10

Thursday, July 26, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

In 
the 
wake 
of 
the 
International 
Champions 
Cup 
showdown 
between 
Manchester United and 
Liverpool, 
the 
casual 
American sports fan may 
be at a loss as to what 
to look for. As familiar 
as the venue might be —
Michigan Stadium — the 
unfolding 
events 
may 
not be as welcoming. To 
make you seem like you 
know what you’re talking 
about on Saturday, the 
Daily breaks down what 
to expect on the pitch 
and how to appreciate 
the intricacies of the 
other football.
Liverpool:
New Look Midfield:
On paper, last season’s 
starting midfield of Alex 
Oxlade-Chamberlain, 
Jordan Henderson and 
James 
Milner 
wasn’t 
one 
that 
necessarily 
looked on par with that 
of title rivals like the 
two Manchester clubs 
and European giants like 
Real Madrid.
With Milner turning 
33 next season, Emre Can 
having left for Juventus 
and 
Chamberlain 
succumbing to an ACL 
injury that ruled him 
out for part of the new 
season, manager Jurgen 
Klopp 
desperately 
needed 
to 
find 
reinforcements.
The signing of Naby 
Keita 
from 
Red 
Bull 
Leipzig was tied up last 
year. The dynamic box-
to-box midfielder and 
Klopp’s style of football 
appear a match made in 
football heaven. With 
an impressive range of 
vision, a tireless work 
ethic and an eye for 
goals, the Guinea captain 
will 
provide 
a 
spark 
from the heart of the 
midfield that Liverpool 
desperately needed since 
Chamberlain’s injury.
Fabinho was signed 
from 
Monaco 
this 
transfer 
window. 
The 
all-action 
defensive 
midfielder 
played 
an 
integral role in guiding 
Monaco to the 2016-17 

Ligue 1 title over PSG. 
He will provide much 
needed defensive cover 
in front of the Liverpool 
backline 
which 
was 
the 
Merseyside 
club’s 
Achilles heel last season, 
Keeper included.
Both 
new 
signings 
should be on display 
Saturday, 
playing 
in 
their first derby against 
Manchester United.
Attacking 
Reinforcements:
Defenders 
across 
Europe shook in their 
expensive 
cleats 
at 
the thought of playing 
against Mohamed Salah, 
Sadio Mane and Roberto 
Firmino. Only Cristiano 
Ronaldo had more goals 
than the three in the 
Champions League, and 
it 
took 
Lionel 
Messi 
to keep the European 
Golden Boot away from 
Salah. Not bad company 
to sit behind.
But 
when 
Salah 
got subbed off in the 
Champions 
League 
Final with a shoulder 
injury, 
Liverpool’s 
ferociousness 
left 
the 
pitch 
with 
him. 
No 
substitute looked close 
to giving Liverpool the 
extra gear they needed 
that night in Kiev.
Daniel Sturridge was 
once Liverpool’s second 
best striker in the days 
of Luis Suarez. A plague 
of injuries and bad form 
had all but threatened 
to 
end 
his 
Anfield 
career. 
Three 
goals 
thus far in pre-season 
have Sturridge looking 

sharper than he has in 
months, as he looks to 
fight for his place in the 
squad.
Backups 
Dominic 
Solanke 
and 
Divok 
Origi haven’t inspired 
confidence 
during 
pre-season. 
As 
such, 
Liverpool 
signed 
Xherdan 
Shaqiri, 
Switzerland’s 
standout 
performer over the last 
two World Cups. They 
signed him for £13.5 
million following Stoke 
City’s relegation. Should 
his 
World 
Cup 
form 
carry 
over, 
he 
could 
give Klopp a welcomed 
selection headache.
Shaqiri, 
Sturridge, 
Solanke and Origi will 
all be looking to make 
a case for themselves 
before the start of next 
season. What better way 
to impress your manager 
than by scoring against 
your 
club’s 
eternal 
rivals?
Formation Changes:
Liverpool 
played 
in 
a 
free-flowing 
4-3-3 
formation for most of 
last year. Following the 
injury to Alex Oxlade-
Chamberlain, 
however, 
Klopp 
occasionally 
played a 4-2-3-1, with 
Solanke sitting ahead of 
Firmino who played in a 
deeper, more traditional 
No.10 role.
Klopp 
has 
tinkered 
with 
this 
formation 
throughout 
the 
pre-
season as well, especially 
given Naby Keita and 
Fabinhio’s proficiency in 
the two midfield roles. 

