These men dare not lose
Van Gaal and Rodgers in tribal battle
SO, the biggest rivalry in English football r esumes but t his game has a different feel: this is a showdown when the scrutiny on two managers has replaced the focus on two clubs.
Manchester United v Liverpool is not a match that will influence the destination of this year’s title but, given what has happened in recent weeks, it has become the match Louis van Gaal and Brendan Rodgers dare not lose.
That is not a knee-jerk statement. Two weeks have passed since United and Liverpool signed off for the international break with defeats by Swansea and West Ham respectively, and neither set of supporters has f orgotten the desperate standard of those performances.
You are always under ppressure when you are in chargeharge at Old Trafford or Anfield, eld, but the scrutiny on Van an Gaal and Rodgers has s been growing. This is only the fifth fixture of the campaign, but it may turn out to be a defining day for both men.
Take Van Gaal. In the 13 days since that t 2-1 loss at the Libertyty Stadium, he has been een f orced to contend with more and more storieses emerg-emerging about how unhappyppy some of his players are with his methods, and critical words from those he has sold.
Not only that, there has been the David de Gea saga and the worldrecord transfer fee paid for a teenager. Anthony Martial’s arrival from Monaco has taken United’s spending under Van Gaal to almost £250million — the third highest in Europe behind Real Madrid and Manchester City — but United’s squad still looks unbalanced.
The Dutchman has used 38 players during the last 14 months — no manager in the Barclays Premier League has used more — and there has been chopping and changing of systems, with three at the back abandoned, then 4-3-3 being replaced by 4-2-3-1.
The issues, however, run deeper. Since making his name at Ajax in the mid-1990s during a successful six-year spell, history shows that wherever Van Gaal coaches, he doesn’t tend to spend longer than three years. And there are almost always rows after criticism of his man-management.
True, he lifted the title with Barcelona and Bayern Munich in his first years at those clubs and that kind of success keeps players onside, even if they find it hard to warm to his training methods and approach. If you are winning as a footballer you can put up with most things. Success buys managers time and control.
But United did not win any trophies last season and, for those who are not on board with him, that inevitably means the cracks appear quicker. There have been falling outs with Marcos Rojo, Victor Valdes, Angel di Maria and Robin van Persie, among others. There will have been more.
Looking from the outside, have those confrontations cost them the chance to sign Pedro? Will Gareth Bale, who United are sure to bid for, look at this and wonder if Old Trafford is right for him?
And Van Gaal is not only fighting battles with his players. United fans are seemingly becoming more and more sceptical about the slow way their team are playing and you have to wonder how they would react if Liverpool were to win this evening.
Games against Liverpool were crucial for Van Gaal last year. The 3- 0 victory at Old Trafford in December came at the right time after a poor start, while the 2-1 victory at Anfield in March virtually guaranteed a top-four finish in the Premier League.
That performance, along with big wins over Tottenham and Manchester City, gave a glimpse of what Van Gaal might be able to put together.
Those two results also had great significance for Rodgers. Liverpool went 13 games unbeaten in the Premier League after Rodgers switched to a 3-4-3 formation in December, and there was talk, as the club crept into contention for the top four, of him being the next City manager.
He oversaw a fine 2-1 win over City i n March when Manuel Pellegrini was struggling but, a few weeks later, the loss at Anfield to Van Gaal was when things began to unravel for Rodgers.
And what has happened since that day shows how quickly fortunes can change.
Results and performances have not been good enough. Liverpool have won only five of the 14 games they have played and defeats have included the FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa, a 6-1 shambles at Stoke City in May and that startling loss to West Ham two weeks ago.
It appeared that Rodgers had ridden the storm after an encouraging performance in the goalless draw at Arsenal, but it was only going to take one bad day for the natives to become restless again and losing 3-0 to a club who had not won at Anfield since 1963 was as bad as it could be.
That result in isolation could be brushed off but Rodgers is under pressure because of what has happened over the last 12 months. If he was fortunate to keep his job in May, it is his misfortune that the heat is back on him so soon.
Were Liverpool to l ose and perform badly this evening — and it is startling they have been struggling to create chances — the criticisms of Rodgers would resurface.
What helps Van Gaal and hinders Rodgers are their respective trophy hauls. Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez got a hard time near the end of their Anfield reigns, but they could point to the silverware they’d won at the club and before. Rodgers is in a similar position to David Moyes during his spell at Old Trafford. Until Rodgers wins a trophy, the fans will be sceptical about his ability to deliver.
Yet Rodgers will know a win in this game could transform things. There is no better stadium to win in when you are associated with Liverpool, nor is there a worse place to lose. Those with United allegiances would say the same thing.
There i s always so much at stake and that is true once again. Particularly f or t he men in the dug-outs.
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