Liverpool 4-0 Man Utd: Poor.
No need to get into it. Diaz scored the first, Salah scored the second, Mane scored the third and Salah got his second with the fourth.
The Filthy Five
In Solskjaer’s last days as United coach, after the absolute drubbing courtesy of tonight’s opponent in the reverse fixture, he went to a back five in order to coax some stability and life out of a team that had become stunningly easy to play against when they were without the ball. It worked to some effect against Tottenham but Spurs were going through their own angst with Nuno Espirito Santo and it would be his last game. It worked well enough that Ole would use it against Atalanta and City. It would be abandoned in Bergamo, as Varane came off injured and Bailly would come in to replace him but he would be dragged at half time as we switched to a four at the back. We were 2-0 down at half time after City tore apart the system that Ole had implemented in order to damage the limitations.
Varane was also out of this game and it would mean that Jones would get only his second start of the season. It played out pretty much like it did against our city rivals. What’s worse is that Rangnick decided to string 4 in front of the 5. Pogba and Matic would have struggled to do that in this team 5 years ago. They actually struggled to do it in a performance away to Arsenal 5 years ago. Yet they were tasked with doing it in a team that manages to have less resistance than that Mourinho team did. Pogba was only able to see the first 15 minutes before injury curtailed his game tonight.
We still persisted with the formation however. Bruno and Matic in the middle. Them two having to cover in middle and the half spaces that Klopp loves to utilise was bad enough but having to deal with the rotations of the Liverpool players, particularly down the right hand side with Salah, Trent and Henderson. It was dizzying. Look the players are stunningly bad, look bereft of confidence and application. But setting up in a 5-4-1 with Matic and Pogba, then Bruno Fernandes. Rangnick is utterly hilarious for thinking anything like that would work. For a football mind, an erudite one at that, his tactics are actually terrible. It is clear that he knows about the theory and structure but when it comes to applying things on the field, he is as archaic as the United structure he has lamented since his arrival.
Other Thoughts
Liverpool do play a high line and if there is any player that plays into the hands to, it would be Marcus Rashford. He had two opportunities that were presented to him via good work of Lindelof and Sancho respectively. One, his first touch let him down so that it skewed off in the opposite direction that he wanted, and the other he placed into the body of Allison. He was wrongly adjudged to be offside but VAR would have awarded him the goal had he put it in.
Prior to the game, Maguire boldly claimed that how could he have had a bad season when plenty of different managers have trusted him and he’s playing for Man Utd? It was a lot of talk for a man that has been downright pathetic throughout the course of the season. On the first, third and fourth goal, he showed the lack of quality he has and that is all it is. This is more than just a bad season. His first, if not for the fact it was his first, would have been rightly called bang average at best. His second, was only good from February onwards. We all know about the third. He is just a bad defender not of the level of Man Utd, let alone captaining the team.
Rangnick has not played Hannibal Mejbri at all but decides to bring him on 3-0 at Anfield. After he said bringing young players into a bad situation is not what he wants to do. He came on and was immediately at fault for 4th goal and was charging around like a bull in a china shop. Hannibal is a hot head already and coming on into this cauldron only heightened it. His age counted for him in keeping him on the pitch, such was his angry cameo. But he should not have been on the pitch in the first place. Rangnick continues to contradict himself with more and more stupidity.
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