical approach would be very direct, an accusation that the Kop levelled at Roy Hodgson with some venom on more than one occasion.

Is Suarez the right signing at the right time? Because it might even end up causing more questions than answers.

Manchester United vs. Liverpool: EPL Destiny on the Line for Both Clubs

Manchester United and Liverpool meet at Old Trafford this Sunday in a game that will almost certainly define their seasons.

If United loses, they will lose ground in the title race, while a loss for Liverpool will increase the mounting pressure on their beleaguered manager, Rafael Benitez.



Ferguson the Wily Manager

For many reasons, it is probably the wrong time for Liverpool to be traveling to the white-hot cauldron of Old Trafford. Having dispatched AC Milan 4-0 with childlike ease last Wednesday, Fulham then walked into the lion's den—and were duly sent packing with a 3-0 drubbing.

In short, United are on song—and they are very much the team you do not want to travel to at this stage of the season. One of the most vital elements of Alex Ferguson's coaching acumen is his uncanny ability to get his team to peak as we enter the business end of the league.

His team has stepped up a gear during the last couple of weeks—since Everton beat them 3-1—and not since 2002 have they managed to score as many goals in one season: 70 in 30 games. And you have to go all the way back to January to find the last goal they conceded at home.

Wayne Rooney has been firing on all cylinders since the start of the season, and he has carried the team through games when it looked as if this title challenge was going to slip away before it really started.

Much to Ferguson's credit, other players have begun to share in the burden Rooney has carried for so long. Antonio Valencia, despite a quiet start to his Red Devils career, has been brilliant since November.

Paul Scholes still defies Father Time and produces performances that players half his age would die for, and Dimitar Berbatov is finally beginning to give regular quality performances.

If he can keep this up, United's attack will be simply frightening as the end of the season draws in.

Park Ji-Sung has continued his selfless existence in the United midfield—and given his recent form and phenomenal honesty on the pitch, it is almost impossible to see him out of the side to face Liverpool this weekend.



United's Predicted Starting Lineup

Edwin Van Der Sar is guaranteed to start in goal. Since his return to the United starting lineup, they have managed to keep five clean sheets in eight games—no small coincidence.

Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic will also start—and it will be very interesting to see how the giant Serbian stands up to the power and pace of one Fernando Torres, who always seems to give him a torrid time. Rio Ferdinand should partner Vidic at the back, so the only real question is who Fergie will start at right full.

Given the options, it will either be Gary Neville or Rafael. Despite Neville having a field day against Ronaldinho, who managed to make the United man look 21 again, he should not play. His legs are gone at this level, and the pace his protege will provide could be key to United shackling Torres.

The next big question is whether Ferguson will start with four or five in midfield. Again, the system Benitez has always employed dictates that the Scot has to match him man- for-man—and for that reason, I see United going 4-5-1, which means Berbatov will start on the bench.

Valencia, Park, Fletcher, and Carrick will all start—be it in a 4-4-2 or 4-5-1—so the only question remains for midfield: Scholes or Nani?

The importance of the game would suggest that Ferguson will go with tried and trusted over flair and unpredictability—with Scholes getting the nod over Nani.

That leaves Rooney as the lone striker. This season, he has really come to the fore as a world-class talent—and now the other players look to him to not only make things happen, as before, but also to dig them out of their holes, too.

His industry and honesty mean he will always be a threat for this Liverpool defence—which is blessed with neither the speed nor the strength to combat the United front man.

A win for United would serve as a huge psychological boost as the intensity of their run reaches fever pitch—and it would set them up nicely to welcome Chelsea two weeks later.



Tough Times for Liverpool and Rafa

Liverpool, for their part, have had their worst season in living memory. Dumped out of the Champions League before Christmas and losing 15 matches in one season, the high- spending Anfield outfit now faces the extra embarrassment of missing out on the Champions League completely.

This is a must-win game for Rafael Benitez and his lacklustre side. Lose and the odds of them finishing fourth will increase exponentially—and despite Thursday's 3-0 win over Lille, the Reds flattered to deceive on the night, and they have yet to turn the corner on a miserable season.

This game not only provides that corner, but it also resembles a last chance for the Reds.

Should Liverpool lose and their rivals win, the points difference would almost certainly be too much for them to bridge, given there are so few games left to play.



Liverpool's Predicted Starting Lineup

Pepe Reina is the only player who has lived up to his billing this year, and without him between the sticks, it is frightening to think of what could have happened to Liverpool's season.

Glen Johnsen will start at right full, with Park most probably his opposite number. It will be interesting to see how the duo combat each other and how United look to break the indiscipline of the defender—or whether he will stay loyal to Rafa's orders and guard the "bank."

Emiliano Insua should start on the left. So far this season, his performances have ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. The Argentinian youngster is not blessed with pace— and as such, he must choose his forward forays carefully. The enemy he faces on Sunday will be ruthless and swift should he stray out of position too often.

Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger, and Kryiagkos will battle it out for the central berths, but the Greek international should at least find himself on the bench.

As ever, Javier Mascherano will shield the back four, with the only question for Rafa being Lucas or Aquilani. Looking at the season, it is clear that the Spaniard prefers the creatively numb Brazilian—but he will offer a defensive mind and honesty that the Italian is incapable of offering in the middle.