Teenage 
forward 
Ben 
Woodburn has looked 
promising as well and 
could 
be 
given 
more 
game time to develop.
Expect more tactical 
changes this weekend 
as Klopp tinkers with 
Liverpool’s 
formation 
and personnel, looking 
to get his squad ready for 
the start of the Premier 
League season.
Manchester United:
Alexis Sanchez:
Manchester 
United 
orchestrated 
a 
coup 
with 
the 
signing 
of 
Arsenal’s star forward, 
Alexis Sanchez, getting 
him 
in 
exchange 
for 
want-away 
midfielder 
Henrikh 
Mkhitaryan. 
Fast forward six months, 
and it seems Arsenal got 
the better deal.
Sanchez’s talent and 
work ethic are beyond 
question, but for some 
reason he never quite fit 
in to Jose Mourinho’s 
tactical setup. Flashes 
of 
brilliance 
were 
overshadowed 
by 
subdued 
appearances. 
Relentless 
inconsistencies perfectly 
embody 
Sanchez’s 
career.
However, following a 
full preseason with his 
new team, Sanchez looks 
more comfortable in his 
new surroundings. His 
first two games have 
been 
promising, 
and 
playing 
against 
club 
rival 
Liverpool 
could 
see a big game out of the 
Chilean.
United 
fans 
should 

be licking their lips at 
the prospect of seeing 
Sanchez 
linkup 
with 
Paul Pogba and Romelu 
Lukaku next season.
New 
signing: 
Frederico Rodrigues de 
Paula Santos (Fred):
With 
a 
midfield 
compromised 
of 
Paul 
Pogba, 
Marouane 
Fellaini 
and 
Nemanja 
Matic, Mourinho has a 
contingent of physically 
strong 
midfield 
enforcers. Standing at 5 
feet and 7 inches, Fred 
provides a different kind 
of player.
Quick and agile off his 
feet with a sharp passing 
range, Fred provides a 
more creative outlet to 
Manchester United, one 
that it sorely lacked last 
season, 
often 
looking 
bereft 
of 
creativity. 
Adept 
at 
starting 
counter-attacks 
and 
unlocking defenses, the 
Brazilian should make 
Manchester 
United 
a 
more exciting outfit next 
season.
Fred is also versatile 
in that, despite being 
labeled 
an 
offensive 
conductor, he was also 
FC Shakhtar Donetsk’s 
top tackler last season. 
He 
can 
easily 
fit 
alongside Matic in a 
defensive 
midfield 
position allowing Pogba 
the freedom to venture 
further up-field where 
the Frenchman thrives.
Having been an unused 
part of Brazil’s World 
Cup squad, Fred should 
be looking to stretch his 

legs and impress during 
any game time he sees 
this summer, especially 
against Liverpool.
The curious case of 
Anthony Martial:
Since 
sending 
Old 
Trafford into raptures 
on his debut with a 
goal against Liverpool, 
Anthony 
Martial’s 
career has seen vertigo 
inducing 
highs 
and 
damning lows.
A stellar first season 
with the club saw him 
labeled as the future of 
the club. An indifferent 
second year saw him left 
out of France’s world 
cup winning squad and 
overlooked in favor of 
younger, more promising 
talent.
Just 22 and unhappy 
with 
not 
being 
guaranteed 
a 
starting 
spot, Martial could be 
looking for new pastures. 
With 
Bayern 
Munich 
and Chelsea reportedly 
interested, he could soon 
be leaving Manchester 
United.
Jose 
Mourinho, 
however, would rather 
not lose a player of 
his 
caliber, 
especially 
considering 
fellow 
forwards 
Marcus 
Rashford 
and 
Romelu 
Lukaku may not be fully 
fit following long World 
Cup campaigns.
Martial 
could 
be 
playing 
for 
his 
Manchester 
United 
future 
on 
Saturday, 
or 
auditioning 
for 
a 
new club that would 
more than welcome his 
signing.
***
On Saturday, whether 
or not you know how to 
pronounce the players’ 
names or the storied 
past 
of 
Manchester 
United and Liverpool, 
the matchup will surely 
be something to behold. 
But as with all sporting 
events, the more you 
know heading in, the 
richer the experience. 
And as soccer slowly 
gains popularity in the 
states, there’s no doubt 
a spectacle of this size 
will create some new 
fans of the most popular 
sport in the world.

Things to know: Man United vs. Liverpool

FAHD AHSAN
Former Daily Sports Writer

COURTESY OF TWITTER, @CHAMPIONSLEAGUE
English soccer clubs Manchester Utd. and Liverpool are playing at the Big House and The Daily tells you all you need to know about the 

