The 30th round of the 2013/14 Premier League season was approaching, an all-English affair that needed no introduction on side of the divide.
Manchester United would host their fiercest rivals, Liverpool, at Old Trafford.
While Liverpool quietly prepared for the match back at Melwood, United striker Wayne Rooney took time out for an exclusive interview with Them Mirrors. It was held in the media room at United's Carrington Training Complex.
When it came to the upcoming English derby, there was no avoiding the subject of Liverpool's star, Julien De Rocca. The journalist barely needed to finish the question before Rooney was already nodding, leaning forward slightly in his chair.
Rooney made no effort to hide his admiration.
"De Rocca is an incredible player, truly one of a kind. The way he plays, the form he's showing right now, puts him in the same bracket as Ronaldo and Messi."
He went on, warming further into the subject as he spoke. "People say De Rocca plays street football, like I used to—that hunger, that desperate desire to score, it reminds me so much of myself when I was young, kicking a ball around with nothing to lose and everything to prove.
But I'd wager he's grown even more at Liverpool than he ever did at Bastia. Liverpool's tactical system suits him perfectly. Manager Klopp has given him the trust and the freedom he needs, and that's allowed his talent to fully flourish. For that, I genuinely admire him.
Anyone who watches De Rocca can see that football is a battle to him. That refusal to give up, that mentality of fighting for every single ball even when it looks lost—it means he can make anything happen out of nothing. Maybe he's made mistakes in his past. But as a footballer, as a man on the pitch giving everything he has, he truly has my respect."
On the subject of Liverpool's strong run this season and the title race, Rooney was equally candid.
"If Liverpool win the league, it means they're the best team in the country, full stop. I don't think any United fan would particularly enjoy saying that out loud, myself included if I'm honest. But we still have to respect what they've achieved this season. Especially De Rocca. He's contributed an extraordinary number of goals and assists for Liverpool almost single-handedly at points. A young man like that deserves every bit of respect he gets, from us included."
But respect, he made clear, leaning back now and letting a harder edge creep into his voice, was not the same thing as surrender.
When the conversation turned specifically to the approaching derby, Rooney's tone shifted again becoming sharper this time.
"For me, beating Liverpool is something special, because of where I come from and the club I represent. A club like Manchester United exists, in part, to stop Liverpool from moving forward. We have to win this one. We're at a point in the season where we genuinely have no choice but to win.
Even with De Rocca in the kind of form he's in right now, we'll be organised defensively—we won't give him many chances to do what he does. This victory is ours to take, and we intend to take it."
Beyond the derby itself, Rooney addressed the brutal run of fixtures waiting on the other side of it.
United's form had slipped badly this season, a slow, public unravelling that the press had chronicled in exhausting detail.
As defending champions, they had long abandoned any realistic hope of retaining the title, sitting as low as seventh in the table by this point, with even their Champions League qualification for next season hanging by a thin thread.
Only a home win against Liverpool, most pundits agreed, could offer any meaningful glimmer of hope before the run of fixtures ahead swallowed it whole.
It was worth noting and the journalist across from him did note it, pointedly that United were heading into something close to a hellish stretch: after Liverpool, Moyes's side still had to face Olympiacos in the Champions League knockout round, and then Manchester City in the league, in the space of barely a week.
Fail here, against their fiercest domestic rivals, and the damage could ripple through everything that followed compounding.
"After Liverpool, we're into a really tough stretch of matches," Rooney acknowledged.
"Next Wednesday we've got Olympiacos in the Champions League, then the following weekend, the city derby on top of that. These difficult matches, one after another, will determine whether we can still realistically make the top four this season. We haven't given up on that yet, not by a long way, and we also genuinely believe we can overturn the deficit against Olympiacos."
He faced the reality of his club's situation without flinching.
"Of course, we have to be honest with ourselves about where we stand. If we don't get the results we need over these next few weeks, the gap will only grow wider. But if we win, it injects a great deal of confidence into this squad, and it means the season still has a pulse running through it.
It's a massive challenge, without question. But we're Manchester United. We've always relished these kinds of challenges, going back generations. It's written into the club's DNA."
With United struggling so obviously, several media outlets had suggested that the Red Devils were beginning to follow in the footsteps of Liverpool's own long dynasty collapse.
Rooney rejected the idea outright.
"This is the end of the Sir Alex Ferguson era—it is not the end of the Manchester United era. Those are two very different things, and people are conflating them out of convenience.
It's been a disappointing season so far, no one inside this club is denying that to themselves or to anyone else. But nobody believes this is the beginning of some long decline. This is clearly just a temporary trough, a difficult transition, nothing more."
He drew a sharp comparison with Liverpool.
"Liverpool haven't won a league title since 1990. I remember United going through a long spell ourselves once but that will never happen to us again. Liverpool are a great club, with a glorious history and loyal fans who deserve better than what they've had to watch for over two decades now.
But it's remarkable, when you actually sit and think about it—they've gone such a long time without a league title. Perhaps that's something they have to carry with them now. For us, it serves as a reminder to cherish what United stands for, and to make absolutely sure we never let that same kind of regret find its way into our own history."
