Anshuman Joshi
Manchester United v Liverpool: Ten Hag could seal his fate depending on what happens on Sunday
Up next in the Premier League, Manchester United are set to host Liverpool at Old Trafford this Sunday.
The Reds are coming into this fixture top of the Premier League table, having secured back-to-back wins in the league since losing to the Red Devils at Old Trafford in the FA Cup.
On the other hand, ever since their dramatic win over Liverpool at home, United have dropped points against Brentford and Chelsea, the latter having robbed them of all three points in again a dramatic fashion on Thursday night in a seven-goal “Barclays classic”.
Rivalry encounters like these usually require little build-up explanation. That said, there’s more at stake going into this fixture than just bragging rights.
This means more
Both United and Liverpool have targets to meet as they gear up for the Sunday encounter.
Erik ten Hag‘s men can ill-afford to lose any more points in their bid to snatch a Champions League spot at the eleventh hour. Liverpool, on the other hand, intend to give Jürgen Klopp as sweet a farewell as possible as they eye a second league title under the German as well as the Europa League trophy to go with it.
Dropping points this weekend will prove potentially fatal for at least one side’s aim for the season, if not both. United already embittered Klopp’s Merseyside swansong by knocking his side out of the FA Cup last month; if they can manage to stop the Reds from winning the league this year, they will remain unchallenged at the top of the all-time English first division title holders’ list for at least another year. United, after all, have 20 titles, while Liverpool have 19.
New dawns
In their own ways, both clubs are looking to start afresh next season.
Liverpool, as they bid goodbye to Klopp, are yet to find a replacement for him but are already making moves upstairs. Michael Edwards has returned to the club as CEO of Football at Fenway Sports Group, having served as the Reds’ sporting director between 2016 and 2022. He has hired Richard Hughes as the new Liverpool sporting director, who’s now tasked with finding Klopp’s replacement.
Leaving Merseyside after nearly a decade, Klopp is set to go down in history as a Premier League great, let alone a Liverpool legend. Coming in after such a spell of success and longevity is hardly an easy task; just ask David Moyes and Unai Emery.
United, in particular, have found it hard to get out of the mediocrity quagmire since bidding adieu to Sir Alex Ferguson eleven years ago. They are, however, undergoing change at a scale unmatched since the days of the Glazers’ arrival at Old Trafford nearly two decades ago.
The INEOS ownership, set to look after the club’s sporting operations going forward, looks keen to wash away the practices of the recent past and drag the club into the modern age and has been making hierarchical splashes of its own. Omar Berrada has been poached from Man City to become the new CEO of the club, with his ex-City colleague Jason Wilcox also being chased for the role of technical director. Dan Ashworth has been negotiating with United for a while and could soon be unveiled as their new sporting director.
Whether Erik ten Hag will remain at Old Trafford on the other side of summer remains to be seen. Results are what he has been lacking this season, and results are what will save his job. Getting one over Liverpool on Sunday would be start, certainly, and one that could potentially set the tone for not just how the season ends, but also how the respective new eras of the two clubs begin.
If United, currently 11 points off the fourth place with eight games in hand, manage to miraculously grab that last Champions League place come May, and Liverpool fail to send off Klopp with a second Premier League medal, then the shift in tides at such a crucial juncture for both the clubs may very well swing their trajectories in opposite directions for the long term.
Conclusion
Jürgen Klopp has been a veritable success at Liverpool. In his time, the Merseyside Reds have managed to resuscitate their reputation as a Premier League giant both on and off the pitch.
Klopp’s departure is set in stone. Erik ten Hag’s departure, on the other hand, albeit solidifying with every passing week, may yet be delayed. That fate rests on his team’s results, and he can start challenging said fate by taking the wind off Liverpool’s sails again this Sunday.
More Manchester United News-
- Erik ten Hag pinpoints reason for Manchester United’s injury problems this season ahead of Chelsea tie
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reveals some Manchester United players ‘wanted to leave’ after he got permanent job
- Manchester United boss reveals why he felt ‘sorry’ for Mason Mount in Brentford draw
The red clash set to unfold at Old Trafford this weekend would already have been a high-temper affair were all these narratives not at play. But as we can now see: there’s more at stake here than just bragging rights.
