Liverpool vs. Manchester United: 5 Things Kenny Dalglish Must Get Right

Liverpool welcomes Manchester United to Anfield this weekend in what is easily one of the more anticipated fixtures of the young Premier League season. 

The match is critical for Liverpool to gauge just how much closer the club is to returning to championship form.  No better yardstick than the reigning Premier League champions and longtime rival, United.

The fixture is critical not only as a test of Liverpool’s championship bonafides, but from a more practical sense it is important for the club to remain within striking distance of United.

Kenny Dalglish will need to get many things right if he is to best fellow Scot, and longtime rival, Sir Alex Ferguson.  To help narrow the focus, here are five things which Dalglish absolutely must get right if Liverpool are to prevail.

1. The Starting XI

Kenny Dalglish will have greater options in defense against Manchester United, as Fabio Aurelio, Daniel Agger and Glen Johnson all return from injury.  Aurelio has yet to feature for Liverpool this season, while Johnson has barely featured.

Even so, expect Martin Kelly to start over Johnson at RB, partnering with Jamie Carragher, Martin Skrtel and José Enrique across the back. Although Agger has been fit for several weeks now, it is unlikely that Dalglish will immediately throw him to the wolves on Saturday.

Dalglish must keep both Kelly and Skrtel on short leashes, though, and be ready to sub either player by having Agger replace Skrtel should the Slovakian struggle, or by bringing on Agger and shifting Skrtel to RB in a bind.

Steven Gerrard likely will get his first start of the season alongside Lucas Leiva in the middle, with Stewart Downing wide on the left and Dirk Kuyt wide to the right. Expect Andy Carroll to partner Luis Suárez up top to round out the 11.

Starting XI: Pepe Reina, Kelly, Carragher, Skrtel, Enrique, Downing, Lucas, Gerrard, Kuyt,

Carroll and Suárez

Bench: Alexander Doni, Craig Bellamy, Johnson and Agger.

2. The Formation

Other than the conventional 4-4-2, Dalglish may opt to go with a 4-3-3 look, with Downing and Gerrard in the middle, shielded by Lucas.

Suárez, Carroll and Kuyt would then round out the three-man attacking forwards to test the unsteady United Defense.

------------------------REINA---------------------------

KELLY---------CARRA--------SKRTEL-----ENRIQUE

GERRARD-----------LUCAS--------------DOWNING

KUYT ---------------CARROLL---------------SUÁREZ

A major drawback of the 4-3-3, however, is that the Liverpool fullbacks will be immediately confronted by United’s wing players, who form a formidable pair in Nani and Young.  There will have to be cover coming from the middle, leaving the midfield defense stretched.

Another option would be a 4-2-3-1 with Kuyt and Lucas in front of the back four, allowing Gerrard to return to his favored advanced role, with Suárez and Downing playing as inverted wingers and Carroll as the target man.

--------------------------REINA-----------------------

KELLY---------CARRA--------SKRTEL-----ENRIQUE

-------------------KUYT-----------LUCAS------------

DOWNING ---------GERRARD ------------SUÁREZ

-------------------------CARROLL---------------------

However, an even likelier alternative to the 4-4-2 would be 4-1-3-2. In that situation Lucas would sit back as a single defensive midfielder in front the back four while Gerrard sits in the hole supporting the attack behind Suárez and Carroll.

--------------------------REINA-------------------------

KELLY---------CARRA--------SKRTEL-----ENRIQUE

-------------------------LUCAS--------------------------

KUYT----------------------------------------DOWNING

------------------------GERRARD-----------------------

-------------CARROLL-------------SUÁREZ------------

Whatever the formation, however, it is critical that Dalglish get it right so as to maximize Liverpool's midfield play to the forwards, while minimizing United's wing threats.

3. The Attacking Strategy

Anderson has been inconsistent for United since Tom Cleverley’s injury, but look for Sir Alex Ferguson to start him, with Cleverley relieving him at some point, if not supplanting him altogether in the lineup—depending on his level of fitness.

Should Anderson start it is imperative that Liverpool unsettle him immediately.  Against Norwich he played with little penetration and constant pressure from the Canaries saw him give away many balls and fail to complete a single pass within the Norwich final third.

United have been shaky in the back due to injuries to Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Chris Smalling and the da Silva twins. Vidic, and Smalling are expected back, but this should do little to cure the problems with defensive responsibilities and positioning which have plagued the side.

United have conceded 131 shots, 36 of which have been blocked, and 39 saved. While it is impressive that David De Gea has allowed only five goals to 39 saves, both that and the 131 shots are league highs and is an indictment of United’s defensive slackness.

The high numbers of interceptions, clearances, blocks and chances conceded United are indicators of a defense that is routinely stretched by opposing teams.  Liverpool would be wise to attack them and often.

As much as possible, Liverpool must put the error-prone De Gea to the test, crowd him on corners (a tactic at which Kuyt has become a master irritant) and pepper him with shots.  Let the young Spaniard prove that he can handle the crucible that is Anfield.

4. The Defensive Strategy

United are equally adept at attacking down the right side as they do the left, but look for United to attack the perceived weaknesses along Liverpool’s right side with Ashley Young testing Martin Kelly early and often. Kelly has had a rather inconsistent season to date. 

He played well against Arsenal then had an anonymous half hour against Bolton before leaving to injury.  He returned to a Matt Jarvis nightmare against Wolves and finished up with a solid but unspectacular performance against Everton.

It would be foolhardy to leave Kelly isolated against Young, or with an aging Jamie Carragher as cover.  Given Carragher’s anticipated responsibilities with the United forwards, this is hardly ideal, so look for Dirk Kuyt to provide cover from his RM spot.

Tottenham’s Kyle Walker has thus far been the only player to unsettle José Enrique, and I don’t see Nani repeating the feat, despite being an all-round better opponent than Walker.

Nani isn’t quite as fast as Walker, but he is much trickier and will present the Spaniard his sternest test thus far this season.  Though predominantly right-footed, Nani is equally adept at getting to the end line for crosses, or cutting in onto his left to shoot.

Look for Stewart Downing and Lucas to provide defensive cover to Enrique so as to avoid distorting the shape of the back four too much.  Tom Cleverly is expected to return after a month’s layoff, and should add potency to the United midfield.

5. Steven Gerrard’s Minutes

Steven Gerrard is likely to make his first start since March this weekend, and for Kenny Dalglish Gerrard’s return to the starting 11 is more than symbolic.  If Liverpool are to return to preeminence then the captain has to figure prominently.

Dalglish is a wise man who has forgotten a great deal more football than many of us would ever know, but he needs to be careful in how he manages Gerrard’s minutes, so as to maximize both safety to the player and productivity for the club.

It seems unlikely that Gerrard will play the full 90 minutes after such a long layoff,  but look for him to play between 70-75 minutes, either alongside Lucas (with Downing and Kuyt on the wings, in the 4-4-2 as discussed), or alternatively in the hole behind Suárez and Carroll (4-1-3-2).

Critical in this analysis is the selection of the bench, and this is where Craig Bellamy offers some flexibility.  Should Liverpool be trailing then he can replace Suárez up top with the Uruguayan slotting into the hole to replace Gerrard.

Should Liverpool have the lead at that point, one can reasonably expect Gerrard to again make way for Bellamy, who will take Downing’s place on the left, with Downing moving to the right flank and Kuyt dropping to the middle.