Don’t park the bus at Anfield Jose... you’re better than that and United are better than that

CONSIDERING the very good, modern-day record of Manchester United at Anfield, the idea that Liverpool will simply roll them over today is ridiculous.

But, for the sake of his own credibility in the eyes, not least, of his own supporters, let’s hope Jose Mourinho shows a sense of adventure in what should be a very close contest.

Mourinho can recount his medals as much as he likes, but his reputation is on the line.

The more he tells everyone how many trophies he has won, the more he reminds everyone how few trophies the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino have won, the starker the contrast between the United manager and his contemporaries. For all his undoubted brilliance, he is cutting an outdated figure right now.

For starters, it is about perception.

Look at Klopp.

Obviously, Jose is right, Klopp (right) has not won a trophy since taking over at Anfield in October of 2015.

But, three years into the job, Klopp still looks like a man relishing and loving every single second of the job.

He looks and sounds like a man who still feels privileged to be managing such a great club.

That is why you will not find a Liverpool supporter with a dissenting word to say about the manager.

Mourinho comes across as a man who is disliking every second of managing such a great club.

Asked on Friday if this Manchester United team was one in his image, he said it was ‘‘ far’’ away from that.

How can that be? He has been there for almost two- and- a- half seasons and has spent well over £ 300million on signings.

If this team is not in his image, he is not doing his job properly.

And Mourinho, as he is not shy of reminding us, CAN do his job properly.

Don’t forget, this United Footballers with a social conscience are the norm, not the exception. team finished six points above Liverpool last season, and won the EFL Cup and Europa League in Mourinho’s first season.

But, in finishing six points and two places ahead of Liverpool, United scored 16 fewer goals.

And that is the sort of statistic that undermines Mourinho.

Since arriving at Old Trafford, he has not inspired a United team to score five or more goals in a single match.

In that time, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have scored five or more goals in a single match on SEVENTEEN occasions.

Klopp’s Liverpool have done it TEN times.

Arguably, there might be a slight disparity in the quality of the personnel available to Mourinho compared to the personnel available to Guardiola and Klopp.

But, if it is any sort of difference, it is only very slight and that goalscoring statistic tells you all you need to know about Mourinho’s current methods.

He is somehow turning positive players – Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial – into negative players.

United are underdogs, going to Anfield, despite their very good form at the venue.

And they might well be mown down by Liverpool’s bandwagon.

But, for the sake of his own reputation, for the sake of the reputation of the club, Mourinho can’t park the bus.

He and Manchester United are better than that.