"You’re going to get beat up" - Gary Neville fears Manchester United could be on the wrong end of drubbing against Liverpool
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has urged the Red Devils to show courage in their upcoming clash against Liverpool to avoid a repeat of last season's 7-0 humiliation.
Erik ten Hag and Co. face a daunting trip to Anfield as they take on Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, December 17. The Red Devils most recently suffered an embarrassing 3-0 loss at the hands of AFC Bournemouth and have lost 11 out of their 23 games across all competitions this season.
Liverpool have looked impressive in recent weeks and are the heavy favorites to secure all three points on Sunday. Given Manchester United's defensive frailties this season, Gary Neville fears the Merseysiders could win by a large scoreline, similar to their 7-0 win at Anfield last season.
Neville said (via METRO):
"If you’re a United fan you’ve got a feeling that you’re going to get beat up and you’re going to get done in properly because of 7-0 last season and the way in which they’re playing at the moment."
"It doesn’t always work out like that and I’m sure Jurgen Klopp this week and the Liverpool players won’t be sat there thinking, 'oh here we go, this is easy pickings'. That’s not how it goes in football."
He added:
"The thing that Manchester United have to fear most is that Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp are a professional bunch and they’ve done well over a seven-year period. My concern with this Manchester United team is that they haven’t got it in them to surprise us."
"They haven’t got the leadership, they haven’t got the quality to be able to go to Anfield and that is a bear pit of a place for a United player. I don’t care what team you are, I don’t care how good you are, whether you’re a championship winning team or whether you’re a team that’s sixth in the league it can be a bear pit."
He concluded by urging the Red Devils to play with courage:
"It can swallow you up and if those players don’t stand up and stick that chest out next week and they don’t take the ball and show courage, it will eat you alive and that’s what they’ve got to prepare for this week: Courage to play."
Liverpool have lost just two out of their last 11 games against Manchester United and haven't been defeated at Anfield by them since January 2016.
How have Liverpool and Manchester United fared this season?
Liverpool and Manchester United have had differing starts to their season. Let's take a look at how both titans have fared so far:
Jurgen Klopp's side have bounced back in style this season after missing out on qualifying for the UEFA Champions League during the 2022-23 campaign. They are currently at the top of the Premier League table with 37 points from 16 games, one point above Arsenal.
Moreover, Liverpool have also secured their passage into the Europa League Round of 16 and Carabao Cup quarter-finals. They next face Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday, December 14.
On the other hand, Manchester United have been quite poor this season and are struggling to find a consistent style of play under Erik ten Hag. They have already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and are sixth in the league with 27 points from 16 games.
Manchester United are unlikely to progress in the Champions League as well. They are currently at the bottom of Group A with four points from five games and will need to defeat Bayern Munich (Tuesday, December 12) to have a chance of qualifying for the Round of 16.