Didi Hamann: Liverpool have better chance than Man United to win Premier League
Ex-Liverpool legend Didi Hamann thinks there’s an air of uncertainty around Mourinho at Old Trafford and as a result believes the Merseysiders are more likely to win the title.
If anybody is to beat Manchester City to the Premier League title this season, everything points to Liverpool, rather than Man United,” Hamann told the Paddy Power blog. “There’s still some uncertainty surrounding Jose Mourinho. He’s hung Luke Shaw out in the press and then had an angry exchange with the analyst Giovanni Cerra before the Europa League tie with Zorya. There seems to be a lot of tension there, while at Liverpool it’s all plain sailing.
Liverpool faced a tough start to the season but lie fourth after the first seven games. They have beaten Chelsea and Arsenal away, drawn with Tottenham at White Hart Lane and beat Leicester 4-1 at Anfield.
Six of Manchester United’s seven games have been against sides 10th or lower in the table but they have only managed four wins and currently lie sixth in the table.
Hamann added: “The way Liverpool are going they can beat anyone, and after Monday night’s clash with the Red Devils, they don’t play a top seven team until the week before Christmas.
“The games against the weaker teams have sometimes tripped Liverpool up, but if they can get some consistency they can build some serious title momentum.”
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Despite Wayne Rooney being dropped from England’s starting side this week, Hamann believes he should start at Anfield on Monday night.
“He has to play. Getting dropped will hurt him and he will be chomping at the bit to answer his critics.
“He has to start as a number 10 off Zlatan Ibrahimovic though. You can’t play him any deeper as he’s not equipped to play as a holding midfielder, full stop. These are the games in which you want to prove yourself.
“Liverpool away is one that will be getting talked about around Manchester United for months - these are the matches neither team can lose.”
Speaking about his own experiences of the fixture, Hamann said there was one player he had more difficulty with than any other.
"I had very good memories of playing against Manchester United for Liverpool in the early 2000s – of the 12 times I faced them we won seven so that’s always nice!
"When I was at Liverpool there was no better centre midfield pairing than Roy Keane and Paul Scholes. Keane played in a deeper role at that time, and I was often faced with going head-to-head with Paul Scholes. The problem with Scholes was that he was next to impossible to catch.
"Every time you got close enough to challenge him, he’d get rid of the ball before you got there. When he did have the time he’d take a touch and pick out a deadly pass. He played the game at his own pace, but he was such an intelligent player and so technically gifted it was a real challenge to take the ball off him. His finishing was exceptional as well, and for a small man he won an incredible amount of headers. You could never take your eye off him."
