The view from Man Utd: 'Firmino could be the difference'

The Reds are chasing a sixth straight win in all competitions at Anfield this evening and have suffered just one defeat all season, while their rivals from Old Trafford have been beaten three times during a mixed start under Jose Mourinho.

But, of course, form goes out of the window in games such as these, and the visitors are eyeing what would be a third straight league victory at Anfield. 

Find out how United supporters are feeling ahead of the game, which LFC player they most fear, and how they expect Mourinho to set up in our latest view from the opposition.

What have you made of your first 11 games under Jose Mourinho?

It’s been a bit mixed, in all honesty. There have been periods where we’ve played much better football than in the past three years, in particular against Leicester. But a couple of losses show there’s a long way to go.

Is there anything that's surprised you about how your new manager has approached things so far?

Slightly. It’s been fairly typical Mourinho of old off the pitch. But there have been a couple of things people have found odd, such as the criticism of a few players in the press. In terms of style, there’s been more focus on quick counter-attacking than under Louis van Gaal, and it has certainly been more popular with the fans so far.

How do you feel your summer signings have settled in?

A mixed bag, so far. Zlatan Ibrahimovic started with a bang, but has gone a few games without a goal now. His link-up play has been nice though, and he seems to have a good understanding with the likes of Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford. Eric Bailly has bedded in really well. He’s gung-ho in the tackle, so he’ll have to watch himself. Paul Pogba is clearly an exceptional footballer, but we haven’t seen the best of him yet. Henrikh Mkhitaryan hasn’t played much due to injuries, but I’m not too worried. He was great for Dortmund, and looked good when coming off the bench at Hull.

United have won on their last two visits to Anfield so are you confident of doing it again this time?

Whenever I say I’m confident about a big game we tend to not do so well, so I’ll say no this time, just for my own sake. 

What have you thought of Liverpool's start to the season?

I was extremely impressed with the performance away to Arsenal, and the result at Chelsea. They look like they enjoy the big games, and Jürgen Klopp’s style of football looks ingrained now. It’s definitely a tougher prospect than when he first arrived. 

Is there any Reds player in particular that you feel could severely dent your chances of winning another on Merseyside?

I think the fluidity of the team in attack is a huge advantage, and it’ll be tough to stop the likes of Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho. But Roberto Firmino could be the difference if he’s on form. He doesn’t score the eye-catching goals that Coutinho does, but he links the attack together really well.

How do you think Jose is going to approach this one?

I think it’ll be similar to the second half of the loss against City. We were much more aggressive without the ball, and fared better for it. I’ll be interested to see where Rashford plays. James Milner looks decent at left-back, but Rashford’s pace could cause him serious trouble, and Jesse Lingard would probably be better at containing Nathaniel Clyne’s forward runs on the opposite flank.

Who will be key for you?

I think beating the Liverpool press will be the biggest obstacle for United, and the key players to that will be Daley Blind and Ander Herrera. Blind has a great eye for a pass to split the lines, and Herrera’s technique and movement could play a huge part in a positive result for us. 

What score are you predicting?

Both teams have been leaky at the back, so I don’t think there will be any clean sheets. I reckon Liverpool will go in to this more confident, but we’ll probably both have to settle for a 1-1.