14 DAY TRIAL // Liverpool versus Manchester United is the biggest match in England, despite the rise of rivals like Chelsea and Manchester City, because these two teams have been the most successful both in the domestic competitions and in Europe.
And it was also my first big test as the manager of Liverpool and one which I managed to fail in pretty spectacular manner.
I was playing at home so I decided to go with an attacking strategy from the outset, with a returning Gerard behind both Suarez and Caroll playing as full strikers and with some hard tackling designed to get me the ball in midfield.
Manchester United fielded a team that lacks Rooney, which means that I focus my defense on Javier Hernandez, activating an option to have someone always marking him.
Despite all this Berbatov, who I never considered to be a threat manages to put in a quick goal in the second minute (I will go on to get second minute goals from another four teams before the Christmas break).
The first half was then dominated by tit for tat attacks but neither teams managed to score as both goalkeepers were very good at their job, despite the fact that I managed to have 60 percent possession.
At half time I again put Kuyt in for some experience and more attack options but nothing managed to penetrate the United defensive, not even a switch to an overload tactic late in the match, and I suffer my first big defeat in my first important derby.
In the various Football Manager games misery loves company, which means that I suffer two other defeats in quick succession, one to Q.P.R. and one another to Stoke in the cup, before thinking about calling a team meeting to try and set the team straight and on the winning path again.