Ruben Amorim has asked his Manchester United players to show they are heading in the right direction in Sunday's high-profile clash with Liverpool.
Liverpool are aiming to halt a three-match losing streak in all competitions when they host a United side that finally might be growing in confidence under manager Ruben Amorim.
Liverpool (5-2-0, 15 points) lost their hold on the early Premier League lead after a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea before the international window.
For a second consecutive league fixture, Arne Slot's Reds conceded a winner in second-half stoppage time, this time to Chelsea's Estevao Willian in the sixth additional minute.
That dropped Liverpool a point behind Arsenal entering the weekend and puts even more focus on one of England's most historic rivalries.
“If you've lost three games in a row and you wear the Liverpool shirt, it doesn't matter who your opponent is, you have to react,” Slot said.
The Red Devils travel to Anfield bidding to close to within two points of their opponents and with a slightly more positive feeling around the club following the victory over Sunderland before the international break.
United have not won at the home of their great rivals for nearly a decade, but they have taken a point from their last two visits, including January's 2-2 draw.
“We played well,” said Amorim, who is yet to oversee back-to-back wins in the league. “I was really upset at the end of the game because we proved that day that we can compete against any opponent.
“I know that it's special for our club, I know they are fighting all the time for the number of titles, I know what it means to the fans. But it's one game that we need to prove again that we are playing better.
“I think we are playing better. We need to do better in both boxes. It's one more game that we need to win.”
Liverpool equalled United's tally of 20 top-flight titles last season, while Amorim's side slumped to a 15th-placed finish.
The Portuguese acknowledged the current power imbalance but is keen to focus on more short-term goals.
“Sometimes things change really fast but, if you see the history of both clubs, you can feel that sometimes you have one club that is winning, winning, winning and the other club is having a bad moment,” he said.
“So we just have to acknowledge that, to be really honest with the fans, but we can win any game. So, if we think about just winning the next game, that is the most important thing, we can win the next game.”
Amorim said the support of co-owner Jim Ratcliffe will mean little if he fails to turn around the club's fortunes.
In an interview with the Times newspaper's The Business podcast, last week, British billionaire Ratcliffe said Amorim has to “demonstrate he is a great coach over three years”.
“You know, I know and Jim knows that football is not like that,” Amorim said.
“The most important thing is the next game.”
They have fared little better this season, sitting 10th in the Premier League after losing three of their first seven league games and crashing to a shock League Cup defeat at fourth-tier Grimsby.
Yet Amorim has so far retained the support of Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.
