Desperate Liverpool set for another famous victory

MARCH 21 — I don’t know if you have noticed since the turn of the year, but people have stopped using Big 4 as a term of reference to those four clubs in England. That simply boils down to the deterioration of Liverpool as a team.

After pushing Manchester United (MU) so close in the title race last season, many are left surprised at Liverpool’s failure to make even a decent challenge this time round.

While it is true that the current top three teams in the league have also dropped a notch with regards to consistency — losing five or six matches would not have won the title in the past decade — but the depths to which Liverpool have fallen has turned many a Reds fan into retreat when confronted by supporters of the top three and a deafening silence on social networks online.

But tonight, Rafa Benitez’s men have the opportunity to redeem their season if they can repeat their feat of last season, doing the double on MU. Yes, no matter what happens this season, just the thought that they had managed to defeat their arch-rivals and possibly dent MU’s title hopes — the Red Devils are vying for a record 19 titles, one more than Liverpool — would be some consolation for all Reds supporters.

Of course, Liverpool are also desperate to win to keep up with their rivals in the race for fourth place. With Tottenham Hotspur winning last night and Aston Villa getting a point, it is proving to be a tougher job with just eight matches left in the season.

If there is one person who would want to make it even tougher for Liverpool, it would be Alex Ferguson. When the Scotsman took over the hot seat at Old Trafford back in 1986, Liverpool had 16 league titles in the bag. By the time MU won their first Premiership title in 1993 (their eighth overall), Liverpool had won another two (1988, 1990).

It has taken him 16 years, but with a single-minded conviction to catch up with the Reds, the tally now stands at Liverpool 18, Manchester United 18.

Hence, victory over Liverpool tonight would be a big step forward in MU’s quest to make history and after last season’s 4-1 humiliation by the Merseysiders at Old Trafford. Darren Fletcher says the Red Devils are fully focused on picking up maximum points for revenge.

Come what may, we are in for a cracker of a match, made even more exciting with the prospect of witnessing a battle of two red-hot strikers who are hitting form at the same time.

In Wayne Rooney, MU have a striker who can’t stop scoring at the moment. His second-half brace against Fulham last weekend took his tally for the league campaign to 25.

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s Fernando Torres is banging the goals in, scoring four times in two matches over the past week. He scored a brace against Portsmouth on Monday and another two against Lille on Thursday, as Liverpool overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit to win their Europa League last-16 tie.

As we saw in Anfield in the reverse tie earlier this season, even when not fully fit, the Spanish striker’s pace and power can change a game in an instant.

If Liverpool want to stay in the Champions League next season, they simply must win this match. It is the sort of galvanising victory that would put a gloss on Liverpool’s rather miserable season. That is why I feel that the Reds will up their tempo, play with nothing to lose, and get all three points tonight.

Just a reminder that after their win at MU exactly one year and one week ago, Rafa’s men won eight and drew one of their remaining nine games. Of course that wasn’t enough to win the title, but a similar run now would certainly secure that Champions League spot, and they certainly need that.

That is, assuming that the two-steps-forward-one-back form of their closest rivals continue.

The MU v Liverpool match (kickoff 9.30pm, Malaysian time) is the highlight of what is truly a Super Sunday of action tonight. Compared with the previous Sunday line-ups this season, tonight’s matches all involve teams with a lot at stake.

At 11pm, Manchester City travel to European giant-killers Fulham (who beat mighty Juventus 4-1 on Thursday to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Europa League) hoping for three points in their quest for that lucrative Champions League spot over Spurs, Villa and Liverpool.

Fulham have a strong record at Craven Cottage — they beat both MU and Liverpool at home this season — and it is likely to continue against a very tentative Man City team, who seemed to have fallen off the track despite all their riches. Manager Roberto Mancini has his job cut out for him, but unless he gets a complete team performance from his boys, he is set to lose his job.

If he were to go, it is likely that Jose Mourinho would be ready to step in. It could be the ultimate in-your-face reminder to Chelsea’s fans of what they have missed since owner Roman Abramovich relieved the Special One of his duties at Stamford Bridge.

The score currently stands at Mourinho 1 Roman 0, after Mourinho’s Inter defeated Chelsea in the CL on Tuesday, which was his first return to the Bridge with another team.

It’s been seven years of disappointment in the CL for Abramovich. If the Russian billionaire can resist sacking the manager again and give him time to settle the team next year, then Chelsea might be a force to reckon with next season given the right signings.

This brings me to the final match in the Super Sunday schedule — Chelsea vs Blackburn Rovers, at Ewood Park.

Between the two title rivals, Chelsea would seem to have the easier tie. The many over-paid players would be looking to bounce back from the Champions League exit, with a single-minded focus to win the league or risk being shown the exit as part of the revamp that owner Abramovich is likely to bring to effect.

So, it is a very high probability that Chelsea will indeed take all three points, with the benefit of knowing the result of the earlier match at Old Trafford, not to mention Arsenal’s climb to the top of the table after beating West Ham United at The Emirates Stadium last night.