--- title: "The season starts at Old Trafford" canonical: "https://readliverpoolfc.com/first-team/season-starts-old-trafford/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "michael93" section: "Articles" published: "2015-09-09T12:03:05Z" modified: "2015-09-09T12:03:05Z" --- # The season starts at Old Trafford It goes without saying that for Liverpool playing Manchester United at Old Trafford is a huge game, in any season. However, on Saturday, it could be one of the most important between the clubs in a long time due to what it could mean for the Champions League chase early on. The early season optimism created by seven points from first three games was rudely tarnished by the nightmare display at Anfield against West Ham. It highlighted that it’s not all as rosy as some of us thought given the solid and pragmatic first three games, and we are far away from reaching the level we need to reach. We’re a side that needs to quickly get back on track. After the initial start to the season before the always annoying September international break, this game marks almost a second beginning to the season. The previous four results must be forgotten; both the positives and negatives we took from them. Old Trafford is where we need to set the stall out again. For Brendan Rodgers this could turn out to be a pivotal game in the bigger picture of his Anfield career, even this early in the season. The tactical horrors of the West Ham game must be learned from – the balance just wasn’t right. ![Clive Mason/Getty Images Sport](https://readeverything.co/readliverpool/readliverpoolfc/2015/08/485724472.jpg) At times it was just like a return to last season; horrible defensive mistakes with predictable and laboured attacking play. Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel looked shambolic, full-backs offered no outlet, the midfield was never in control, creative players like Roberto Firmino couldn’t impact the game at all and Christian Benteke was barely given any type of support. Due to last season, just one defeat of this nature already puts huge pressure on Rodgers because it is not a one-off, we’ve become all too accustomed to these displays in the past year. He will however be given some leeway by owners FSG given the fact that all our hardest away games are crammed into the first few months of the season, but it won’t matter if we lose at home to mid-table teams. If Liverpool get through the first few months of the season within touching distance of the top four you feel that Rodgers will be safe unless there is an almighty collapse later in the campaign. He can navigate his way to safety only through learning from his mistakes. As young managers tend to, he makes quite a few errors. What will set him apart is how he reacts to them. It seems that he does learn temporarily from them before running into similar issues again. It has been a theme of his tenure. ![Clive Mason/Getty Images Sport](https://readeverything.co/readliverpool/readliverpoolfc/2015/08/4857013822.jpg) Just why didn’t we change the team from an away game at Arsenal to a home game against West Ham? They are starkly different games that require different approaches/players. There’s also the question of his loyalty to players like Lovren and his quickness to replace the likes of Mamadou Sakho at the first opportunity such as his maternity leave issue. There comes a time when you simply have to pick players who will keep you in the job rather than trying to persevere with your favourites to the bitter end. United is definitely a winnable game given their struggles early on this season and towards the back end of last, Old Trafford isn’t the fortress it was. Signings like Firmino and Milner, you would think, can at least soften the blow of missing key players like Coutinho and Henderson. There is certainly pressure on Louis van Gaal, if this game doesn’t go to plan the Reds could land a major blow to a club already having some in-fighting. The players seem to be split on the manager, as has been the case at other clubs he’s been at and it may have cost them a star signing Pedro, now at Chelsea of course. His reputation proceeds him and he is known to be highly volatile. ![Alex Livesey/Getty Images Sport](https://readeverything.co/readliverpool/readliverpoolfc/2015/09/4672469961-2751x1376.jpg) It is the United fans however who have made the most noise about the dour and mechanical way he has them playing. United waltzed into fourth last season without being impressive, and the poor showing of Liverpool played a big role in that. We cannot let that same situation happen again; where teams don’t even have to be particularly good to finish ahead of us in the Champions League places. If the Red Devils do the same this season then Rodgers won’t be in the job. All our cards are firmly on the table regarding the manager, we have backed him fully and he has this season to get it right. Getting it right, at the very least, means Champions League qualification which is why this game is massive in terms of the season and the next phase of the club as a whole. It could go some to defining the Rodgers era in that if we win it could get the confidence back in the side which we need to have a good season. A draw could do the same if we play as well as we did at the Emirates. If we lose it could be a massive upper hand to our greatest rivals, albeit an early one, who you feel are in a similar cross-roads situation with their manager in the season ahead. This game could make it clearer just which one is likely to be in it beyond this season. [(@MichaelG\_1993)](https://twitter.com/MichaelG_1993)