Arne Slot EXPLAINS what Liverpool NEED to do to beat Man United this weekend
Liverpool will visit Old Trafford this Sunday as they take on Manchester United in Arne Slot’s third Premier League game in charge of the club.
Liverpool have emerged victorious from both of their opening two games against Ipswich Town and Brentford and will now be looking to go three for three.
The Reds have won both games 2-0 and have looked impressive so far under new head coach Slot but Manchester United will pose a very different challenge for the Dutchman and he must take lessons from his first two victories into his toughest game yet.
READ MORE: Arne Slot favourite to sign for Juventus
What Liverpool need to do to beat Manchester United
Liverpool have been successful so far this season, they are yet to concede a goal and have dominated possession in both of their matches, but they are not yet the finished article under Arne Slot.
In their opening fixture against Ipswich Town Liverpool started slowly and it was only in the second half that the team came alive and started to produce dangerous chances that eventually led to Diogo Jota’s opener.
Speaking to Sky Sports about the first half of that game Slot said: “We were not ready to create chances and that is something we must do much much much better … With the quality we have we should be able to create a few chances.”
Liverpool’s first league game at Anfield under Slot followed a similar pattern, with Liverpool dominating the second half after a closely fought opening 45 minutes against Brentford.
Football - FA Premier League - Liverpool FC v Brentford FC LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, August 25, 2024: Liverpool s Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring the second goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brentford FC at Anfield. Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda LIVERPOOL Anfield MERSEYSIDE ENGLAND PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK Copyright: xDavidxRawcliffex P2024-08-25-Liverpool_Brentford-35
Although Liverpool opened the scoring early, going 1-0 up after 13 minutes, the first half was a close one and Liverpool didn’t become truly dominant until after the break, taking Brentford completely out of the game when Mohamed Salah scored the second in the 70th minute.
This trend isn’t new for Liverpool this season, often times in Jürgen Klopp’s final campaign Liverpool would start slowly and they found themselves 1-0 down in 16 of their 38 Premier League matches.
Liverpool’s slow starts
Although Liverpool’s slow starts this season haven’t led to them conceding, Manchester United will pose a very different challenge to Ipswich or Brentford and if Liverpool find themselves unable to create chances in the first half it could spell disaster.
Manchester United have had a mixed start to the season, beating Fulham on the opening day but losing to Brighton last weekend, conceding an injury time goal that saw them lose 2-1.
Erik ten Hag is now in his third season in charge of the Red Devils and has won silverware in each of the last two campaigns.
In ten Hag’s third game in charge of Man United he was able to overcome Liverpool at Old Trafford and his compatriot Slot will be looking to emulate that success this weekend and emerge victorious at Old Trafford.
How Slot can beat Manchester United
Liverpool were absolutely clinical with their passing against Brentford, completing 92% of their passes, and Slot will be looking for more of the same at Old Trafford.
92% - Liverpool completed 92% of their passes in today's game against Brentford, their best passing accuracy in a Premier League game on record since 2003-04. Slotted. pic.twitter.com/5QFdd72YAt
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 25, 2024
If Liverpool can translate both of their second half performances from this season into a 90 minute performance on Sunday then it will be very hard for Manchester United to come away with anything from the match.
Liverpool have to be wary of another slow start and Slot will be hoping for another good performance from his team in order to walk away from Old Trafford with three points to kickstart a successful season.
Arne Slot EXPLAINS what Liverpool NEED to do to beat Man United this weekend2 mins ago
Liverpool CONFIRM loan departure of 'super talent' who Jurgen Klopp LOVED1 hour ago
Fabrizio Romano REVEALS how Federico Chiesa is REALLY feeling about Liverpool transfer interest2 hours ago