Liverpool head to Manchester to show United and City that English football is ready to turn full circle again

Riding high | Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have a 100% record in the Premier League this season
REUTERS/Phil Noble
John Dillon20 October 2019

Manchester United appear to have finally accepted that there is no instant fix that will restore them to the pinnacle of football’s elite.

It is about time some of their fans - or should I say followers - came to terms with this, too.

This could be the weekend at Old Trafford when Liverpool underline how the game’s never-ending cycle of change is turning full circle again.

That Anfield is Camelot once more.

That Manchester City’s tenure as the dominant force in England may not be lasting as long as some of us expected. And that Man Utd may be further than ever from their former greatness.

In Pictures | Premier League top scorers 2019-20 season

1/20

If Jurgen Klopp’s team win in Manchester on Sunday, they will equal a record of 18 straight Premier League wins set by City two years ago.

It will be a particularly troubling moment for United fans to have confirmation of the resurgence of their greatest rivals rubbed in on their own pitch.

True enough, the more stringent test of whether Klopp’s team will be winning their club's first league title in 30 years will come on November 10 when they are at home against Man City, the only side to beat them in the competition last season.

But Sunday's visit to Old Trafford feels like a defining moment, too, because Liverpool's form is so rampant and United's so poor. The contrast in mood, set-up and sense of mission is vast.

Even if Klopp adds the title to the Champions League won in June, Liverpool will be a long way off matching the dynastic reign at the top of their great sides of the 70s and 80s.

But there lies the real lesson for United's support in the apprehensive build-up to this North West collision.

They need to look at how many near-misses it has taken Liverpool to get to this point.

Second place by one point last season. Second in 2014. Second in 2009. The epic Champions League win of 2005. Triumphs in the Uefa Cup, FA Cup and League Cup in 2001. All pointed to the real Promised Land of a title win which never materialised.

In this era of globalised football, there seem to be millions of United followers who expect success as some guaranteed part of their commercial transaction with the club.

I am sure serious-minded - proper, if you like - fans of the club appreciate what's wrong and understand that the hegemony established by Sir Alex Ferguson was never going to last for ever. Football, as understood by its traditional adherents, just isn't like that.

Out in the new territories and markets, however, the expectation is different; less traditional and more demanding.

United's corporate machine hasn't exactly discouraged that idea. Indeed, the whole game is infected by a change that prizes the fantasy of instant success above its other customs and values.

Of course, the biggest clubs need silverware to match their size and commercial ambitions.

But this week United signalled an acceptance that it is going to take time to put things right and that the plan is to allow Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the full length of his three-year contract to attempt the job.

Time will tell if that is actually the case. But it’s a start in understanding the fact that the game goes in cycles and it takes patience and hard work to make them turn in your favour.

Those millions of United followers across the globe need to accept that age-old reality of the game, too.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in