Manchester United centre-half Chris Smalling has admitted that being a defender against this high-pressing Liverpool side can be a nightmare.
United’s recent record against Liverpool in the Premier League is excellent – they boast four consecutive wins – but Smalling concedes that their 1-0 win over Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in January was fortunate.
FACT! – Liverpool's total number of sprints [4,165] is the highest in the Premier League this season. #LFC
— Anfield Bond (@AnfieldBond) October 12, 2016
“They have always been tough games. I think even in the last one, they probably played far better than us but we took our chance,” Smalling told MUTV. “We know they’re a high-pressing team and we’re not going to get much time on the ball, so we need to be prepared for that.
“It’s not easy, especially for us defenders, because they make it very difficult for us to play out. Quite often, against some teams, we can be quite relaxed and have a lot of the ball but Liverpool are a high-energy pressing team and, even when you win it back, they can be at their most dangerous, as they’re right at you.
“If you don’t move it on, you’re going to get tackled. It’s a very difficult job for us midfielders and defenders to make sure we dictate the play.
“All week, we’ll be working on tactics and quite often, in the first 15 minutes, the plans can go right out of the window until the game settles down. It’s one of those where we must keep a cool head and implement our game plan to exert pressure on them.”