Liverpool vs Man Utd: why Pochettino’s Anfield debut is more open than it looks

Mauricio Pochettino could hardly have been handed a tougher first game. Liverpool vs Man Utd at Anfield on Sunday 22 November is his opening match in charge, only days after taking over. On paper it looks like a nightmare, but the fixture is more open than the table suggests.

Liverpool are fourth and United are 18th. But Anfield has not been a fortress this season, and Andoni Iraola has fitness worries of his own. Here is where both sides stand before kick-off at 4.30pm.

Liverpool vs Man Utd: the form guide

The BBC Sport Premier League table shows a 10-point gap. Liverpool have 18 points from ten games (five wins, three draws, two defeats). United are 18th on eight points (one win, five draws, four defeats), their lowest position at this stage of a season since 1986-87, and they have gone eight league games without a win.

Here is the twist. Liverpool have been excellent away and poor at home. On the road they have won four and drawn one, taking 13 points from 15. At Anfield they have only five points from five games: a 2-0 win over Brighton, draws with Nottingham Forest and Fulham, and defeats to Manchester City and Arsenal.

They have scored only four league goals at home all season, and they failed to score against Fulham, City and Arsenal.

The Arsenal game still stings. Liverpool lost 1-0 on 1 November, and a Premier League panel later ruled that Liverpool should have had a penalty for a foul on Alexander Isak. Even so, that home record suggests United may have an opportunity if they can stay compact and frustrate Liverpool.

Iraola’s fitness worries

Liverpool go into the game with question marks of their own. Virgil van Dijk withdrew from the Netherlands squad after playing the full 90 minutes at Selhurst Park, and the Dutch FA did not say what the problem was.

Dominik Szoboszlai sprained his knee in the same game. Hungary kept him in their squad after tests, but said they would not decide on his involvement until the last minute and gave no recovery period.

Then there is the fixture list. After United, Liverpool travel to Club Brugge on 25 November and to Everton for the Merseyside derby on 29 November. That gives Iraola three games in eight days to manage.

The good news for Liverpool is up front. Isak has seven goals this season, and he scored in the 3-1 win at Crystal Palace alongside Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz.

What Pochettino can do in a few days

Pochettino will have very little time on the training pitch before Anfield, and some of his players will only just be back from international duty.

Patrick Dorgu has already left the Denmark squad after medical tests showed he needed more recovery from his hamstring injury. Whether he makes it to Anfield depends on his rehab this week.

So don’t expect a tactical revolution. Pochettino’s first opportunity is to establish a clear shape and demand greater intensity, the kind of standards Rickie Lambert has warned the players about. There is little time to change much else.

My verdict

Liverpool should still be favourites. They have better players, a more settled system and goals in the team. But their home form and injury doubts give United a chance.

I think a point would be a very good start for Pochettino. Anything more and Old Trafford will start to believe again. You can read more about when Pochettino starts and follow the rest of the action on our Premier League hub.