Manchester United vs Liverpool : Four Takeaways

I am still visibly shocked at what went down last night, it was clearly not part of the script. I couldn't watch the Manchester United vs Liverpool match from the beginning because I felt I wasn't ready. Having witnesses AJ lose again to Usyk and then ruin his reputation further after the fight, I'm not willing to experience another heartache in less than 48 hours.

However, the noise from a pub in my neighborhood changed everything. Man U had taken the lead. I rushed to the SkySports website to read the commentary - still scared of watching the match - and I was very happy at what I set my eyes upon. Man U had been the better side. I eventually switched on the TV to watch this amazing match till the end. And, what a match it was.

From the things I saw last night, these are my four takeaways from the game.

1. Brave Ten Hag
   It takes a very brave man to drop his two most influential players - Ronaldo and Maguire - while playing his greatest rival. That was what Ten Hag did last night. Every Man U supporter out there has waited for the day Maguire's spell on the team would be broken. Thankfully, it happened last night. I'm surprised a player who has been very bad for a long time gets to play ahead of Varane. It's crazy.

2. Bye, Ronaldo?
   Ronaldo is a living legend, he will retire as one of the greatest to ever play the game. However, no one lives forever. No footballer's career lasts forever. I was never happy when Man U resigned Ronaldo. The noise about the triumphant return was too good to be true. If he was still that good, Juventus wouldn't cut him loose. Ronaldo has become an individual player in a team sport. He got away with it when playing for Madrid where others work for him. At Juventus and Man U where the quality of players pale in comparison to what he had at Madrid, it is now more glaring. I think it's time to let him go.

3. Mane-less Liverpool
   What's going on at Liverpool? No one could've predicted the mess they are in right now. They've played three games against a newly promoted Fulham, a mid-table Palace, and a Man U team they put nine unreplied goals past last season. Yet, they have no single win. Though they are suffering from injury woes, Klopp started his best 11 in the first two games. They've struggled upfront too. Are they missing Mane? That's a topic for another day. Is Van Dijk getting sloppy? We already know TA-Arnold isn't the best defender around, but where is the balance?

4. Champions City
   It's just three games but I already have the feeling of déjà-vu about the EPL. Liverpool was meant to challenge Man City for the league, that's the way it's been the last five years. The last time Liverpool struggled this badly, the league title battle was over as early as February. With Liverpool already 5 points behind City, the destination of this season's league title looks inevitable. City can afford to lose both games against Liverpool and still win the league. Who will rival them? Arsenal? Nothing is impossible, but it'll be naive of anyone to expect a proper title challenge from Arsenal this season.

Though I had a wonderful sleep because of Man U's win, I am not putting too much on the result. Solksjær's Man U defeated Pep's Man City on a couple occasions but then, they'll get bashed by relegation fighting teams. They had good results against the top teams who hugged the ball because the team was built for counter attacking strategy. Whenever they played teams that yielded the ball to them, they struggled badly. This season, Man U lost against teams they were expected to dominate and win against the team that dominated possession. Can they find the balance and beat an opponent while dominating possession? That's the next step.

And if any one is willing to remind me of Ronaldo's greatness and why the club should cling to him, I'm very much open to discussions in the comments section.

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