‘Complete & utter DOMINATION!’ 😱 Manchester United vs Liverpool reaction | ESPN FC

Manchester United nil Liverpool 3 hello everyone Mark Donaldson alongside the former Liverpool Defender Stevie niichel and Stevie in 2021 Liverpool won 5- nil at Old Trafford in 2022 they beat Man United 4-0 anfield last year Liverpool beat Manchester United 7 n and this year it's 3-0 how good were Liverpool today how bad were Manchester United well I think you got to say that from the Alexander Arnold non goal um it was one one-sided um no surprise United coming out the blocks they're at home they got the crowd behind them and it was a spirited start uh but it disappeared from that point on that I mentioned uh and it disappeared because Liverpool completely and utterly controlled the middle of the park um winning every single second ball uh out passing out play in out thinking that middle of the park that that United put in place um and so it was just a completely an utterly dominant performance and quite frankly the the three and0 score line doesn't really tell the story it should have been and could have been more you know you can always talk about zy could have had a couple certainly should have had at least one but at the same time you can also say that Liverpool should had at least two more I mean slob is Li and and most both both missing from eight yards mosalah blasting one way over the crossbar and slob is like just try to be too clever when it seemed easier just to put it in the back of the net so every single which way you want to look at this game uh it was completely and utterly dominated by Liverpool so as as someone that played the game for as long as you did and someone that managed in the game for as long as you did if if you're deficient in an area and this is to do with back post defending surely you work on it so against Brighton late on they got done at the back post lots of options for the opposition and Harley any for Manchester United so for the first goal let's go to the goals in this one for the for the first goal the ball's played to the back post and it's headed it in easily could have been one of two Liverpool players that did so but all the goals we're going to discuss today come from Manchester United possession and end up in Liverpool goals this was casemiro to begin with there's so many way that you can analyze this do you want to talk about the mistake do you want to talk about the back post defending I think listen in terms of back post defending defending in general is about being aware of what's around you and then the decision that you make in order to counteract what's going on I mean that's what it is you know you can work on it all you want but when the in the middle of the the battle shall we say you have to make you have to make decisions and you have to make them quickly and Manchester United can't do that and haven't done it and didn't do it today you know you got three you got three uh United Defenders who just have an eye for the ball have an eye for mosalah and nobody thinks about what's going on at the back post and so mosah just sticks a little ball in there and Diaz heads it in un opposed but I think we got to go further back and you know casemiro seems to be taking all the blame for this did he give a couple of balls away yes he did de but he's given a balls away because nobody seemed to be free I mean Kobe Manu didn't even look interested in receiving a pass but at the same time Liverpool absolutely closed down that back line in that middle middle of the par for United very very quickly today particularly grenberg who I don't know where this guy's come from because last season I wonder why he was in the squad but today and last week in particular he was fantastic but you know they closed the ball down after that you have to defend you have to defend and as I said it's about decision making and and in the second goal for Diaz yeah there are six Manchester United players in and a round where Diaz scores six you can't blame casemiro for that so it's not just it's not just one man's fault Manchester United has a team in terms of getting the ball back uh were pretty poor and in terms of keeping it were poor as as well and Liverpool in some ways took advantage of it but at the same time they could have taken more Advantage with more goals well there was more than one Manchester United fan saying that they can't wait till Manuel ugti is ready for action and look it'll help and again again that's I agree with that sentiment that he will help but he can't do it on his own exactly you know and I think I think ten High's got a problem here because Kobe Mayu on the ball is just a delight to watch you know he makes it look so easy he sees he sees little passes he sees long passes you know he he's fantastic with the ball at his feet but you you can't get away with just being great with the ball at your feet you have to do other things particularly in the middle of the park and as far as defending goes I'm sorry I know he's a kid can he learn I don't know what you know when you when you don't have an instinct to to defend I don't way you can actually learn so he's got a huge problem it's not just casimiro it's casimiro it's it's Manu and and I think the other problem as well is you've got somebody like Erikson on the bench and you bring on a kid in front of them and in a situation where you're desperate now maybe desperate times need Desperate Measures but yeah in terms of in terms of united in terms of the middle of the park the they're they are they are way way way below all the best teams and certainly miles behind Liverpool yeah Toby CER came on for casemiro at halftime given what you've just said then Stevie do you think Manu might be a better eight than a six whereby yes he's still got defensive duties but he can concentrate more on being as good as he is with the ball and if so would that require a change of shape is the shape working for ten Haag right now it's not I got it's not a shame it's the players you know at the end of the day it's the players you know I'm talking about Defenders making decisions I'm talking about in the middle of the par you got to be able to defend they don't do it so it's not it's not about the shap it's it's about the individuals and if you if you push Kobe Manu up what do you do with Bruno Fernandez I mean so T hag has got a lot of questions that need answered and and and quite frankly I don't think he has the squad to answer those questions you know I I think I think I just gave you the best example when you're taking cimo off and you're putting Coler on and you have Erikson there now would Ericson have done any more than Kia no but certainly from an experience point of view maybe he would have held better positions but again when you don't have the squad and you don't have the players to fix things then then you're you're struggling as United did today of course look United's a narrative but Liverpool won the game right and Liverpool's the biggest story here and I want to talk more about them because there was a lot of talk on espnfc um probably since Jurgen klopp left the initial talk was who's going to replace him this is when he was still there and he announced he was going to replace then when we knew who was going to replace him there was a lot of talk about arnest slot you can talk all you want and you boys did on on the show but until you actually see what you're getting in arest slot then you can comment on what you've seen so what have you seen so far from Liverpool that you like and what have you seen that's slightly different from the way it was under Jurgen klopp under Aros well I think I think no question the fullbacks are not as high I certainly one of them and Andy Robertson is not as high no you