Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes have drawn on their own experience of facing Liverpool and issued advice to the Manchester United squad ahead of Sunday’s clash.
The Red Devils will make the trip to Anfield this weekend in hopes of making amends for last season’s 7-0 humiliation against their fiercest rivals.
As has been the case more often than not in recent years, United will enter the game as underdogs. Not only is their form at the stadium woeful as of late, but everybody is aware of how tumultuous their start to the campaign has been, having already sustained 12 losses across the opening 24 matches.
2018 marks the last time United were able to find the back of the net at Anfield and in the Premier League so far, the side have scored just 18 goals and conceded 21, making Erik ten Hag’s team the only one in the top eight of the table to hold a negative goal difference.
Former Reds offer their advice
Ferdinand and Scholes are two players who know what’s at stake for United this weekend in terms of both pride and points, so have voiced a rallying call to the squad on how they should tackle the contest.
“We were talking before saying, ‘Do you remember what it’s like going to Anfield? What the feeling was like playing against Liverpool?’, and he [Scholes] went: ‘You take as minimal touches as you can, try and play your way into the game slowly, but you’ve got to be aggressive.”
“You’ve got to be brave,” Ferdinand continued. “You’ve got to have the courage to take the ball at times there and be willing to fight, roll your sleeves up – that’s before any quality; any passing, any shooting or any skills. Go in there and understand the assignment.”
Listen up, Manchester United 👂
Rio Ferdinand has some advice for the squad ahead of their trip to Anfield on Sunday 🗣️#UCL | @laura_woodsy | @rioferdy5 pic.twitter.com/0ReifhWJYI
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 12, 2023
Footage courtesy of TNT Sports.
“Play our way into the game slowly”?
That’s the last approach we need: be 3 goals down by 20th minute if we try that. Up and at ‘em boys, is the way. We were always underdogs in Tommy Doc’s and Big Ron’s days, but, boy did those teams scrap. And got wins.