Manchester United’s clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford on Super Sunday means a lot to opposition managers Michael Carrick and Arne Slott, according to Gary Neville.
Both teams finished in the top five this season and qualified for the Champions League. United are three points ahead of their rivals and the gap on sixth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion is now 11 and 8 points respectively with just four games remaining.
But while qualification for next season’s top European club competition now appears guaranteed to both teams, United will in fact guarantee their place with a win against their rivals at the Theater of Dreams. Sunday meetings remain very important to the two people in charge of each club.
After the win over Brentford monday night footballUnited manager Carrick had nine wins from 13 games since taking charge in January until the end of the season. sky sports “It’s more likely than not that he will become the club’s permanent manager next season,” the pundit claimed on the Gary Neville podcast.
Meanwhile, despite an underwhelming defense of their Premier League title that included 10 defeats, Slot has lifted Liverpool to fourth in the table and is now on the verge of next season’s Champions League.
As a result, the Dutchman is now expected to remain in charge of Liverpool next season. Sky Sports News According to Neville, both understand they can’t afford to suffer a big loss this weekend.
I don’t think any of them can afford to be embarrassed on Sunday. A win either way would be huge.
“This is a massive game for the fans first and foremost,” the former United captain told the Gary Neville podcast.
“Manchester United and Liverpool have a great rivalry, but I think it’s a huge thing for both managers. It’s a huge thing for Michael Carrick and I think it’s a huge thing for Arne Slott.”
“I don’t think either of them can afford to be embarrassed on Sunday. A win for either of them would be huge. It would give confidence to both of them.
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Highlights from the Premier League match between Manchester United and Brentford.
“It’s a question mark as to whether they will both be at their clubs when next season starts. Will Michael get the job? Will Arne’s slot be retained? These questions come up again and again for the Liverpool manager.
“I don’t think the game itself is actually that important for either team in terms of the risk of what’s at stake, I think both teams will qualify for the Champions League.
“But I think this is a serious game for both managers, it’s a serious game where they basically look at themselves against their big rivals for next season, usually United and Liverpool’s big rivals.
“The fight between Michael Carrick and Arne Slott is the biggest story of Sunday. I think it’s a bigger game for both managers than it is in terms of what’s at stake in terms of their positions in the league.”
As for the match itself, Neville predicted a grim affair at Old Trafford.
“If (Mateus) Cunha is fit, I think he will go with Cunha, (Brian) Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes and (Benjamin) Cesco,” he added.
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace.
“I think he could potentially go for those four. I’m not sure if Ahmad (Diallo) will play.”
“But I think you’re going to see a Manchester United side tonight who are more cautious, tighter, more compact and more defensively focused than we saw in the first half (against Brentford).
“I don’t think he’s going to start five from behind. I don’t think he’s going to go that far. That’s wrong and he’s not going to do that. Let’s be clear, he’s never going to do that.
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Jamie Carragher admits Arne Slott will remain at Liverpool next season ‘from the noise he has heard’.
“But I think he would definitely say that defensively we need to switch on a lot more and be a lot more compact and tight. And that will be a case of not making mistakes and not conceding goals. Let’s go and make Liverpool nervous.”
“Liverpool will also basically not want to open up, so it could be more of a chess game on Sunday.”
“It’s not as bad as the second half (against Brentford), but I think it could be a bit more challenging and kind of a struggle for the game. Both managers will be quite cautious in terms of the way they tell the team they pick to go out and be kind of defensively compact and solid, although not necessarily.”
And with both teams expected to finish in the top five this season, Neville believes a win for both managers this weekend could have huge consequences ahead of next campaign.
“Honestly, I think Liverpool and Manchester United are up there,” he said. “I think it would be a huge shock (to miss out on the Champions League qualification).
“For me, Manchester United are there. Liverpool are 95-99% sure they will qualify for the Champions League as well.”
The battle between Carrick and Slott is the biggest event of Sunday. This matchup feels very important to both coaches.
“Look, they don’t think that way. Neither the manager nor the players think that way. I think they have to work, but right now I don’t see other teams winning the games they need to win and I don’t see Liverpool dropping all the points they need to drop.”
“Is it just a message towards next season or a message about where each club is? It’s been a strange few months for Liverpool, hasn’t it?
“So if Arne Slott comes here and wins, it would be huge for him. If Michael Carrick goes and beat Arne Slott and puts Liverpool out of here, it would be huge.”
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“The game is never about the coaches. Of course, the game is about the players, it’s about the fans, it’s about the competition. But this game feels very important for both coaches and I’m looking forward to it.”
“I wish there was more to the game, I wish it was a title decider, I wish it had everything else, I wish there was a little bit of risk involved, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
