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Ever since Solskjaer took the reins at Manchester United, the Red Devils have won 11 of their 13 games. The toxicity of Mourinho's final days with the club appears to be a thing of the past.
However, Paul Pogba and company will face arguably their stiffest test of the season in the form of a Liverpool side looking to win their first Premier League crown in almost 3 decades.
When the two sides met at Anfield in December, Jurgen Klopp's men were far superior to their old rivals. Brazilian International Fabinho announced his arrival on the Premier League stage with a star-making performance that included a delightful pass to set up Mane's opener. Fellow new boy Shaqiri, then, sealed a 3-1 win for the Merseysiders with a brace.
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But this is a very different Manchester United side, one that breaks at a frightening pace and isn't afraid to commit numbers forward. The Old Trafford outfit is now taking twice as many counter-attack shots as under Mourinho. Perhaps more importantly, they're actually starting their best player, Paul Pogba.
No longer shackled by a conservative manager, the World-Cup winner has truly been unleashed. Pogba is now making more dangerous runs and joining the attack whenever possible, resulting in more shots and touches inside the box.
Even though his moments of brilliance are impossible to deny, this new role takes away from the former Juventus star's ability to dictate the play with deep progressions and dribbles -- a problem exacerbated by Matic and Herrera's inadequate passing.
This makes United particularly vulnerable when Pogba is marked out of a game, as exemplified by their recent defeat to PSG, making the 25-year-old's battle with Wijnaldum key to his side's fortunes.
On paper, Liverpool appears to have the better team, but their defence, which has been plagued by injury recently, could relent against a fully-motivated Manchester United side who will be keen to put a dent in the Merseysiders' title hopes.
Prediction: Manchester United 3-1 Liverpool