He rounded the interview off by addressing United's future and Moyes's tenure with understanding and support.
"That kind of thing will never happen at United, I firmly believe that. We have an enormous fanbase behind us, a strong academy system still producing talent every year. This season is just a temporary dip in a much longer story. Things will get better—we all have to believe that.
Taking over Manchester United was an enormous challenge for David. When he arrived, Sir Alex had been here for the better part of three decades and left behind a legacy that no incoming manager could realistically have matched in year one.
There was never going to be a smooth transition. Stepping into the shoes of someone that successful, that deeply rooted in everything this club is, is never straightforward, no matter who you are.
The manager needs time to get his ideas properly across to the players. We understand what he wants from us tactically. But it takes time to actually put that into practice on a Saturday afternoon under pressure.
In the dressing room, there is real frustration, real hurt, because Manchester United are no longer at the top of the table where we're used to being, and that burns every single one of us, every day we come in to train. But we're working through it together. We want to pull ourselves out of this as quickly as we possibly can."
Finally, Rooney reflected on his decision the previous summer to sign a new five-year contract with United, a story that had dominated back pages for weeks at the time.
"Moyes played a huge part in me signing that new deal. The season before, I was deeply unhappy—there were a lot of issues bubbling under the surface that people speculated about endlessly. Out of respect, I won't go into the details about Sir Alex here, because for me, all of that belongs to the past now.
When Moyes took over, he was very clear with me from the very first conversation we had. I told him exactly where I stood too. And more importantly, what he promised me in that conversation, he actually delivered on—so I began to believe in him properly.
There were other things he told me as well, things I didn't necessarily want to hear at the time, hard truths about my own game. But I knew, even hearing them, that they were the right call for me.
I'm a Manchester United player, through and through. Whether the club is at its absolute peak or sitting in its lowest valley, like we maybe are right now, I'll give everything I have to help us through this and get back to where we belong."
Once Rooney's exclusive pre-derby interview with Thy Mirrors was published online that evening, it spread like wildfire across social media within the hour, igniting fierce, extensive debate among United fans that ran long into the night.
The majority praised Rooney's composure and honesty, the directness with which he'd faced a difficult season head-on rather than dodging it.
Comments flooded in from fans backing their captain to the hilt.
"That's our Wazza—the heart of this club, through and through. He says what he thinks, he faces the hard truths head-on, he doesn't run from any of it. That's the United captain I know and've always known."
"I believe Rooney on this. This isn't the end of the Manchester United era, not by a long shot. We are not Liverpool—we won't go years and years without a league title hanging over us."
"Rooney said 'we're Manchester United—we relish these challenges.' No matter how rough things get this season, the Red Devil spirit never dies, never has."
But when it came to Rooney's lavish praise for Julien, placing him alongside Messi and Ronaldo without hesitation, fans were considerably more divided.
"Honestly? De Rocca has been absolutely electric for Liverpool this season, no arguing with that. Nineteen years old with performances like that—that's some freakish talent. He's the best player in the Premier League right now, full stop."
"Can't deny it—De Rocca is Liverpool's weapon, the one man who makes them tick. We have to shut him down completely in the derby, no room for error. He's the one who tore us apart earlier in the season. Let's hope Moyes actually has a plan this time."
But plenty took real issue with the sheer scale of the praise being heaped on an opposing player days before a derby.
"Fair enough to respect your opponent, that's just sportsmanship. But does our captain really need to be building them up like this right before a derby? Save it for after the final whistle."
"De Rocca's been good, sure, nobody's arguing that. But Rooney's still the United captain. Talking him up this much the week of the game—isn't that going to mess with our own players' heads a little? Just focus on the match in front of us."
Most fans, eventually, turned their attention away from the quote and toward the game itself.
"The derby never needs a rallying speech to mean something. No matter how rough the season's been, stopping Liverpool is non-negotiable, always has been. Come on Rooney, come on United—Old Trafford will witness a victory this weekend."
"Moyes might be struggling all season, but the blood of a derby can't just drain away overnight. I want to see that fire Rooney talked about in this interview—stop Liverpool in their tracks, defend the honour of the Red Devils properly."
"I know the form's been bad, genuinely bad. But a derby is a derby, separate from everything else. It's a matter of faith more than form. Even if it goes to the very last minute, I believe United can still win this."
There were pessimists too, plenty of them, their voices were just as loud in their own corner of the debate.
"I understand all that. But watching this team lose again and again, letting everyone down over and over through an entire season—it's hard to keep the faith after a while. Moyes needs time, fine, but the club is running out of patience to give him. The gap to the top four is getting wider every week. If this keeps up, the season is beyond saving, no matter what happens against Liverpool."
"Honestly, just change the manager already. I see no future with Moyes in charge."
"And this season proves it, really—Moyes was only ever suited to a club like Everton, where the pressure's different. He should never have come to United in the first place. He simply doesn't have what it takes at this level."
