Our Liverpool fans' jury have their say on this weekend's massive Premier League match against the old enemy, Manchester United, at Anfield
Paul Wheelock is the head of sport at the Liverpool ECHO, overseeing Everton FC and Liverpool FC coverage, having previously held the position of content editor and Blood Red: Liverpool FC podcast and video editor. He used to be a football club correspondent, reporting on Blackburn Rovers for the Lancashire Telegraph and Chester FC for the Chester Chronicle.
Liverpool's Dutch manager Arne Slot (L) and Manchester United's Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim (R) look on during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on January 5, 2025. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)
Arne Slot and Ruben Amorim will resume rivalries when Liverpool host Manchester Untied on Sunday
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Liverpool supporters would have been forgiving for being grateful for the international break. After all, their side had lost three straight games going into it.
But after two weeks of no club football, the excitement will return with a bang this weekend when Liverpool play host to Manchester United at Anfield.
Win and the Reds' season will be very much back on track. Defeat, however, is unthinkable. And ahead of Sunday's massive match, our fan jury have returned to have their say...
James Noble
As has been widely discussed, this international break felt a well-timed one for Liverpool.
It’s now a tad easier to view the three consecutive losses that preceded it through an objective lens and as part of a start that also produced seven straight wins across all competitions and has the champions a point off the top of the Premier League. Adjustments and improvements are needed, but so is composure.
Attention, of course, now turns to Sunday’s Anfield meeting with Manchester United. There’s always plenty to zoom in on within any given edition of this storied fixture.
One of the likely challenges for Arne Slot and Co, for instance, will be implementing an out-of-possession approach that functions more effectively against a 3-4-3 than in January’s 2-2 draw or recent meetings with Crystal Palace.
Ibrahima Konate and Ryan Gravenberch’s possible injuries could present hurdles of their own, meanwhile.
United remain highly unconvincing, but they undeniably possess quality. Less pre-match noise, this time, regarding the clubs’ contrasting form may prove helpful.
It’s also easy to use this match-up to zoom back out. This is the first time since March 2011 that the sides will meet with the same number of top-flight men’s league titles to their name.
Within the week that marks 15 years since FSG’s takeover, that’s a positive signal of LFC’s broader - and hopefully ongoing - trajectory.
Andrew Cullen
Now that the drab international break has passed, we have time to look forward to the clash of the titans, the biggest domestic game of the calendar, held at the best stadium in the country.
Man Utd are no longer titans, of course, but the fixture will certainly be a clash. Although the fixture is still arguably the biggest and most eagerly anticipated match up, the reality is that both teams are not in fine form. Given the size and significance of the fixture though, it has the potential to catapult the winning side to greener fields.
The stakes are high: if we lose, the position looks more worrying, especially given that we have not played really that well this year, despite our lofty position.
I was enjoying clips online of Liverpool’s previous demolition jobs on Man Utd under Jurgen Klopp’s era. Wouldn't it be nice to emulate one of those performances?
I hope the match is fiery and ferocious, filled with passion and pride, because the game could have a seismic impact on our fortunes, an impact which may well reverberate across the season to come.
This fixture is perhaps exactly what we need to wake up the Liverpool titan from its sleepy slump.
There should be no international break lethargy, but if there is, the Anfield crucible will not allow it.