know um under under Klo both fullbacks were were way up in a halfway line past the halfway line and and particularly the last couple of Seasons the amount of chances um that Li were giving up um when the ball was coughed up was just it was a little bit outrageous regardless of whether it was anfield or away from home Liverpool were were making Allison work too hard and he couldn't always do it uh and for me that was one of the problems why they from winning the Premier League going forward why they never won it again because defensively I think teams knew that they could get at them so far what we're seeing from this Liverpool side with a more defensive shape when they're going forward you you got to turn around and congratulate on the slaugh because it is it looks it looks as though they're in control that's what it looks like when they lose the ball they always have numbers and they look in control and there's always somebody going and try to win the ball back with other players covering I mean that's a perfect scenario from there again that goes back to the decision making who steps up who drops off you know where do you take the player so I mean it's just it's just defensively they look way stronger than they did under the club over the last couple of seasons and going forward slob as LS has always got a a kind of a free role where Graber and and mallister are more sitting and he's got a bit of a free role to try and get in the box and try and join in and so he end up with with for going forward you know Diaz is the one that runs with it mosala is the one that's looking to pierce the back line if he can you know you got J looking to to to connect things and then you got slobers Li coming on the end of stuff so I mean they just look like a well drilled machine is what they look like which three games into the season with after after coming in and after getting your players so late I'll tell you what he's doing something on his slot uh and whatever it is he's doing it right are you excited by what you're seeing from Liverpool I well excited not the world because I don't generally get too excited I know I'm trying to get something out of you I think I think what I think what I feel is confidence I feel confident that Liverpool when they step on the field can beat anybody that's what I feel right now it's not a bad it's not a bad way to feel um I was I was commentating Stevie on on Liverpool's first game with Aros slot in Pittsburgh against Rael betties and I thought it was interesting because obviously he plays this formation and we wondered right what's going to happen with Muhammad Salah now Salah got the third goal today we'll talk about that and he kind of played wider but since then he's he's kind of come a little bit more in but he's been more involved and fullbacks don't really know how to deal with him what have you noticed any similarities or differences between the way was used under Klo because remember there were times where he would switch in that 4-33 under Klo and he would be the one in the middle if maybe things weren't working out but he's still on that right hand side and and what a start to the the season I think that's now 10 goals in nine games and seven consecutive times that he scored at Old Trafford what about Muhammad Salah and his positioning well I don't I don't think he's quite as high and wide as he was under klopp and I think that's because the fullbacks AR yeah as high high and wise you know um Trent's coming inside a lot more uh and that means that that Salah can drop and and probably probably be more involved in the in the buildup than he used to be you know he used to be either you wanted him running and behind for that long ball or else you wantan him getting it we in the final thir whereas now he seems to be more involved in the buildup um so yeah I think I don't think we'll see him too often in the middle uh I don't expect that I certainly don't want to see him in the middle I prefer him in the wi you know J if he stays fit seems the perfect foil for for what's around him and of course you've always got NES to bring on as well so I don't I don't see more being in the that Center forward position that clubs sometimes used them in the one player who did so well today but he's done well this season and we didn't really speak about him too much last season as Luis Diaz he took his goals really well is it because perhaps he's got Cody gakpo um behind him and he knows if he doesn't quite reach that level then he might be replaced by gakpo or is it simply a case he's just a bloody good player he's pretty good there's nothing there's nothing like competition to keep players on the toes and so yes that helps but you know Diaz is Diaz is there's not many players around these days like Diaz you know he wants to run with the ball you know everyone's about everyone's about Ticky Tacker and keep the ball and don't be taking people on and just make sure we keep it that's not his game his game is about getting after players he doesn't mind coming in off that that line and taking on players in the middle of the park which which depending on how deep he is sometimes you're thinking hope we don't lose it here but if you stop him doing that you're taking away from his game Defenders don't want him running at them and as we've seen so far in this start of this season when he's been getting opportunities he's putting them away uh so no he's a great player but yeah it's always good when it's always good for a coach when you got two players buying for one spot and it keeps the man in possession on his toes that's that's big time and let's end with Manchester United because they've got exactly what they want now they've got two weeks to prepare for the next game the only problem is a lot of the players will be away on International Duty and when you consider the three Liverpool goals today all started with Manchester United possession casemiro didn't have a good we know that Stevie's identified that but it's not all about him you've got a defense now that might take time to bed in Matias delig came in for his first start you've got mazra who came in at the start of the Season you've got Lisandro Martinez and you've got Dogo dalot as well so going forward what is the one thing right now that you would suggest Eric tenh needs to work on with his players when he gets them all back from International Duty more than anything else Stevie I I think the biggest thing for United is to stop not just the good size like Liverpool and City and Arsenal but anybody because right now anybody in the Premier League can get a United's back four um and and I'm not saying United back for is is is terrible I'm just saying that when you're put under so much pressure so often you're going to break uh and so you have to limit the amount of time that the opposition gets at your back four uh and to do that you need to make sure that you're solid in the middle of the park and if there's one thing United or not and that is solid in the middle of the park anybody and everybody when they play United can get at them through the middle and you have to stop that listen if you if if you stop the opposition from creating and scoring goals you're always going to have a chance and you're always going to be in the game but when you're particularly at home and you're giving two and three goals away you you ain't picking up points you just a certainly not against the good teams you might get away with against some of the ordinary teams but at the highest level you're in big trouble three wins from three Premier League games to begin the season for Liverpool and three clean sheets for Manchester United big problems and another thumping at the hands of one of their bitter Rivals bye for now [Music]