Rio´s winning return - Marsh
What a sensational game we are in for at Old Trafford tonight!
Manchester United and Liverpool is never one to miss, but this has so many massive issues surrounding it, it is even bigger than usual.
Obviously everyone has been talking about Rio Ferdinand´s return, but for me, there is an even bigger question facing Sir Alex Ferguson: who does he play in goal?
You´ve got to say Tim Howard has had a poor, poor start to the season and I just wonder if it is the time to take him out of the firing line, much the same as Fergie did towards the end of last season.
Back then he had had a brilliant run, but this season Howard has been average and the Champions League game with Lyon could well be the straw that breaks the camel´s back. This is a game United cannot afford to lose and I just have a feeling we could see Roy Carroll start at Old Trafford.
It is difficult to drop a goalkeeper because while you can persuade other players you are merely giving them a couple of games rest, with a keeper however you flower it up, you are basically saying ´sorry son, I´ve lost all confidence in you´.
It is a big decision, but I´ve always said big men make big decisions and they don´t come much bigger than Ferguson.
And although everyone seems to think Ferdinand will come into the side straight away, that is another tough call. Remember Rio has not played any competitive football whatsoever throughout his ban, so there is no way he can even be close to match fitness.
The Liverpool game will be absolutely frenetic from the off and as much as Ferdinand´s return will give the whole club a lift, it is still a massive gamble to throw him straight into that cauldron after so long out.
But again, Fergie is never afraid to make the big decisions. He brought Ruud van Nistelrooy straight back in last week and I think he will do the same with Ferdinand, simply because this is one game United can´t afford to lose.
If they get beat by Liverpool everyone from supporters to the bookmakers will be saying that is the end of their title chances - and you´d have to agree.
I know it is only the sixth Premier League game of the season, but if United lose they are 10 points behind Arsenal. At this stage you´d have to say United are going to drop 10 points over the remaining 32 games, which means Arsenal would then have to drop 20 for them to catch them. And that´s just not going to happen.
Arsene Wenger said last year that the balance of power is shifting and if United to lose this, he will be right. But how many times over the years have we seen United come out and prove people wrong? Fergie will be telling his players they have been written off and to go out there and shut their critics up.
And speaking of shifts in power, we have the small matter of Roy Keane v Steven Gerrard in the middle of it all: the top dog against the young upstart. Gerrard has been nothing short of sensational this season and if Liverpool can win and he comes out on top, then you´d really have to say he has overtaken Keane in the central midfield stakes.
Gerrard is also vital to Liverpool in general. If he carries on his form I will be keeping an eye on the next transfer window because someone will come in for him. I know Florentino Perez at Real Madrid says he wants him and he would be perfect for them.
As for Liverpool, I have to say I think Rafael Benitez has made a decent start. I couldn´t believe it when I heard people criticising him before the game against West Brom last week, saying his style was dull and that he had made a poor start to the job.
What happened next? They beat West Brom handsomely and then beat Monaco in the Champions League, which is hardly a bad week, is it?
In fact, I think he has already changed things for the better at Anfield. Steve Finnan´s goal against West Brom was a perfect example because Benitez seems to have the midfielders pushing beyond the front two, which rarely happened last season when the temptation was to aim for Emile Heskey´s head or hit it over the top for Michael Owen to chase.
He also seems to have them playing more flowing football through the midfield, although it will be interesting to see how he approaches tonight and we won´t know until we see how they line-up at Old Trafford.
If he goes with one up top and five in the middle, we will know he will be happy with the draw. If he sticks with the 4-4-2 we will know that perhaps he sees this as the right time to go and attack Manchester United. I fancy he will go with one lone striker, possibly Djibril Cisse, and change it if he has to - it worked for Sam Allardyce and Bolton at Arsenal!
The final thing I will say is that I´m glad we have got Graham Poll in charge, because this is going to be played at one hell of a pace. The first 20 minutes are going to be absolute mayhem and we need a strong, but sensible man in charge.
And I wonder what will happen if there is a controversial decision in the wake of Mark Halsey changing his mind the other week. I can see the players being all over the officials all night and unlike a certain Mr Bennett, Poll will referee this game the way it will need to be refereed.
