12
Thursday, August 2nd, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

The name of the game for both 
teams was pressure.
While there are little stakes in a 
preseason game — even in a rivalry 
matchup — the pressure exerted, not 
by the situation, but by the players on 
one another made the difference.
Squashing any remote chances 
created by Manchester United, 
Liverpool FC swarmed the midfield 
and controlled the pace of play for 
the majority of the first half. Any 
signs of a play created, despite the 
heroics of Manchester United’s 
Alexis Sanchez, were crushed by a 
Liverpool defensive line that would 
oftentimes double up on the man-to-
man coverage, making it hard for the 
forward as well as the midfielders to 
push.
The heavy press offered success 
on the offensive end by allowing 
Liverpool more possession time in 
the offensive zone. By forcing the 
turnovers on Manchester United’s 
side of the field, less was asked of 
the offensive end of the midfield and 
allowed the forwards all the room in 
the world to move — a strategy that 
allowed Liverpool to dominate the 
game against Manchester United in 
a 4-1 win.
The offensive pressure forced 
the Manchester United defense to 
respond. But while it did, it came 
only in high-danger situations. The 
defensive pressure was finally forced 
off Manchester United. However, it 
came off like a procrastinator would, 
carelessly, lazily and, often times, too 
late.
The last-minute effort by the 

defensive line worked during a few of 
the early scoring chances, diverting 
the passing lanes so that the passes 
were too far forward for Dominic 
Salanke or Mohammed Salah to 
garner within the box. Even when 
garnered, the stuffed box would be 
too crowded for a clear shot from the 
Liverpool forwards.
But as Liverpool caught on to 
the opportunities it was given, it 
made the most of the space allowed 
by the Manchester United defense 
to start a play. The time given was 
enough for the dynamic duo of Salah 
and forward Sadio Mane to force 
chances.
Around the five-minute mark, 
midfielder Rafa Camacho started 
the ball out with time to view for 
the open man. Spotting Mane, 
the pressure was then transferred 
toward the young forward, who’s 
offensive talents can’t be ignored, as 
the ball was passed to him. Opening 
the opportunity for Salah, the 
Egyption forward found himself by 
the near-post with no one in front of 
him. Ball at his feet and inches away 
from the goalline, Salah’s slight back-
heel tap went astray, and the ball was 
cleared and out of play.
The pressure from the attack 
didn’t 
stop 
from 
there. 
Salah 
continued his offensive onslaught 
with a header coming around nine 
minutes. The attack came amidst a 
crowd of three Manchester United 
defenders and seemingly caught 
the defense off guard, as his header 
went uncontested and sailed straight 
toward the top of the goal.
If it weren’t for the heroics of a 
last second touch by the Manchester 
United goalkeeper, who extended 

himself fully for the save, the score 
would have better reflected the 
dominant play by Liverpool to that 
point.
The breakthrough finally came at 
the 28th minute, as Liverpool finally 
found the payoff from its repeated 
offensive pressure, when Salah and 
Mane found one another to create 
a threat Manchester United just 
couldn’t settle. Forced into a bad 
position by his late contest, defender 
Demitri Mitchell gave in and fouled 
Salah at the baseline within the 
box — allowing Salah to draw the 
penalty.
Mane put an end to the open 
frames of the scoreboard and tacked 
on a point for Liverpool with a line 
drive to the left of the goal during the 
penalty kick.
Despite 
the 
wavering 
methodology 
that 
the 
defense 
had played with, the offense of 
Manchester United stayed true to 
what had created the little chances 
the team did generate — which were 
chances through counters.
Earlier in the game, Manchester 
United had seen its only other 
scoring opportunity from a counter 
that had opened the fast break. Even 
while Sanchez was falling down as 
he controlled the ball, he managed to 
lob it to an open man who found the 
back of the net but was ruled offsides.
Immediately 
after 
the 
score 
from Liverpool, Manchester United 
countered with a quick draw from 
the circle and a pass to midfielder 
Juan Mata, who redeemed his team’s 
performance by drawing a free kick 
just slightly outside of the box and 
within scoring distance.
With a creative shot toward the 
top left of the goal, in a curve ball, 
the score was evened by midfielder 
Andreas Pereira, and the momentum 
seemingly 
turned 
in 
favor 
of 
Manchester United for the first time. 
However, 
whatever 
momentum 
the team had garnered was quickly 
diminished through, again, the 
efforts of the Liverpool defense and 
midfield.
Where 
Manchester 
United’s 
midfield 
was 
unorganized 
and 
frustrated, 
Liverpool’s 
thrived 
through concise passing that didn’t 
settle with just winning a possession 
but turning it into a scoring 
opportunity.
While the halftime score was 
even, very few who watched the 
game could call Manchester United’s 
efforts on par with Liverpool’s. It 
was simply a one-sided affair. And 
the score showed that after the 
second half.

