It goes without saying that the matches against Liverpool are the most “circle the date” of the entire calendar for Manchester United fans. The first of the two fixtures arrives with United in turmoil, as they often have been since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
There have been numerous calls for the sacking of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and talk that he has lost the dressing room. Team Captain Bruno Fernandes says that’s simply not true.
Sunday…let's go #mufc #mufchicago #ggmu pic.twitter.com/nfH36A5hLG
— MUFChicago (@MUFChicago) October 21, 2021
Manchester United vs Liverpool FYIs
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Starting XI Predictions: Liverpool United
Team News: Liverpool United
Odds: Liverpool win +120 United win +200 Draw +255
“We believe in our coach and our staff… we need to do what the coach tells us because our coach is the maximum exponent of what we must respect,” Fernandes said.
He has been here for three years and we’ve done good things. It’s true that we haven’t won anything up to now, but the team has shown it has grown a lot.
“We have a lot to improve on and the coach also knows there has to be some improvement at their end but that is part of football. Every day we are learning something new. But football is the present and it’s the now.”
He’s certainly saying all the right things, proverbially, but what is really going on behind the scenes? OGS just signed a contract extension in July, so things will likely need to get much much worse in order for him to be ousted.
In terms of team news items for United, Marcus Rashford has made his comeback after a long surgery and recovery process, but now he’s picked up a knock in doing so.
Fred and Anthony Martial are both in doubt while Amad Diallo is most likely unavailable.
Raphael Varane remains out of commission as a long term injury absentee.
Prediction: United 1, Liverpool 1
Weird things happen here and I’m guessing the two bitter rivals will split the spoils here.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.