Dirk Kuyt, Yossi Benayoun, and Ryan Babel will battle it out for the two wide positions as a fully fit midfield should provide Rafa with plenty of questions—except for Albert Riera, that is...

Steven Gerrard and Torres will act as link and striker, and the key to unlocking United will fall to this pair—as it almost does in every match.

So far this year, Gerrard has been a shadow of his former self—and he will be looking to improve upon that poor form as the World Cup gets closer. He is no longer the untouchable player he was—and given the right circumstances, he could find himself outside Fabio Capello's starting XI for Aston Villa's James Milner.

Not only does this game represent a turning point in Liverpool's season, but it also represents a turning point in Gerrard's season.

Torres, who unbelievably finds himself on the bench for Spain, will be the key for Liverpool. His Indian sign over Vidic is sure to be on the mind of the Serbian—and it would not be unusual to see Liverpool try to isolate Vidic early on.



Only One Winner?

Looking at the form book, one could only pick United as a winner of this game. But these matches notoriously have their own style of ecosystems and are literally impossible to call.

For instance, no one would have predicted that Liverpool would have destroyed United 4-1 in this fixture last season.

When push comes to shove, I expect Manchester United to have too much for Liverpool in this game.

United will push their wide players right down onto Liverpool's full backs—but with Liverpool pretty much employing a defensive eight and trying to catch teams on the break, they will contribute to their own lack of ambition.

That will leave United's midfield to pick up Gerrard in an effort to snuff out their one consistent creative source in midfield.

Saying all that, Liverpool will fight tooth and nail for every inch of ground—and the onus will be put on the likes of Fletcher and Carrick to create something out of nothing as the Reds will leave no blade of grass unguarded.

Almost too difficult to call, but it is hard to see United not scoring...

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Ten Football Predictions for 2010

The last year was a memorable one. Barcelona won the Champions League with the kind of display associated with Holland in the '70s. Real Madrid took their spending to £1 billion while Liverpool went backwards and Spurs finally look like they're ready to join the elite of English football.

Fernando Torres To Put Country Ahead of Club and Elect for Surgery

Just when you thought Liverpool's current woes could not get any worse.

If reports in Spain are to be believed the Spanish FA are pressuring Fernando Torres to undergo surgery on his hernia as soon as possible so that the striker will be fit heading into the World Cup come June.

With Liverpool's season evaporating into a cloud of empty dreams, the liklyhood of Torres electing to move the surgery forward is becoming a very real possibility.

Five Steps For Liverpool To Win The Premier League

Liverpool are as far from winning the Premier League as at any time during their last 20 barren years. But as ever, there is an optimism in the air. After all, Manchester United went 26 years without a trophy, and we all know how the last two decades have gone.

So anything is possible where a big club is involved...

Rafa Stares Into the Abyss After Birmingham Draw

The best slant that can be put on another poor Liverpool performance is that they managed to come from behind to draw against Birmingham But that tells it's own tale, as the equalizing goal came from a penalty after David Ngog dived to win the spot kick...

REDemption for Rafael Benitez as "10-Man" Liverpool Beat "9-Man" United 2-0

Ten man Liverpool beat "nine" man Manchester United 2-0 at Anfield in a pulsating clash where both sides went at each other as if it was a cup final.

Both Nemanja Vidic and Javier Mascherano saw red as Fernando Torres scored the opening goal and the unlikely David Ngog coolly slotted the second past the returning Edwin Van der Sar.

Worrying Trend Developing at Liverpool, Inability To Beat Good Teams...

Liverpool have played 11 matches this season, four of them against decent opposition and they have lost all four. Is a trend beginning to develop at Anfield that could deny the club of that coveted Premiership title?

Liverpool slumped to their 4th defeat in 11 games with a 2-0 loss at Stamford Bridge against high flying Chelsea. The result leaves them just outside the top four and with an uphill battle if they are to have any say in the direction of the title this season.

Manchester United Still on an Inter-Mission While Liverpool Prove the Real Deal

Liverpool came to Old Trafford and conquered. A stunning 4-1 win over their rivals Manchester United has thrown the title race wide open and has given the Anfield giants an outside chance of winning that elusive title.

Goals from Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Fabio Aurelio, and Andrea Dossena left Manchester United and Alex Ferguson all scratching their heads, after they had taken the lead through an early Cristiano Ronaldo penalty...

Can Rafael Benitez Lead Liverpool To This Seasons EPL Title?

Liverpool beat Everton 2-0 to give them 14pts from six games and their best ever start to a Premier League season. But does this good run make Liverpool serious contenders for Manchester United's crown?

Liverpool Not Firing On All Cylinders at Start Of Season. Is The Title a Dream?

Despite getting off to the best possible start with two wins from two games, Liverpool have laboured to defeat North East rivals Sunderland and Middlesbrough respectively.

Last week after a lacklustre performance, it took a moment of magic late on by Fernando Torres to secure the win over Roy Keane's unlucky Sunderland. The Wearsiders had dominated most of the match but unless you take your chances against a team containing players like Torres, Gerrard and Robbie Keane 0-0 is never a safe scoreline. Liverpool came away with the three points, but in a game they were expected to win they barely got out of jail.