We spoke to Stretty News Editor and Manchester United fan Dale O’Donnell today about the upcoming clash at Old Trafford.
EOTK asked him about the current sate of United, his thoughts on Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.
And we very much appreciated his honesty!
So, Dale… How bad really is it at United right now? And who’s to blame?
It’s bad. The Glazers are like a cancer, with the sole purpose to extort the team to their own financial ends. Every manager has a plan, even Ole, but it’s never going to be on the same page as the American family. It doesn’t help that they leave football decisions up to another business man, the complete and utter clown that is Ed Woodward.
I do believe, however, that Ole should be getting more out of his players or at least adapting his methods to a style that gets most out of the team. If he doesn’t solve that amount he’ll be gone by Christmas.
When you see Liverpool as a club, what lessons could United learn?
I wouldn’t look to Liverpool as a club and say United should do this or that. We have our problems that need fixing and one of those is something LFC struggled with for long enough… which is a huge emphasis on doing what worked in the past. United seem to think bringing back ex-players from the Fergie era will result in the club replicating those years in terms of success. It won’t. We need to modernise things up a bit, get with the times and appoint a director of football.
I guess if there was one thing, you’d look at someone like Michael Edwards. We’ve got Dick ’Ed on transfers!
Is Jurgen Klopp a genius – or is his ability overplayed in the media…?
I think Klopp is a fantastic manager. One of the best around. Ok, he can be a cringeworthy b*stard, but that’s part of the reason I feel his players love playing for him and that’s arguably the biggest obstacle facing managers nowadays. The players bust a gut for him, and he’s took Andrew Robertson from being a £8m defender at Hull City to one of the best in Europe.
I don’t like the fact I think I’d enjoy a pint with the manager of Liverpool so we’ll keep that quiet.
Do you really buy the nonsense heard on social media that LFC get the benefit of referee decisions? Is that not just what people used to say about United when you were very, very good?
Nah, I try stay clear of that. Listened to it for years when we were winning everything under Ferguson. Fact of the matter is, if you’re dominating games and creating chances, you will draw more fouls and end up with more favourable decisions than others. Simples. It’s a myth.
What XI will Solksjaer pick for the Liverpool game – and what tactic?
It’s difficult to give a strong answer on this without knowing if the likes of Anthony Martial will be fit. I can’t see Paul Pogba being fit with his fresh injury, so that means we’ll probably start Nemanja Matic who is finished at this level. Tactics wise it’s also hard to know what to expect because United’s playing style lacks a sense of identify.
This is probably the best we can ask for on Sunday: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; Matic, McTominay, Pereira; James, Martial, Rashford.
And finally.. What’s going to happen – give us a scoreline!
Fingers crossed for a surprise in the scoreline, but if you’ve watched both teams this season you’d be crazy to predict anything but a Liverpool win. United have little going for them and you lot are flying it.
Manchester United 1-2 Liverpool.