It’s the Red Devils v the Reds, the great derby of the Northwest, one side chanting glory, glory Man United, while the other sings, you’ll never walk alone. The two most famous clubs in English footballing history, Manchester United v Liverpool will add another chapter to their rivalry this Saturday afternoon.
There are many great clubs in the English game, with storied histories, but none can compare to the 50-year-long struggle for top spot between these two classic teams. Liverpool was the most winningest team in England for over three decades (18 league titles), until United (20 league titles) took them over in 2011.
To truly understand the depth of the hatred between the two, one must look back to the rivalry between the cities themselves. Liverpool and Manchester, for almost a century were direct rivals for manufacturing, shipping and financial dominance in the region. In 1894, two years after Newton-Heath (Manchester United) joined the football league officially, the Manchester ship canal was completed. This turned the city into the main port and manufacturing city in the Northwest. When this occurred, people in Liverpool lost their jobs, their economy went down and the lingering bitterness was transferred to the football pitch whenever they met.
Early in the 20th century, the English game was wide open. Teams like Sunderland, Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday, were arguably more successful than Liverpool or United.
Both Northwestern giants experienced periods of sporadic success after their first title triumphs in 1901 (Liverpool) and 1908 (United) respectively.
The outbreak of World War II, saw the English League suspend play for 6 ½ years between, 1939-1946, Liverpool and Manchester United had achieved a similar amount of glory, with the latter just edging out the former.
In 1945, United hired Sir Matt Busby who would change the direction of the club and set the philosophy that still exists today. He led the team to five of their league titles, and two FA Cup trophies and coached the Red Devils to the European Cup in 1968. Making them the first English team to win the prestigious trophy.
After the war, Liverpool fell behind United in popularity and were caught in League titles. Enter Bill Shankly, in December of 1959. A hard-nosed veteran of both football and the war, he transformed Liverpool from a struggling second division team, to the toast of the old First Division. Winning three division titles, two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup. Setting the foundation for a squad that would become an institution, not only in England but all throughout Europe as well.
It is with these two legendary managers that we see the real similarity between the two clubs. Both were visionary men who saw youth, and world class training facilities as the base to consistent glory. This was continued by their successors, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish, for Liverpool, and Sir Alex Ferguson for Manchester United.
Both clubs have faced major tragedies in their history, adding another unique link between them. In 1958, United’s Busby Babes, arguably the most loved bunch of players in English footballing history, were killed in the Munich air disaster. 21 people in all died, with eight members of the United squad added to that list. Club legends Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Matt Busby, were among the lucky survivors.
While on the 15th of April, 1989, 96 Liverpool supporters were crushed and killed, in the horrific Hillsborough disaster. It occurred after a neutral field was selected by the English FA, for an ill fated FA Cup replay against Nottingham Forrest. Decrepit, ageing stands were allowed to be over crowded and the result was one of the worst footballing disasters in history.
When Ferguson took over at United in November of 1986, the team had gone from perennial title contenders, to FA Cup specialists. It had been 18 years since they had been crowned the kings of the English game and the manager saw only one club he had to catch. Sir Alex would go on to say after he was hired, that it was his goal to “knock Liverpool off of their perch.” 27 years, 13 League championships, five FA Cup titles, two Champions League victories later, he certainly accomplished that.
That brings us to the present day. The Manchester based club has dominated this fixture in recent memory, with United doing the double last season over their bitter rivals. The highlight of the matchup from last year was the two goal performance by Juan Mata, with a flying side kick wonder strike as the stand out. Throw in a Gerrard red card, in his final Northwestern derby and that is basically the gist of the type of game we can expect this weekend at Anfield.
Key players to look out for in this potentially great game are, Wayne Rooney, coming off of a historic landmark for England, Phillipe Coutinho, who has lit up the Premier League over the last two years, Memphis Depay, the young United No. 7 who will be looking to make his mark in his first derby fixture, Christian Benteke, the burly Belgian striker who has always liked facing United and David De Gea, fresh off of a new four-year-contract extension.
It may not always produce the most goals, but the history, drama and passion from the fans always gets the juices flowing for most football fans around the world.
