The stage is almost set. The cast and directors are almost ready. The only delay is because of money. As per usual a “big” game has been moved to Monday night. The argument put forward is so that is doesn’t clash with any other games, which live TV games in the UK are not allowed to do anyway, but also that it is played on a day when there are no other games at all with which to compete.
The reality is that, having spent a day at work, a lot of fans will feel less inclined to attend the game and will choose to watch on TV, thus increasing the Sky viewing figures while simultaneously decreasing the match attendance. This decrease is more than compensated by the amount of money Liverpool and United will receive from Sky.
Fortunately, for United fans, Liverpool is only an hour from Manchester by car or train, assuming all speed limits are observed, so there will still be the required amount of away supporters, possibly even crammed into the new extension at Anfield.
The other talking point over the weekend was the appointment of Anthony Taylor as referee for the game. He is a Mancunian so, although his impartiality as a professional referee shouldn’t be in question, it is still a decision which should not have been made. The old adage about not putting coal on the fire if you don’t want to burn it is very true in this case. If you don’t want a decision questioned then make the right one in the first place!
The easiest option for the Premier League would have been to appoint somebody else for the game but, in truth, when has the Premier League ever done anything in a normal and sensible way?
Taylor is from Wythenshawe and, reportedly, supports Altrincham which is a little strange as Wythenshawe has it’s own team so it would be unusual to switch allegiance to a rival town.
Wythenshawe is also home to more City supporters than United so it is very likely that Taylor is a City fan, not that he is in a position to admit it.
If that is the case then, in theory, José Mourinho has more to worry about than Jürgen Klopp. If Taylor was the biased type, which is highly doubtful, he would be in a position to be able to assist Liverpool far more than United, assuming he is the typical City type who hates United.
This problem, caused entirely by the ineptitude of the Premier League, has been blown out of all proportion because of the size of the game. I would imagine that both Mourinho and Klopp would have preferred an alternative referee but it is what it is.
Now neither of them need to scratch their heads to think of something to talk about at their press conferences and the boring press, while still managing to come up with equally boring questions, will at least be able to ask different equally boring questions.
To use a very old cliché, all we can hope for is that, at the end of the game, the referee is not the topic of discussion. That should be the game itself and how good it was to watch.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 