Erik ten Hag is thriving at Man United but it's all going wrong for Jurgen Klopp as fortunes have reversed

Callum

Mar 3

Liverpool host Manchester United on Sunday at a time when they are struggling and their rivals are thriving.

Like passing ships, both European juggernauts have seemed to swap places in terms of success in a whirlwind 12 months for the two.

Klopp's Liverpool have struggled this season

Liverpool have fallen off a cliff this year, embroiled in mid-table mediocrity and on the cusp of a first-round knockout of the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid.

United, on the other hand, just cannot stop winning and lifted the Carabao Cup on - the first possible trophy Erik ten Hag could get his hands on, in the bag.

It adds to a remarkable stretch of form where they have lost just once this calendar year, while Marcus Rashford has scored 17 times in 19 appearances since the World Cup concluded.

United are closer to topping the table than Liverpool are to a top-four spot - but how did we get here? It was only last season when Jurgen Klopp came closer than anyone to winning the quadruple.

After beating Chelsea on penalties twice to lift the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, they narrowly missed out on the Champions League in a tense final against Real Madrid while trailing Manchester City by a point in the Premier League - having totalled 92.

So where has it gone wrong for Klopp and what was the revolving doors moment that saw United overtake and steam ahead of them? All in the space of mere months.

Ten Hag has turned things around at Old Trafford

Liverpool have had a tough season this year

A telling moment was as early as August when the two sides first met in the Premier League this season - just three games into Ten Hag's reign.

The Red Devils had been battered by Brentford and Brighton and the knives were already out and the Dutchman made two brave calls that would go on to become masterstrokes - drop Cristiano Ronaldo and captain Harry Maguire.

The results were instant, the new defensive partnership of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane clicked instantly and have since formed one of the best defensive duos in Europe - and now both World Cup winners.

With no Ronaldo, Ten Hag's tactics translated better on the pitch with the whole side pressing as a team rather than as individuals and Liverpool could not handle it - losing 2-1 with Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford scoring before a late Mohamed Salah strike.

For United's transformative performance, something needs to be said of Liverpool's defending, which has completely imploded on itself.

The Reds have always defended close to the line under Klopp, sometimes literally with their extremely high offside trap, but this should have served as a warning to the German that not all was well this year.

Van Dijk has not been at his imperious best

He kept to his guns and the decline has been evident to see with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk have been dug out for their poor performances.

However, they might feel harshly done by considering they are playing the same defensive shape that has reaped them so many rewards under Klopp - why is it now no longer working?

Rashford's strike at Old Trafford that day was a early indicator of the "lean fighting machine" that he would turn into, according to Roy Keane just months later after a streak of 11 goals in 11 games.

Ten Hag's coaching has unlocked a new player in Rashford, who has scored 25 times and assisted nine in 38 appearances - his best-ever tally - compared to last year where the England international mustered just five across all competitions.

Down the M62, Salah's woes in the Premier League show a complete reverse in fortunes having netted just eight in 23 games.

That is by no means a shocking number but considering the Egypt international netted 23 last season in the league, that explains why Liverpool have looked somewhat more toothless going forward, while the loss of Sadio Mane cannot be understated.

Rashford has been unstoppable this season

Salah's form has dropped in the Premier League

Recent signings Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo have struggled at times this season but the jury remains out on two players who clearly have immense talent and are finding their feet in the Premier League.

But if Mane's departure rattled Liverpool, the opposite can be said of Ronaldo's, whose ugly second divorce from Old Trafford has only galvanised the club.

Since the Portuguese superstar ranted to Piers Morgan about the club, United have lost one game, find themselves in a title race and have won the Carabao Cup - their first piece of silverware since 2017.

When United meet Liverpool on Sunday, while their defences and attacks have swapped positions - the biggest change has come in midfield.

For years, Scott McTominay and Fred have held the fort for the Red Devils in the middle of the pitch and, with respect, they might not require the needed level over the course of a season to take the club back where they feel they deserve.

Christian Eriksen and Casemiro have transformed the side, particularly the latter, who was named man of the match in the Carabao Cup final.

Fabinho was one of the best midfielders in the league but has declined this year

Casemiro has transformed United this year

At Anfield, however, it is jaw-dropping how far the likes of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho have fallen off while teenagers such as Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bacjetic have had to pick up where their senior team-mates have dropped.

Last season, Liverpool finished an astonishing 34 points ahead of United - this year they are 13 points behind - a total of 49-points difference in less than 12 months.

The last time both sides were embroiled in a title challenge came in 2008/2009 when the Red Devils triumphed over their bitter rivals by four points in the end.

Since then, both teams have rotated from success to crisis over and over again.

On Sunday at Anfield, Klopp will get the chance to at least arrest this startling decline and look to spark a new start for the Reds.

Another loss will only amplify what looks like the beginning of a new cycle.