Man Utd vs Liverpool: John Barnes on his memories in a famous rivalry... and why United could get 'destroyed'

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
John Barnes in action against Manchester United in 1995
Getty Images
David Lynch18 October 2019

Old Trafford has never been a particularly happy hunting ground for Liverpool, even at the best of times.

While Sir Alex Ferguson often inflicted away-day misery on the Reds after famously dislodging them from their ‘perch’, Manchester United had been making trips to the Theatre of Dreams difficult for their rivals long before the dawn of the Premier League era.

Take, for example, the period spanning April 7, 1982 and March 18, 1990.

The seven years, 11 months, 11 days that separated those dates saw five league titles, two FA Cups, three League Cups, and one European Cup brought to Anfield.

United, meanwhile, had just two FA Cups and a Charity Shield success to shout about.

John Barnes and Peter Beardley with the league title Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

But, while they undoubtedly earned the bragging rights in terms of silverware during that spell, Liverpool failed in each of their nine attempts to beat the Red Devils on their own patch.

In fact, only three of the 20 meetings between the sides at that time ended with an undeniably superior Reds team coming out on top.

A lamentable record at Old Trafford was finally put to bed late in the 1989-90 season, as a John Barnes brace secured a 2-1 success for the visitors.

And the Reds’ hero that day has a theory as to why the underdogs so regularly overperformed in those games.

Speaking to Standard Sport on behalf of Bonus Code Bets, he said: “In the old days, because Liverpool were the dominant team winning the league, Manchester United really concentrated on the game because they didn’t want to lose that game for their fans.

“So they weren’t going to win the league, ‘but let’s not let Liverpool beat us’.”

With 15 points separating the teams after just eight games of the new season, United’s current crop will hope to emulate their predecessors’ penchant for an upset when they host Liverpool on Sunday.

The league table is evidence enough of the Reds’ progress in recent seasons, but they remain without a victory at Old Trafford since 2014 having won there just twice in the last 15 years.

Jurgen Klopp’s last two visits saw his side stymied by surprisingly cautious hosts, but should he expect a more adventurous outlook this time around?

In Pictures | Man Utd vs Liverpool | 24/02/2019

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Not according to Barnes, who says: “If Manchester United now under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are going back to trying to play an exciting, open game, I think Liverpool will destroy them.

“If you go toe-to-toe with Liverpool and try and play an open game... even Manchester City adapt their game to play against Liverpool!

“If Manchester United come and say, ‘We’re the home team, let’s play an open game’, I think Liverpool will beat them comfortably.

“A counterattacking team is what Jose Mourinho would have - defend deep, allow them to have the ball.

Former Man Utd manager Jose Mourinho Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

“That is not what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has done, it’s not what he has come to Manchester United to do, which is what Jose Mourinho was criticised for.

“So it’s just a question as to whether Ole decides to be a bit more cautious, to defend more, and try and catch them on the counter, which is an away team performance.”

In truth, Solskjaer’s hand could be forced by the growing injury list he has been forced to contend with in recent weeks.

Paul Pogba and David de Gea have already been ruled out of Sunday’s game by the Norwegian, while the likes of Anthony Martial and Aaron Wan-Bissaka remain major doubts.

Man Utd will be without David de Gea this weekend Photo: TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images
TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Ima

And United are not as capable as Liverpool of dealing with those sort of setbacks, Barnes believes.

He added: “At the moment, Manchester United are not like Liverpool, who have a template in terms of the way they play, which any player coming in can hit the ground running and put in a good performance.

“Manchester United have relied on individuals to win their matches; I don’t think they’ve played well as a team in any of the games I’ve seen.

“They’ve got individuals who can do something, so the better individuals you have, the more chance you have of winning.

Salah and Alisson Becker could return for Liverpool this weekend Photo: Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Liverpool FC via Getty Images

“If Liverpool were missing two or three players, I wouldn’t worry about them. The style of Liverpool as a team, you know they’re going to play that way regardless of who plays.

“With Manchester United I think it depends on having those individual players. Pogba, I think, will be a big loss for them. They’ll need their better individuals to cause Liverpool problems.”

Predict the results for gameweek 9 in the Premier League

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