Spanked!!! Man United 0-3 Liverpool

The Slot machine marches on then, with a thoroughly convincing 3-0 victory at the home of our arch rivals and it was probably our easiest game of the season so far in all honesty. We were comfortable throughout and I always felt like we had another gear or two had it been required.

They had a fast start as you would expect but we soon took control of the game and were unlucky not to have taken the lead earlier, as Trent’s goal was ruled out for an offside against Salah. We didn’t have to wait long however as Diaz headed home a Salah cross to put us in front and it wasn’t long before he doubled our lead. Our profligacy in front of goal at times last season is what ultimately led to our title challenge petering out and Diaz was one of the main culprits in that regard but so far this season he’s been on fire in front of goal and his superb finish for his second goal was one that Messi would’ve been proud of. Don’t underestimate how difficult that was, the pass from Salah was slightly behind Diaz and the ball was moving at pace. He expertly wrapped his foot around the ball to steer it into the bottom corner however and with that, the writing was on the wall for United. I’ve always felt Diaz had at least another level in him and I hope that’s what we’re seeing in the opening games of the season. Salah got his customary goal at Old Trafford and will be annoyed he didn’t add another, as he blazed over after creating space for himself. A good display from our forwards then, who have started the season in fine form.

This game however was won in midfield, as we out-passed, outthought and outfought United’s midfield, bullying them at times. Our goals came from either winning the ball back in the tackle, or intercepting their attempts to pass through us. It was so stark that Ten Hag hooked Casemeiro at half time. An embarrassing situation at the best of times for a player who’s won the Champions league more times than the club he currently represents but to be hooked in favour of a youth player who’s never played a Premier League match before, must be a tough one to take and he apparently left Old Trafford at half time. Another drama in the making at that circus of a club and the season has barely started.

There’s a player who deserves a special mention though. Ryan Gravenberch, who has been a revelation. A few weeks ago, I wrote a very poorly timed article asking who would partner Zubimendi at the base of midfield, only for it to be announced about two hours later that he’d turned us down and the deal was off. In that article however, I weighed up who from our current midfielders was best suited to partnering him and my opinion was that Gravenberch would be that man. My opinion was based on the fact he brings physicality to the role, is our most press-resistant midfielder, along with being the best ball carrier out of our midfielders and also possessing a good passing range. He’s exceeded all expectations however, with his performances so far this season where he’s arguably been our best player. He’s taken to the deeper role like a duck to water and it’s clear Slot’s system suits him down to the ground. He expertly takes the ball on the half turn and has displayed the aforementioned abilities above but I’ve also been impressed with his game off the ball. He made a number of interceptions yesterday, one leading to a goal and has been putting a hard graft in going box to box as well. I think we could all see last season that there was a player in there if he could just find some consistency but so far this season he’s been excellent. I think Gravenberch is a player that needs to feel loved and important to the team. He clearly didn’t have that at Bayern and even last season with us, he was very much a squad player. This season however, he has a Dutch coach who’s straightaway trusted him with a hugely important role in his system and the new gaffer’s faith in him has thus far been rewarded with three excellent performances. I normally hate the old cliche of “he’s like a new signing” but he genuinely has been so far this season, playing in his new role. I normally favour match winning moments in my choice of McMOTM and with two goals for Diaz and a goal and two assists from Salah, one of them would normally be nailed on for the prestigious award but such was Gravenberch’s influence on the game, along with being my McMOTM runner up the past two games, I don’t feel I can overlook him again and so I’m sure he’ll be ecstatic when he hears the news that he’s this week’s 4KK McMOTM!

Our defence wasn’t exactly what I’d describe as imperious, given we needed Alisson to bail us out on a few occasions with more than one excellent save on the day but we’re certainly looking more solid than we were last season. Thank all the gods Slot has binned that terrible Trent experiment and that alone has brought about a better defensive structure. There’s some room for improvement I’d say but three games and three clean sheets tells its own story, especially given the fact we couldn’t buy a clean sheet the last two seasons.

Now for the managers. Comparisons with Ten Hag were drawn when it was announced Slot would be taking over from Klopp. They’re both Dutch and they’re both bald but from where I’m standing, that’s where the similarities end. Ten Hag is entering his third season at United and I still have no idea what their style of play is meant to be. They have absolutely no identity whatsoever and in your third year as a manager, having spent hundreds of millions of pounds on players – many of whom you’ve worked with before and band picked, that’s pretty shocking. The fact Rashford hasn’t managed a single shot on goal in the opening three games of the season is really quite incredible and you have to look to the manager as well as the player for the reasons why he’s not getting in shooting positions. They’re toothless in attack, get bullied in midfield and are a shambles at the back.

Compare that to Slot who was taking charge of his third GAME, not third season. Despite a limited preseason with pretty much the entire first team away on international duty, you can already see the identity of the team, along with his own personal stamp on the style of football he wants to play and that’s become more apparent with each game this season. Sure, it’s not massively different to Klopp’s style. Slot said himself this week that there’s more similarities than differences in their respective styles of play but nonetheless, there ARE differences and they’ve been obvious to fans who watch us every week. Not only that but our players have clearly got on board with his coaching style and tactics, are performing well and looking like they’re enjoying their football. Our forwards are thriving, he’s reinvented our midfielders to an extent and we’re yet to concede a goal under him. As far as transitions of power go, Klopp to Slot couldn’t have gone smoother and his start has been immaculate. It’s very early days and I must admit to being a little skeptical about Slot’s appointment when I first heard the news but he’s not put a foot wrong so far and the start to his LFC career has been immaculate.

Slot has also made it quite clear who he feels our strongest 11 is but I’ve got no problem with that. It’s up to those not starting to force themselves into the manager’s thinking by delivering in the opportunities they do get. If they need any inspiration on how to go about that task, they only have to look as far as Jota. Nobody thought anyone could break into that front three of Mane, Salah and Firmino but Jota did because eventually his goal return just couldn’t be ignored. Nunez and Gakpo take note!!

Anyway, it’s now time for the most irritating international break of the season, just as you start getting your teeth back into proper footy and getting excited by the season ahead, the powers that be send our players all over the world to get injured and throw an early season spanner in the works. We’ve had bad luck historically when it comes to our players being injured on international duty so let’s just pray everyone comes back healthy, so we don’t disrupt the early rhythm the team is building. One thing though, it definitely eases the pain going into the international break when your last result was a 3-0 win at Old Trafford! Onward and Slotwards… Walk on!