WHEN Gary Neville was asked about Liverpool and Manchester City’s title chances in 2014, the Sky Sports pundit responded: “It’s like having a choice of two blokes to nick your wife.”
Ask a United supporter who they want to win the Champions League quarter-final first leg between the pair later and you’ll probably receive a similar response.
But if pushed the majority would grudgingly go for City ahead of Liverpool.
Despite their meteoric rise, the Anfield club are still regarded as United’s biggest rivals and the clash between the two remains the greatest in English football.
Even the most ardent red would admit that their two greatest rivals have the upper hand when it comes to style of play, but you’d think United were languishing in mid-table given some of the reaction to their season.
As we saw in March, Jose Mourinho’s approach was enough to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford.
It’s functional at the moment rather than swashbuckling, but it’s taken United to a higher league position than twelve months ago, with more points, and to the semi-final of the FA Cup against Tottenham.
Tonight’s game won’t be easy viewing for Reds, partly because it involves their two fiercest rivals, but also because it reminds them of big European nights at Old Trafford when they’d outscore their opponents at will.
United supporters, quite rightly, still feel they should have beaten Sevilla in the last round, and if they watched the Spaniards lose 2-1 at home to Bayern Munich on Tuesday evening, the frailties they displayed against the Bundesliga outfit will only have strengthened that view.
There’s no hiding from the league table where Mourinho’s United sit a whopping 16 points behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, something that will have to be shortened significantly at least next season.
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But United are also a place and two points higher than Liverpool and despite the disappointing performances this season – twice against Sevilla in the Champions League, Bristol City in the league cup and Huddersfield away in the league, to name a few – there are signs Mourinho’s getting it right at United ahead of critical summer transfer window.
In David De Gea, Mourinho undoubtedly possesses the best keeper in the world.
Nemanja Matic has provided some much needed class and a calming stability to a midfield that has at times looked disjointed.
While further forward United look to be in good shape.
Romelu Lukaku has scored 25 goals in all competitions, Alexis Sanchez will benefit from a summer’s rest and will come back stronger after what has been a chaotic 12 months for club and country, and Marcus Rashford’s development should move on a stage and hopefully next season we’ll see a greater maturity and consistency to his game.
If United are to get anywhere near to City next campaign though, Mourinho must find a solution to the Paul Pogba conundrum, which he’ll hope will improve with new additions, before then focusing on more reliable defensive reinforcements to help Eric Bailly, and bolster the full-back positions.
There’s work to be done and City and Liverpool are competing in a tournament this evening where United would ideally like to be.
It’s not all doom and gloom though as the league table will tell you and that’s the beauty of football; the Champions League will be back next season, and so will United.
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