Manchester United can’t rely on the crowd and the quality of the grass at Old Trafford to defeat Liverpool
Ander Herrera mentioned everything under the sun as possible reasons why Manchester United can overcome Liverpool in tomorrow’s Europa League tie. He discussed the superiority of the team’s passionate fan base and even the grass on the pitch as advantages for the Red Devils in today’s press conference. Unfortunately, he didn’t mention anything about United having the edge in terms of player quality in advance of the crucial clash between old rivals.
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Herrera’s clear focus on everything other than the quality of players on the pitch should be hugely distressing to Manchester United fans. Their best teams of old would have entered a match-up against Liverpool with quiet assurance that their sides’ quality would be enough to push them past their hated rivals. It speaks to the desperation around Old Trafford today that Herrera chose to avoid the subject of player quality almost entirely.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Spanish midfielder chose to dwell on the pitch and grass quality. After all, his team was soundly defeated 2-0 last week at Anfield and his squad failed to show much fight at all. Herrera refuted that notion during his press conference, but it was pretty plain to everyone that watched the match how defeated his side looked.
United will face a monumental challenge to overcome the two-goal deficit on Thursday. The Red Devils need to beat Liverpool by at least two goals, and will need a three goal advantage if they concede to Jurgen Klopp’s men. The odds are stacked against United progressing to the competition’s quarterfinal round.
Failure to advance could end United’s best opportunity to secure Champions League football next season. Louis van Gaal’s side currently sits sixth in the Premier League table, four points behind rival Manchester City for the all-important fourth position. West Ham also sits above United in the table which further complicates their quest for fourth.
The simple truth is that this Manchester United team doesn’t deserve Champions League football the way they’ve played this season. Fans at Old Trafford have been forced to endure some of the most boring football in the Premier League this season. While the stadium used to ring with chants of attack, attack, attack, it now rings more consistently with chants begging van Gaal to take Marouane Fellaini off the pitch. The mighty have fallen quite hard.
Herrera’s comments aren’t the cause of this downfall, but they are a symptom of what’s plaguing United. They are a club that is hoping its reputation of grandeur will rescue them from this mire of mediocrity. In reality, the only thing that will allow them to once again ascend to the top of the Premier League is a manager and boardroom that operate the club like it has no tradition. They must have leadership that guides the team in just as hungry a fashion as their competitors.
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Ander Herrera can hope and pray that the excellent grass at Old Trafford will give his team an edge tomorrow, but he’ll be severely disappointed. Liverpool’s advantage in playing and managerial talent will allow them to further contribute to United’s downfall.