Soccer team embraces 
spectacle of Liv - Man U

MEN’S SOCCER

Liverpool vs Man Utd

TIEN LE
Summer Managing Sports Editor

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

ALEC COHEN / DAILY
Liverpool and Manchester United faced off at the Big House in front of 100,000+

JACOB KOPNICK
Summer Managing Sports Editor

Mohammed Zakyi and Umar 
Farouk Osman stood at the 
first row of Michigan Stadium 
excitedly gazing out at the 
spectacle before their eyes.
It 
was 
the 
day 
before 
legendary 
English 
football 
clubs 
Liverpool 
and 
Manchester United were set 
to face off at the Big House, 
and Zayki and Osman came to 
watch the Meyersides practice. 
For 
the 
rising 
sophomores, 
it 
represented 
the 
ultimate 
goal: becoming a professional 
soccer player and achieving 
international fame. After all, 
a sizeable crowd had gathered 
just 
to 
watch 
the 
global 
powerhouses practice before a 
preseason friendly.
For Zayki, Osman and the rest 
of the Michigan men’s soccer 
team, this day had long been 
a big red X on their calendars. 
Not only will the experience of 
watching the best in the world 
matchup on their home turf 
instill a deep desire to reach 
the next level, but it will also 
serve as a unique learning and 
bonding opportunity for the 
team.
“When we heard about this 
two years ago, because we came 
here two years ago for our visit 
and we heard they were coming 
to play here, I was like, “Bro, 
that’s gonna be lit,” Zayki said. 
“So, we couldn’t wait to see 
them and hopefully tomorrow 
we get to see Manchester as 
well. Everyone’s excited to be 
here, all the soccer guys, so it’s 
gonna be great.”
More than just for the boys 
on the soccer team, Zayki 
hopes that having the two 
powerhouses face off in the 
United States will expand the 
influence of the world’s most 
popular sport to the states.
“For me, personally, I want 
Americans 
to 
see 
how 
big 
soccer is because soccer’s not 
really broadcasted really well 
here,” Zayki said, “so people 
coming out to see this game will 
motivate them to come more to 
see extra games and stuff, so 
it will just (make) Americans 

more 
aware 
of 
soccer 
in 
general.”
Added 
Michigan 
coach 
Chaka Daley: “This is the third 
time we’ve hosted it at the 
University of Michigan, so our 
school certainly understands 
the importance of the game to 
the community, to Ann Arbor, to 
the state of Michigan, so that’s 
great, from that standpoint, and 
then our players and our staff 
understand the significance and 
the fortunate nature we have in 
hosting such world powers at 
our place, and the humility we 
gotta have by having the best 
of the best at our facilities, so 
we’re certainly excited about it 
and happy they’re here again.”
While Saturday’s spectacle 
will mostly be fun and games, 
Daley 
understands 
the 
necessary 
commitment 
one 
needs to make to the sport to 
find success. Therefore, while 
he and his staff will be sure 
to soak up the atmosphere at 
the clash of the titans, Daley 
sees this display as a learning 
opportunity as well.
“We come for the enjoyment, 
but you certainly take some 
things in — how the teams 
play, how they react, how they 
respond — there will be some 
high-level stuff in the sense 
of when coaches make certain 
changes, timing—they’re still in 
preseason, so you think about 
those things as well,” Daley 
said.
“You can learn one thing 
and that one thing can be 
the difference or be unique 
or interesting for your group 
that you can put your spin on 
because your coaching’s not 
necessarily… you don’t replicate 
others, it’s those adjustments 
that you make.”
In terms of playstyle and 
what exactly can be gleaned 
from these two clubs, Daley 
sees his program as a hybrid 
between 
the 
two, 
mixing 
Liverpool’s hard-hitting, fast-
paced offense with Manchester 
United’s stalwart defense.
But in terms of who he wants 
to win on Saturday, Daley 
made his motivations clear, 
responding, “Whoever I meet 
first.”

