Liverpool defender Andy Robertson has opened up about the challenges of playing at Old Trafford, admitting that the atmosphere and intensity of the stadium make it one of the toughest venues in football.
Last season, the disappointment that often follows the short journey down the East Lancs Road was particularly frustrating for Liverpool fans.
In just 22 days, the Reds were knocked out of the FA Cup with a 4-3 loss in the quarter-final, and their Premier League title hopes took a significant hit with a 2-2 draw.
On both occasions, Liverpool dominated the game – at times to an almost embarrassing degree – yet a lack of cutting edge and sloppy individual defensive errors proved costly.
Despite holding Manchester United to a goalless draw at Anfield earlier in the season, Liverpool failed to secure a win against a team that finished 22 points behind them.
Now, with a new season and a fresh start, Arne Slot has taken the reins from Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool’s head coach, setting up a Dutch duel with United boss Erik ten Hag.
However, the bitter memories of last season’s shortcomings haven’t been entirely erased from the minds of Liverpool supporters.
“Obviously we’ve moved on from that but last season did hurt there,” admits left-back Andy Robertson.
“The 4-3 game we dominated for a large part of the game and we believed we played good enough to win.
“But sometimes these things go against you and that happened that day and it was unfortunate.
“We’ve had some good results there and some not so good results since I’ve been here so we just hope on Sunday we’re on the good side of the result.
“We go there having started the season well and we just hope we can continue that good form.”
“Other results did that, Crystal Palace at home, West Ham and Everton away, getting a point at Old Trafford can never be a negative,” he added.
“I think the cup game proved that.
“We dominated a large part of the game and people watching would have thought Liverpool were very much in control.
“Then, all of a sudden, something turns.
“They get a half-chance and they take it – and the momentum then changed.
“Even in extra-time we went back in front and they had nothing to lose at that point, then you saw the momentum really shift.
“When you go to any away ground it’s important to keep the home fans quiet but when you go to places like Old Trafford it’s even more important because you know how the fans can drive the home team forward.
“If they do get momentum, then it’s about dipping into your experience, not give away silly things in crucial moments, and try to work your way back into the game.”
A key factor in this transition could be the more measured approach introduced by Slot, contrasting with the occasional chaos that characterized Liverpool’s play under Jurgen Klopp last season.
The early signs are promising, with Liverpool securing clean sheets in their opening wins over Ipswich Town and Brentford, indicating that Slot’s changes are already making an impact.
“Obviously it’s a bit different now under the new regime,” says Robertson.
“We are just going there to try to implement the way we want to play, the way we want to try and hurt teams.
“But we know we have to go there and fight.
“We have to win the second balls and win our tackles, that’s first and foremost, they are the non-negotiables.
“If you do that then in these games between two big rivals usually you are the team that comes out on top.
“Then the work with the ball we are doing comes into it, we get a bit more space.
“Hopefully the quality on the ball will come through then.”
“Everyone has been asked to do different things,” says Robertson.
“It’s a completely new way of playing and while there are certain elements that are similar (to Klopp), other elements are different.
“Every player in every position has got new things to do and new things to think about – including me and Trent.
“Going forward we still have that freedom to help our wingers and overlap, but defensively we have worked on certain things to hopefully become more defensively secure as a unit.
“In the first two games you have seen that.
“When you look back at the stats last season, even when we were still in the title race, we were conceding more chances than Arsenal and Man City.
“When you do that, there’s going to be a game where you get punished.
“That’s what happened to us. Ali made far too many saves because we conceded a few too many shots.
“We have worked hard to try to limit that – and we will continue to work hard.
“We’re not perfect. We’re not anywhere near where the manager wants us to be, but we’re getting there.
“We can see improvements every day and we can see improvements from game-to-game.”
Robertson adds: “We’ve had different tests so far this season, but United is obviously a step up.
“Probably people take more notice of the result in terms of your other competitors and things like that.
“When you go away to any of the big teams, you always want to get the result that makes everyone else look.
“A lot of people are saying this is probably our first proper test.”
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