18 Yard Box has a look at the battles on the pitch which could decide the outcome of this all important clash.
Come ‘Super’ Sunday, Manchester United would be all set to
face their arch-rivals Liverpool in what appears to be one of the most eagerly
awaited fixture of the Premier League. With Liverpool still trying to find their
grip on the proceedings of the league, Manchester United looks quite sure of
running away with the title no.20. This clash promises all that a well-fought
out football match can bring-excitement, drama and classy football. With both
sets of teams bragging of their prized assests, it would be a feast for the
world of football as the exceptional sets of individuals lock horns in Old
Trafford.
18 Yard Box's Rishav Ghosh analyses the epic player battles ahead of the
mouth-watering encounter.
Robin Van Persie v/s Daniel Agger
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Stakes are high for this high-profile encounter as both these prized
footballers take to the pitch on Sunday afternoon. Robin van Persie has been
enjoying the time of his life after his move to Manchester United from
Arsenal last summer and his frequent goal-scoring has pushed him higher into
the top spot of this season’s goal scorer’s list. Daniel Agger, the talismanic
Danish defender, has not been up to his original game but his man-guarding
skills at the back has proved vital, time and again. Even though Agger got the
better of the Dutch forward in the previous leg of this fixture and even in
the Euro 2012 group-stage game, van Persie has improved ever since and it
would be a tough job to stop this goal-scoring machine.
However, considering form, Robin van Persie has got an even hand on
Agger and might as well come out on top of this duel.
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Jonny Evans v/s Luis Suarez
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Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan international has been scoring goals at will this season and has been responsible for almost half of Liverpool’s overall goal tally this season. Going into the match, he stands a good chance of adding to his goal tally against United’s leaky defence.
Jonny Evans,the strong talismanic Irish defender has been the only strong link in the United backline and the duel between him and Suarez is the one to look out for. Suarez with impeccable dribbling skills had given Vidic a headache, couple of seasons earlier and Evans would be on guard to prevent the same from happening this time around . Meanwhile, Evans has really improved in the past seasons and his pace coupled with his good defending skills might prove worthy against the spent Liverpool side.
Going into the match, given Suarez’s class act in shoving aside defenders, Jonny Evans would have a hard time against the Liverpool forward with Suarez most likely to end up on top of this duel.
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Michael Carrick v/s Steven Gerrard
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A Manchester United-Liverpool match calls for experience, consistency and stability in the heart of midfield and cometh the moment,cometh the ‘men’-Michael Carrick and Steven Gerrard.
Michael Carrick has been the most under-rated midfielder in the United ranks and he has been proving his worth this season with match-winning performances in every single match. Holding the ball, wrestling back possession, providing dead ball passes to forwards, Michael Carrick has been everywhere and at the age of 31, this might be the start of an era-an era of domination in the heart of Manchester United’s midfield. On the other hand, Steven Gerrard, heralded as the best midfielder of England in the past decade, has really stepped up to his team’s help this season playing major roles in Liverpool’s revival period. With his role similar to the that of Michael Carrick, he has been credited to starting the move in most of Liverpool’s build-up plays. Gerrard has been quite good playing as the holding midfielder but there have been several occasions he has lost possession in vital areas leading to goals-a negative that Gerrard would like to avoid.
This duel would be closely fought one but going by form, the impetus is on Michael Carrick and Steven Gerrard, the most consistent player in the Liverpool ranks would need to step up his game to end up on top.
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Written By,
Rishav Ghosh
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