We caught up with deputy editor of Liverpool blog Empire of the Kop, Farrell Keating, ahead of Sunday’s trip to Anfield.
We discussed a range of topics in the lead up to the game when Manchester United will look to knock Liverpool’s momentum in the Premier League title race.
Liverpool clearly go into this game in better form than us and they will be looking to put the sword in come Sunday.
Without further ado, here’s what Farrell thinks ahead of the game.
Liverpool are currently top of the Premier League. Do you think Jurgen Klopp’s side will go all the way and win the title this season?
Farrell: “I think it’s fair to say that many Liverpool fans are pleasantly surprised with our current standing in the league table. Things were absolutely dire in 2022/23, and though a midfield rebuild was expected to have an impact on the following campaign, I don’t think anyone could have predicted the turnaround would be quite this significant!
“We’ve put ourselves in a very good position. If we can manage to extract two wins from our next two home games (including a pivotal tie with fellow title rivals Arsenal), you’d have to say we should at least be considered title contenders ourselves.
“I’m going to sit on the fence for now and see how it all plays out, but I’m already enjoying how the season’s going despite the fact Liverpool have yet to truly to discover their fullest potential.”
Are Liverpool fans happy with their owners?
Farrell: “Broadly speaking, I’d say most are content with the ownership. The newly renovated Anfield Road End stand is set to increase Anfield’s capacity to 61,000, recruitment has been almost spot-on in the summer, and Liverpool continues to grow as a force both on and off the pitch.
“As is the case with any well-run football club – the focus should rarely be on the ownership, which is just how I personally like things.
“No problems to report with John W. Henry and Co. of late!”
You gave Mo Salah a huge contract but reports suggested his head was turned by Saudi money. Do you think he’ll follow Jordan Henderson to the Middle East in the summer?
Farrell: “Money is superb and all, but why on earth would Mo Salah choose to go and – with all due respect to the Saudi Pro League – effectively end his career in the Middle East? The standard of football may (“may” being the operative word) be superb one day but he would effectively be wasting his final good years when they would be better spent in the top-flight of a major European league.
“I think it’s very important for Salah too that he is challenged by the league he’s in. He’ll continue to get that wish fulfilled in English football, so, in my mind, I can’t see him going anywhere in the summer.
“We’d likely sooner run down his contract, though I reckon talks will take place soon in the background to explore a potential extension at Anfield in light of his continuing positive form.”
More than 57,000 supporters at Anfield for this one. How do you see it going?
Farrell: “Anfield, in full voice, as it is is a truly frightening prospect for any visitor – the idea of then adding several thousand more passionate Liverpool fans to the mix is hardly, I imagine, an encouraging thought!
“It’s a shame we can’t see the stadium at its fullest capacity for this one but 57,000 will do for now!
“Logic tells me that this should be another big scoreline for Liverpool with Erik ten Hag’s men entering the tunnel at half-time, wide-eyed and experiencing flashbacks to recent big defeats at L4.
“But a wounded beast can still be a dangerous prospect and this is still a rivalry that can inspire the strangest of results. Liverpool should blow United away here, but I also wouldn’t be entirely surprised if we walk away frustrated. Hopefully, it won’t come down to another nail-biting finish and a late goal from the bench!”
What do you think of Manchester United a) the club; b) the team; c) the manager?
Farrell: “I genuinely feel for Manchester United fans at the moment. Looking beyond the rivalry, any sane football fan has to acknowledge that United is an institution of a club. To see it reduced to a crumbling stadium, a disillusioned (and increasingly apathetic) fanbase and an unreliable squad – all under the clutches of the Glazers – is a shame.
“I’m always going to want Liverpool to be doing far better than United, but I’ve sympathy for the way the club has been near-totally mismanaged since Alex Ferguson’s exit.
“Where do I start with the team itself? You’ve not had a lot of luck with injuries this term, that’s for sure. Going into this tie without the likes of Casemiro, Luke Shaw, Christian Eriksen and even Harry Maguire, who has enjoyed some positive form of late, is a blow! That said, if you were to compare Manchester United’s overall squad (fully fit) to Liverpool’s, I’d be picking the latter any day of the week.
“As an outsider, I must admit I’m not as aware of the intricacies of squad dynamics in Manchester as I am for Liverpool. That said, and I must stress once again that I don’t have the fullest picture, it does seem that player power perhaps holds more sway than it should over in Carrington, which is a recipe for disaster!
“I think Erik ten Hag is a good coach with simply too much on his plate to handle. To any suggesting he should be sacked: who on earth do you replace him with? Whilst a manager of the calibre of a Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola would command greater respect, the rot extends far deeper than the coaching department. Can any at the club honestly say the recruitment team rivals setups at Anfield? The Etihad? The Emirates? Even Villa Park? Then you look at the stadium, the culture at the club itself and the ownership… where’s the infrastructure in place that allows other managers in the league to thrive.
“Hopefully, an eventual shakeup in ownership, with Jim Ratcliffe entering the picture, will allow the club to begin addressing some of these key issues.”
Jurgen Klopp has been critical of the arrangements of fixtures. Does he have a point and do you think fixture congestion is a problem for other teams?
Farrell: “Let me start off by saying this is a problem a lot of clubs share – despite the efforts of some in the media, this is not an issue endemic to Liverpool. Just look at United’s injury list! Surely that can’t be attributed just to “bad luck”?
“Jurgen Klopp absolutely has a point and has been banging the drum over fixture congestion and the ill effects on player wellbeing for ages! The players are knackered and fed up of the situation themselves.
“Back in the summer, FIFPRO (the international players’ union) published a report (via Reuters) that acknowledged ‘dangerous levels of fixture congestion’ pre and post the World Cup ‘which posed a pressing danger to the physical and mental health of players’. You think that’s troubling? The very same report predicts ‘demands on elite players’ to increase in line with the expanded schedule following Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup reforms. It’s absolutely bonkers and only justified on the basis that such footballers are earning the big bucks.
“Can money now be a substitute for proper rest and recovery? If such a discovery has been made, I’d LOVE to see the findings!”
There has been lots of controversy surrounding VAR this season. Where do you stand on it?
Farrell: “It was interesting to see Gary Lineker perform a u-turn on the technology he’d previously backed. That’s not a dig at the MOTD commentator – I respect his honesty! However, I do think it’s important we separate the technology from its increasingly fallible and unreliable operators.
“The technology itself, in my eyes, can be of great benefit to football provided that those operating it are truly competent and efficient. There has been plenty of dispute over both factors, with many rightly complaining about decision-makers sucking the joy out of games with a combination of poor calls and long processes.
“I’d like to think we can reach a stage where we have the right people in charge of the technology but I just can’t see that happening any time soon. In the meantime, the case for abandoning the technology entirely will probably only grow stronger in the minds of many.”
All-time Liverpool hero and why?
Farrell: “It’s a boringly obvious answer, but Steven Gerrard has always been the big one for me growing up. I’ve an assortment of Liverpool shirts from the last couple of decades with his name on the back and have adored him for as long as I can remember. He was the one truly consistent bright spark in a Liverpool team that went through many a tumultuous period prior to Fenway Sports Group’s takeover in 2011.
“I know saying two is cheating, but I have to give a special mention for the manager, Jurgen Klopp. He’s truly fulfilled my wildest dreams as a supporter and brought the highest expectations back to Merseyside. I love the man!”
Favourite Liverpool XI from players you’ve seen?
Farrell: “Alisson Becker, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard, Dominik Szoboszlai, Sadio Mane, Bobby Firmino, Mo Salah.”
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