A Red Derby to forget for Manchester United
Life is a rollercoaster, sport imitates life, and who better to understand this than Erik Ten Haag?
His team had just won their first Trophy in 6 years, a Carabao Cup does not match up to the other competitions, but then for the hungry, even a morsel is a feast, it is a promise of more to come. It was a nice run they were having after a long time.
A run of important victories was rounded off by an empathic dismissal of Barcelona. Journalists with a red streak in them started suggesting albeit slyly a possible quadruple. The fans lapped it up and social media took it up. While it remained an idea in the dreamy ether of the internet, the players then took it up. Some went to press about the idea of four trophies.
Most people and definitely the British used to living with the wavering weather gods would realize the folly of predicting a summer of glorious sunshine off a sunny weekend. They should have learned from their rival over the weekend. Liverpool fans with a quadruple in their dreams just a few months ago were praying for a top-four finish after finding themselves languishing mid-table.
Ten Haag's team walked into the trap, eyes open. They went in with a fan's fantasy in their eyes. A dream is for the watcher, for the doer it has to be action and nothing else. It was easy not to miss the signs. Manchester United was good but not good enough as United should be. It was just a few players Rashford in the form of his life, Casemiro with his presence, and the evergreen De Gea, pushing them along. A few good performances from a few guys once in a while are not something that feeds a campaign. The pondering manager probably knew it. He may have been expecting a bump in the run. When he got it it wasn't just a bump, it turned out to be a thump.
It came at the wrong time, against bitter rivals at a terrifying venue. Anfield has been Liverpool's fortress, though in recent times there have been a few dents. The Reds from the Beatles' land were having troubles of their own. A leaking defense, a tired midfield, and a seemingly glorious attacking line misfiring had left them chastened and their fans wary of dreaming. After a long time of being utterly miserable, the Liverpool lineup did justice to its reputation. With all the forwards scoring twice, the score line was an embarrassment for United. A record that will get printed on paper and give a lifetime of bragging rights to their bitter rivals.
It was not all about Liverpool though, while they played better than they had for some time now, the credit for their victory probably is United's to take. They had a day when their best players were off-color, the not-so-good were horrendous and as a team, they just weren't there. They passed to their opponents, promptly lost the ball when they got it, and looked like a bunch of lost chickens. The team that had put together a run as good as any just didn't turn up. Everyone has a bad day once in a while, but then United just got the day wrong and how. A goal or two conceded is a part of the game, but seven is just sacrilege. As for Liverpool, they still are not where they ought to be. It would take more to convince one that they are back. It looked too easy and it is how they stand when it is tough that would define their recovery.
In the end, both the managers in solitude would know that their teams can be different. Liverpool can be listless and United brilliant. It's probably the side of the bed they get off from, nothing else seems to explain what transpired at Anfield.
The players like all who play professional sports, at any level know, that bad times like good times don't last forever. The world hasn't ended, Manchester United will still be around, and probably get back to its glorious days. As for the Manchester United fans as someone said ,,,
And now I'm right back where I started. Sober and miserable.”
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