"You know what? I can't see any hope in this United side right now, none at all. Tell you what—if United go on a five-match winning streak from here, I'll get a haircut, full shave. Until they actually do that, the hair stays exactly where it is."
"Hey bro, nobody cares whether you cut your hair or not…"
Compared to the storm of debate swirling through United's fanbase, Liverpool's camp felt decidedly calmer about it all or rather, considerably more self-assured,.
Riding a wave of consecutive victories, including hard-fought wins over top-quality opposition, today's Liverpool looked, in their own supporters' eyes at least, frighteningly good heading into Old Trafford.
"Rooney says they'll mark Julien tightly? Hehe—be my guest, good luck with that. But I'll bet you anything: even if United throw everything they've got at stopping him, they won't be able to hold back Julien when he's this hot. He's been double and triple-marked for weeks now by better defences than United's. He always finds a way through regardless. That's simply what a top-level player looks like."
"With Julien in the squad, we can back ourselves against anyone in this league—let alone a United side that's been misfiring from week to week all season long. No disrespect intended to United as a club, but our Julien and this whole Liverpool team right now are just operating on a different level."
"The derby? Honestly, nothing to be tense about from our side. The way we're playing at the moment, beating United is par for the course, not some great triumph. We've been knocking over the best teams in this league one after another all season—the team's morale and cohesion are at their absolute peak right now, attack and defence are both clicking beautifully—meanwhile United are tactically incoherent and inconsistent from one week to the next. We'll take this one."
"It's not arrogance talking, the facts speak for themselves if you actually watch us play. We keep winning the big games one after another; the team's unity and fighting spirit are visibly growing with every match. The Liverpool out there right now genuinely scares even us as fans, in the best possible way."
Many fans also zeroed in on Rooney's remark about never letting United become the next Liverpool, a line that inevitably left some Liverpool supporters stinging, the comment sections were briefly flaring hot in response.
But the facts, uncomfortable as they were, remained exactly what they were.
Liverpool hadn't touched a top-flight title in over a decade.
"The past is the past, simple as that. We're not interested in what happens to United, what they say about us in some interview—we only care about the here and now, about whether we can actually win the Premier League this season. So many years of waiting behind us already. So many battles fought and lost along the way. We have the belief now, and more importantly we have the quality, to finally end this drought."
"Whatever United gets up to in their own interviews, we stay focused on ourselves. On each game, one at a time, no distractions. The Liverpool right now has its eyes on exactly one thing: the title, nothing else. Everything else is just noise from outside."
"Ha-ha, United should worry about their own house first before lecturing anyone else. Stop trying to make this about us. And everyone with half a memory knows how some of their trophies were actually won over the years."
"I'll say it bluntly, no point dancing around it—Ferguson built United's empire brick by brick, no denying his genius. But he also left their fans with a completely distorted sense of what's normal for that club. Without Ferguson, United will never win the league again, not like this."
The internet, as it always does, had given every individual a voice the moment they wanted to use it.
And with that, naturally, came every kind of opinion imaginable, packed shoulder to shoulder in the same comment threads.
As for Liverpool's actual players, away from all the noise—they'd see the comments drifting past on their phones, scroll through a few of them out of idle curiosity, but they wouldn't dwell on any of it for long.
Frankly, scrolling through some model's photos online held considerably more appeal for most of them on a quiet evening.
Julien knew, for instance, that Sturridge had a little anonymous account he used to like photos posted by various models. Whether anything went further than that with private messages, something more substantial—Julien had no idea, and didn't particularly care to find out.
Sturridge was hardly the type to sit still, after all, on or off the pitch.
Before the match against United, Julien had chatted with a few teammates in the changing room about Rooney's comment—the bit about United never becoming the next Liverpool, the line that had stung hardest.
Everyone was a little sore about it, naturally.
But the past couldn't be changed by talking about it. What they could actually do was win a title this season and show the world that Liverpool had come back, and come back stronger than the version of the club that line had been aimed at.
Time moved swiftly.
March 15th came around quickly.
United held their pre-match press conference that morning at Carrington. Moyes, to his credit, walked in calm and composed, none of the strain showed on his face that some of the written coverage had hinted he might be carrying.
"We will do everything in our power to beat Liverpool this weekend, and then everyone's full attention turns immediately to the Olympiacos match," he said, hands resting flat on the table in front of him.
"There's no question about it—if we can beat Liverpool here, we'll be in a much better frame of mind heading into whatever comes next on the calendar."
He reiterated the point a moment later, leaning slightly into the microphone.
"There's nothing predictable about a Premier League derby. You never quite know what you're going to get—these matches carry their own enormous tension, separate from league position or recent form, and so many small things can tip a result either way.
That said, we know exactly what this game means to everyone connected with this club. Over the past few years, United have always approached these fixtures with confidence because we've consistently been the stronger side.
Now the roles have changed somewhat. But we're still absolutely clear in our own minds: we need all three points from this match; nothing less will do."
________________________________________________________
Check out my patreon where you can read more chapters:
patreon.com/LorianFiction
Thanks for your support!