Paul Merson is starting to see real similarities between Liverpool’s Anfield and Manchester United’s Old Trafford. It’s not a positive appraisal.
Last weekend saw Liverpool lose at Anfield in the Premier League. It’s an incredibly rare occurrence, as shown by the fact it was Virgil van Dijk’s first such defeat.
That’s quite the record, given he arrived in January 2018 and avoided defeat in the league at home for nearly five years. Liverpool have been relentless there.
But Leeds United found a way to win. They scored a late winner to come away with the three points, handing the Reds yet another setback. Paul Merson thinks that’s very worrying for Liverpool – they’re turning into Manchester United.
“Teams are not scared of Liverpool anymore,” Merson told Sky Sports. “It’s slowly mirroring what happened with Old Trafford.
“As a player I used to dread going to Manchester United. You used to play well there and still get beat, nowadays if you play well there you win.
“If you play well at Liverpool now there’s a strong chance you will win.”
Anfield and Old Trafford
Merson is right, given Leeds just proved that. But we shouldn’t forget that despite Liverpool’s poor form, this was their first home defeat of the season. They’ve also beaten both Manchester City and Napoli at Anfield.
And so we’re not too worried but Liverpool’s form unquestionably boosts the confidence of every visiting team. The vital thing now is knocking that confidence away and proving a point.
They can’t get their unbeaten run back but they can rebuild it once again. Liverpool lost a streak in early 2021 when they lost 1-0 to Burnley. They struggled at Anfield for the next two months – but eventually found their rhythm again.
That should give Liverpool confidence, then. Yes, they’ve suffered a setback but they know it’s something they can push through and correct. We’ll just hope they manage it quickly.
The win over Napoli was a hell of a start.
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