The stunning tactical fight is expected to be presented at Old Trafford on Saturday (10/3/18), when two teams with a very opposite style of football Man-United and Liverpool will try to destroy each other. Jurgen Klopp with a very aggressive Gegenpressing will try to destroy pragmatic soccer Jose Mourinho.
Klopp is a manager who likes to attack and conquer opponents with a simple style of football is deadly, tight pressing mix and speed, high-tempo game is very effective to paralyze the opponent's defense. While Mourinho prefers a structured game that demands defensive responsibility and optimizes attacks from opponent's mistakes.
Liverpool's Klopp recorded an average ball possession of 56.9% every game this season more than United's Mourinho with 53.7% per game. But United tend to control more of the ball in the opposing game area when they do the Counter and wait in their own area when the opponent controls the ball. While Liverpool start from their own defense and attack quickly, release the ball forward to be chased by the attackers. High pressing will be done in the first time lost the ball, Liverpool always managed to take advantage of the opponent's panic that tried to get rid of the ball as seen in the game against City.
If the opponent is not able to neutralize the defense well, then the Reds strategy will be devastating, the final Settlement of Mo Salah has made a big difference this season because he is regularly able to take advantage of 13.1 chance per game that they mostly created from such situations. But if an opponent can let go and absorb the pressure, will risk at the abandoned defense, the opposing Team will find space behind Liverpool's forward defense pressing. But it seems to be difficult for Liverpool to do that to United who play deeper and wait for opponents to press forward, and will only try to snatch the ball in its own playing area and launch a counterattack when the opponent is in transition with a 4-2-3-1 formation .
When United win the ball in front of the penalty box or behind the halfway line, they will give the ball to the winger, striker or player No 10 who has been prepared to counterattack by dribbling quickly into the opponent's defense. United always do it that way and they have recorded 637 drible so far compared to 556 done by Liverpool. while six other players will still provide protection in the back including Paul Pogba (though he does not like it). Recently Mourinho started using a 4-3-3 formation, probably to optimize Paul Pogba. But the system remains the same.
Illustration (Man-United: Orange). United will try to snatch the ball near their penalty area (photo: www.telegraph.co.uk)
United will be more dangerous if they manage to get the ball behind the median line (www.telegraph.co.uk)
Four forward players will counterattack quickly to the opponent's defense, while six players stay in the defense area (www.telegraph.co.uk)
Mourinho is a manager who adheres to effectiveness. he strongly believes that "who makes the least mistake then he who wins". He considers every game like a knock-out match where the outcome of the game is very in priority, do not want to take risks that make his style of football is not entertaining.
Despite playing defensively, but United's defense is not the best in the Premier League this season. (Man-City is the team that at least conceded). Bailly, Rojo and Lindelof's injury-related factors make Mourinho very dependent on Smalling and Phil Jones who are not the best duets in England while Liverpool spend £ 75 million on Virgil Van Dijk but their defense is still visible