‘Do we have to…’ – Gary Neville ‘fear’ laid bare by sardonic question ahead of Liverpool clash
Gary Neville couldn’t hide his ‘fear’ for what might be in store for Manchester United when they visit Anfield on Sunday.
In stark contrast to Liverpool’s dominant position at the Premier League summit and ruthless 5-0 dismantling of West Ham, the Red Devils slumped to 14th after five top-flight defeats in December, three of which were at home.
The form book points to only one result in L4 at the weekend, and the pundit – who was in awe of Mo Salah’s double nutmeg in that win over the Irons – even joked about whether his former club might consider forfeiting the game.
Neville fears another Anfield drubbing for Man United
Speaking to Sky Sports, Neville mused: “Do we have to go to Anfield on Sunday? Do you remember in the olden days when Sunday League teams wouldn’t turn up because they said the traffic was bad or a few players were unwell?
“Obviously joking aside, I’ve no idea how they approach this game on Sunday. Manchester United have found this fixture very tough in recent years. The 7-0 [in March 2023], I was there watching it to the bitter end like many Manchester United fans were.”
The 49-year-old added: “United are only seven points off the relegation zone. They play Liverpool and then Arsenal away so it’s a really tough moment.
“It’s a young manager who has come over and needs time to settle in, but when results are this bad it piles on the pressure, and Anfield is an unforgiving place to go. It’s the worst place at the best of times. The form they’re in is out of this world. I have some fear for Sunday.”
Will Liverpool rip United apart at Anfield once again?
Liverpool have ripped Man United to shreds on a few occasions over the past three-and-a-bit years, with 7-0 and 4-0 romps at Anfield and 5-0 and 3-0 masterclasses at Old Trafford in that time.
However, the Red Devils proved to be our Kryptonite last season when emerging with a win and two draws despite being dominated for large spells in all three of those games, and Arne Slot’s side won’t have forgotten that when they take to the pitch on Sunday.
We know what it’s been like when the roles were reversed – when we won this fixture 3-1 in March 2011 (the day of Dirk Kuyt’s tap-in hat-trick), United were top of the table and 18 points clear of LFC even after that result, so the form guide can sometimes be flipped upside-down when these two meet.
More recently, the 7-0 a couple of seasons ago came during a tough campaign when we actually finished two places behind the Old Trafford outfit, who’d just won the Carabao Cup while we were tamely bowing out of the Champions League against Real Madrid.
Nonetheless, it’s an opportunity for Liverpool to heap even more misery on their beleaguered arch-rivals and strengthen their own Premier League title credentials at the same time, particularly if Arsenal were to drop points at Brighton the previous day.
A repeat of the iconic scoreline from two years ago can’t realistically be expected, but we can see why Neville would be fearful of another thrashing for his beloved club at Anfield, especially if Slot’s men hit the same performance levels that they showed against West Ham last weekend.
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