![Rooney v Gerrard: Who will finish highest this season?]()
Rooney v Gerrard: Who will finish highest this season?
After Brendan Rodgers warned Louis van Gaal that he may be taken by surprise this season, we debate who will fare best - United or Liverpool.
Rodgers believes that the fierce competitiveness of the Premier League may be different to anything the new Manchester United manager has previously faced in a career during which he has won the Champions League and domestic titles in titles in Holland, Spain and Germany.
With Liverpool targeting an improvement on their second-placed finish last season and United looking to re-establish themselves as title contenders, the rivalry between the two great clubs looks set to be stronger than ever.
The big question is:
Who will finish highest in the Premier League this season - Liverpool or Manchester United?
"I think the competition will probably take him by (surprise), and that's from foreign managers I have spoken to over the years." Brendan Rodgers.
Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti or Manuel Pellegrini presumably did not participate in those conversations. All three won the Premier League title in their first year in England and Van Gaal's pedigree suggests he is capable of similar.
As Van Gaal has already highlighted, the United squad he inherited is "unbalanced" but the former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss has the time, money and managerial nous to remedy that in time to plot a title challenge.
Going from seventh to top is a huge ask but Liverpool themselves showed that with a spirited and healthy squad and few other priorities, it is far from impossible.
It is difficult to state just how abject United were last year, but the outlook and mood at Old Trafford is very different now with Van Gaal in charge compared to the dark days of David Moyes.
In only three weeks, Van Gaal has introduced a new formation that allows United's best players to prosper in their best positions and, stung from justified criticism last season, the squad has embraced the methods and philosophy of their new leader. Pre-season results ultimately count for little, but the manner of wins over Real Madrid, Liverpool, Roma and Inter Milan - all European big-hitters - has the players and fans excited for what the new season may bring.
Of the usual top six contenders, United will surely be the most improved, especially if they follow up the captures of Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera with at least one defender and a midfielder. Liverpool, without Luis Suarez, will do well to match last season's standards, especially in the face of heightened threats from Arsenal, Chelsea and champions Manchester City.
United, with a strong, experienced coach, hungry players and quality new signings will not only be targeting the top four. The bulk of Van Gaal's squad won the title only a year ago and under the new regime, it is not beyond their capability to reclaim the Premier League trophy. Chelsea and City may prove to be too stong at this early stage of Van Gaal's reign, but United will be more than a match for a Suarez-less Liverpool.
LIVERPOOL - Sam Nightingale
While I have doubts as to whether Liverpool can win the title this season after the loss of prolific goalscorer Luis Suarez, I still feel they will against finish higher than United in the Premier League.
After guiding the Reds to seventh and second-placed finishes in his first two seasons, Brendan Rodgers has imposed his style on the squad, which has been strengthened by the arrivals of Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Javier Manquillo, Lazar Markovic and Dejan Lovren. Rodgers no longer lacks strength in depth, and with more additions sure to come before the deadline, the manager has enough at his disposal to fight on all fronts.
Liverpool will be stronger for experiencing a title race, and though it ended in heartbreak in May, Steven Gerrard and Co. will benefit as they prepare for the new season.
Rodgers is much further along the line in terms of moulding his own team, and with the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling in Liverpool's ranks, the Reds frontline will still no doubt strike fear into Premier League defences. Van Gaal is at the start of his own rebuilding job at Old Trafford and with a new formation, and probably a few new players, I feel United have too much catching up to do before next spring.
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