Why Liverpool have to stop Paul Pogba to stay ahead in the title race

What's the story?

Liverpool will visit Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in a high voltage Premier League clash this weekend. They are currently level on points with Manchester City with a game in hand. Jurgen Klopp's side would need at least a draw to regain their place at the top of the table. If Liverpool lose, City will stay on top due to their superior goal difference of 54 compared to 44 of Liverpool.

In case you didn't know...

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has had a fantastic start to his reign as Manchester United manager, winning 11 of the 13 games he has been in charge. One of the big contributing factors to this has been a reinvigorated Paul Pogba.

He has been at the heart of Manchester United’s resurgence in the post-Jose Mourinho era. The Frenchman's marauding runs forward, sumptuous passes to create goals, strength to shove off opponents since Solskjaer took over make him look like a completely different player compared to the one we saw in the preceding two and a half seasons. In the 12 matches across all competitions he has played since Mourinho’s sacking, he has scored 9 goals and provided 6 assists.

The heart of the matter

If Liverpool intend to stay ahead in the title race, they need to find a way to stop Pogba at Old Trafford. As PSG showed last week in the Champions League tie, it is difficult, but not impossible. PSG used Marquinhos to man-mark Pogba, and then had Julian Draxler make runs in-behind, stretching Nemanja Matić who lacks in pace.

Taking cues from that, Liverpool can probably look to use Fabinho to man-mark Pogba, while Wijnaldum and Keïta can put pressure on Matic and Ander Herrera. If Pogba’s attacking instincts are curbed, his defensive vulnerabilities might come to the fore, making him a liability in the midfield rather than the great asset he is proving to be under Solskjaer.

What's next?

Manchester United host Liverpool this Sunday at Old Trafford in what could eventually prove to be a title-deciding clash. This is Liverpool’s toughest remaining fixture on paper, with visits to other top 6 oppositions already done. City will meanwhile take on Chelsea the same day at Wembley to try and win a second successive League Cup.