HORROR SHOW
Ole’s nightmare.. and Klopp’s on the way
JURGEN KLOPP will be licking his lips as he goes to his whiteboard this morning.
Liverpool’s goal-hungry boss will no doubt smell blood as he prepares to take his rampant side to Manchester United’s Theatre of Screams on Sunday.
Yes, a real life horror story is unfolding right in front of United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s eyes and right now it’s hard to see how he can survive much longer.
After surrendering their English league record of 29 away games unbeaten, they prepare to face their biggest rivals at Old Trafford.
It is that serious their crucial Champions League clash with Atalanta on Wednesday’s become almost a side issue. The visit of Klopp’s ruthless red machine should strike fear into the heart of every United fan.
Liverpool’s 5-0 demolition of Watford makes them the first team in top-flight history to score three goals or more in their last seven consecutive away matches.
Scary stuff indeed with Tottenham, Man City and Chelsea to follow before the end of November.
Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester could have had six or seven. One David de Gea save from Youri Tielemans was outstanding.
Could Solskjaer survive a real mauling in front of their fed-up home fans? Surely not. The feedback from within is he is going nowhere. Trouble is, that is the same direction as his hapless side.
Solskjaer felt compelled to give a name check to De Gea afterwards in spite of letting just the four go past him.
It is worrying stuff and Leicester could not quite believe how easily they managed to inflict their pressing game. Harry Maguire had a nightmare return to his old stomping ground with his only consolation that he probably should not have played at all after missing two games with a calf injury.
His old pals made his life an absolute misery and he played an unwilling part in three of the goals.
The irony of United castoff Jonny Evans welding Leicester’s defence together so beautifully won’t have been lost on Solskjaer. Mason
Greenwood, one player to emerge with some credit, had set United on their way in 19 minutes but Maguire had his pocket picked by Kelechi Iheanacho allowing Tielemans to score with a shot that might have been a cross.
Maguire’s King Power replacement Caglar Soyuncu rubbed it in when he poked Leicester in front from close range but substitute Marcus Rashford gave United hope with an 83rd-minute leveller.
But 54 seconds later Jamie Vardy blasted home to restore the lead before Patson Daka completely gave Maguire the slip to clinch victory right on 90 minutes.
Credit Paul Pogba for one thing – he had the courage to front up to the cameras afterwards but United need more than bravery behind a microphone right now.
Pogba appeared to crank up the pressure on Solskjaer.
He said: “We’ve been having these kind of games for a long time and we haven’t solved the problem. We’re conceding easy, stupid goals.”