United hold all the cards

THE PRESSURE might have been slightly greater last May when these two teams met in the Cup final at Wembley, but neither Liverpool not Manchester United will need too much convincing of the importance of this morning's Premiership game at Anfield (11.15).

Eleven months ago, the players knew that the winners would collect their silverware within a few minutes. Today, nothing will actually be decided with any great certainty. A win for United, however, would almost certainly end Liverpool's ambitions of lifting the title. A draw would be a blow to Liverpool as well, but would boost Arsenal's hopes of stealing in.

Both managers will probably be looking at the game as the biggest of their domestic campaigns so far.

Given those circumstances, it seems unlikely that we will see any great surprises in the teams selected. Bob Paisley always used to say that when you had a really big game on your hands picking the team became the easiest thing in the world because tactics went out the window and you simply put your 11 best players out there.

For United, Roy Keane, Peter Schmeichel, Ryan Giggs and Eric Cantona will be relied on to turn in very strong performances. On this occasion Alex Ferguson has problems with several of his key characters, including Giggs, Schmeichel, David May and Denis Irwin, but he will still have a very clear idea about who should play from those players he has available.

Whatever problems he has to cope with on the day, Ferguson will be happy that he can count on both Keane and Nicky Butt for the game. Whenever the pressure has really been on his team, he has looked to the pair to win the midfield battle. On a remarkable number of occasions, they have done just, that.

Both are excellent at winning possession for their team, tackling effectively and providing a first line of defence for the United goal. They also have considerable pace which allows them to get forward at speed and support attacking moves. That makes them of central importance on a day like this.

Keane, in particular, is just the sort of player that Liverpool have sorely missed in recent seasons, with nobody combining tough tackling and creative play making. Jimmy Case, Ronnie Whelan, Graeme Souness and Steve McMahon were able to do just that in former years.

Over the summer we might well see Roy Evans chase Paul Ince if the former United star indicates his willingness to return home, but in the meantime the Liverpool manager will know that he has a problem in the centre of the pitch. Today, he will simply have to hope that his side can win the game elsewhere.

One possible source of victory is Steve McManaman who can cause all sorts of problems for defences and, even when he is having one of his less impressive days, create a great deal of space for others around him by attracting the attention of two players.

Liverpool's out and out strikers, however, are likely to be the real focus of local hopes. Robbie Fowler will be looking to make a last mark on the championship race before starting his three match suspension, while Stan Collymore, who I would expect to start up front with him, will be playing for his long term future at the club.

Fowler is a tremendous asset to Liverpool, but he finds it difficult to carry the load when he is played without support. If Collymore was more consistent, then the pair would undoubtedly partner each other all of the time but Collymore has not produced his best nearly often enough since his arrival at Anfield.

He possesses a remarkable ability to run at and get behind defences, but too often his head is" elsewhere. Now he has the chance to take centre stage and if he could win this game for his team, then the next three games will offer him the chance to earn a permanent place in the hearts of the club's supporters. If not, then he may be one of those to pay the price for another disappointing season.

At the other end, Liverpool's defenders have been coming in for a lot of criticism lately. They can count themselves a little unfortunate with the way their last few games have gone. Clearly David James has been having a major wobble and there have been a few costly errors by individuals, but to be fair I would think that Evans, still has the basis of a very solid back line.

As a team, they are very dependent on their wing backs pushing forward, though, and that is something that United will look to exploit. There is a school of thought that against teams employing, three central defenders, a manager should either play one or three attackers.

With the way Andy Cole and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have been linking up of late the idea of dropping either would appear to be out of the question. It may well occur to Ferguson to push Eric Cantona further forward than usual in order to force Stig Inge Bjornbye and Jason McAteer or Rob Jones to lend more of a hand defensively.

If that were to happen, then Liverpool will find this a very difficult match because they will have to find an alternative way of getting forward and creating chances while not giving too much away at the back. Attempting to do that against a team as sure of themselves as United will not be easy at all.

For United, the approach will probably be similar to a European away game, with Ferguson urging his side to play it tight for the first 20 minutes or so.

For Liverpool, the pressure will be there from the start. It is unfortunate that they have landed themselves in this situation through other results over the past month, but the fact is that this morning the initiative is with the defending champions. And they do not easily surrender that sort of edge.

From a personal point of view I would love to be able to say that I think Liverpool can pull off the win and set themselves up for a late Championship challenge, but I can't help thinking they will plan their part in producing a highly charged and entertaining game without managing to take away the points.

(In an interview with Emmet Malone)