ARE Manchester United once again a force to be reckoned with under Erik Ten Hag? Are Liverpool stuck in irreversible decline under Jurgen Klopp?

These two questions loom large over this Sunday’s clash at Anfield and when they’re merged present an intriguing proposition of two huge institutions trading places.

To what extent, and how far-lasting, these swapping of statuses are, however, remains to be seen and it’s important to retain some scepticism at this point as we’ve been bitten before, as recently as 2020/21, when prematurely writing off Klopp’s red machine. They are more than capable of returning next season as formidable and complete a collective as before.

That admittedly feels doubtful right now, seeing their defence concede numerous chances per game with a midfield ill-equipped to protect them. It’s true though, nonetheless.

As for United, since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and the club slumped into under-achieving mediocrity they’ve had more false comebacks than the mullet.

This time though is clearly different, their rejuvenation more tangible and infinitely more substantial.

After losing their opening two league games this term – revealing to the Dutchman the sizable scale of reconfiguration needed – United have won 27 games across all comps, more than any other side in Europe’s big five leagues. That’s seven more than they managed last season.

They are unbeaten in 18 at Old Trafford, making the famous old stadium a fortress again, and it says a great deal about Ten Hag’s in-game management that no other team in the top-flight has scored more via substitutes, 19 all told.

Significantly, their work-rate has improved multi-fold, as illustrated by having the most impressive counter-pressing stats in the Premier League and tellingly this graft is matched by craft because when in possession there is a quick, accurate recycling that only comes from meticulous, repetitive work undertaken on the training ground. No team has been dispossessed less in 2022/23.

Then we come to the individuals.

The addition of Lisandro Martinez has brought a thou-shall-not-pass mentality into a back-line that used to be porous, at times haphazard. The addition of Casemiro meanwhile has introduced bite and nous into a midfield sorely in need of both. And up front, Marcus Rashford continues to score at an astonishing rate.

Enjoying a renaissance that mirrors his team’s, the scorer of 31.4% of United’s league goals this season has converted 17 in 19 post-Qatar and shows little sign of stopping anytime soon. No forward in the top-flight has slotted away more match-winners (9).

When all of this is combined is it any wonder that United are presently 9/5 to win out this weekend, their shortest price for this fixture in many a year. So good are they of late that’s still decent value incidentally.

This though, before we get too carried away, is still Anfield, a ground where Klopp’s men have picked up a perfectly respectable 24 points from 33 in an otherwise troubled campaign, and it’s still Liverpool, a team and club that hate their opponents to their very marrow.

Indeed, concerning the intense rivalry, it could be argued that form goes out of the proverbial window for this one and ironically this is evidenced by United grabbing three 0-0s and a couple of away wins in recent years, amidst poor results, even crisis elsewhere.

Countering that, by bringing matters even more up to date, the visitors have scored only once in L4 in the last ten and a half hours of football.

Will United fire a blank again this Sunday? That feels unlikely given this new, vastly improved incarnation last failed to get on the score-sheet 29 games ago, but who’s to say with Liverpool being so ridiculously Jekyll and Hyde in their defensive displays in 2023. In their 11 games so far, they have kept five clean sheets but conceded an average of three per 90 in their other six.

This inconsistency can be extended throughout the team and bluntly it has become quite difficult to gauge which Liverpool will emerge one week to the next. What we can expect however, when factoring in the occasion, is that the crowd will be tumultuous and Salah and co will hare into United’s rearguard from the off, propelled by the atmosphere.

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This at least offers up one avenue of likelihood with Liverpool scoring 55.2% of their league goals in the first half of contests. United, for their part tend to grow into games, finishing strongly.

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