Virgil van Dijk Says Liverpool Will Not Change Style to Face Manchester United
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has said his team will not be making changes to their style for the visit of Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Reds are clear by one point at the top of the table, and the Old Trafford giants will do their best to hand them their first league defeat of the season.
United have been in free fall for the majority of the current campaign, sitting sixth in the Premier League, and a defeat to Liverpool will compound their supporters' misery.
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Van Dijk told Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher his team-mates do not fear their bitter rivals, but respect the challenge ahead in the north-west derby (h/t Liverpool's official website).
The Dutchman said:
"You know what you’re going to face [when you play United].
We have pretty good pace as well, so we don't need to be scared of anything. But obviously we need to be aware of their danger; they have good players, especially up front.
We need to be ready for that. But we need to play our game and make sure we are on top of them and make sure they are put under pressure."
One of the core differences between the two sides is the high press. Liverpool are masters at activating the tactic, whereas United struggle to deploy the energy needed to pressurise opponents.
The hosts will want to attack the visitors, and United's fragile defence could be severely exposed against Liverpool's world-class forward line.
Mohamed Salah is back in top form after a slow start to the season, and the Egypt international is scoring goals again.
The forward has quickly raced to 13 goals in the Premier League and Europe this season, scoring a hat-trick in his last league outing against Bournemouth.
Liverpool are genuine Premier League contenders this season, striding on from a successful campaign in last term's UEFA Champions League that ended in defeat in the final to Real Madrid.
Van Dijk has been central to Liverpool's consistency, and his protracted signing from Southampton is now just a distant memory.
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp was right to aggressively pursue the Netherlands international, and Liverpool are now reaping the rewards of their coach's spectacular squad building.
United will be happy with a draw from Sunday's action, but Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho would desperately love a victory to help motivate his team going into the festive period.
