Scholes was impressed by Liverpool's attacking play and believes they could finish in the Premier League's top four

Juan Mata captained the visitors at Anfield in a side of few leaders, but Scholes was unsure of the choice of skipper

Former England international shares Carragher's admiration for trust in youth but says this was game for experience

Scholes is not sure whether United will be strong enough to overturn the two-goal deficit at Old Trafford next week

The iconic former Manchester United midfielder spoke to Sportsmail columnist Jamie Carragher after the game


It was late on Thursday night and calm was descending over Anfield. But in a private box high up in the Centenary Stand, the debate between two old rivals continued to rage.

Liverpool's 2-0 blitzing of Manchester United surprised JAMIE CARRAGHER and PAUL SCHOLES but for entirely different reasons.

Have Jurgen Klopp's team done enough to reach the Europa League quarter-finals, or can Louis van Gaal mastermind a great escape? DOMINIC KING listened as the views were aired.

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Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher debated the finer points of Liverpool's 2-0 win over Manchester United at Anfield on Thursday night

The two old rivals from the clubs competing against each other in the Europa League spoke in a private box high in the Centenary Stand

CARRAGHER: So you've had your say and called United a 'shambles' but if you were Louis van Gaal, what would you do in the second leg? What team would you pick to turn it round?

SCHOLES: It's very difficult, really. I'm not sure the squad is strong enough to win the game. Listen. We are at Old Trafford. We should be good enough to win the game. But what changes would I make? (blows out cheeks). I don't think there is a lot of choice. I really don't. He can give them shape, of course. But (at Anfield) it looked like he threw them on the pitch, picked a back four and said, 'Do what you want'.

CARRAGHER: I'd never say I was very confident playing Manchester United but when I saw the team, with Guillermo Varela at right back, Marcus Rashford playing right midfield and no Michael Carrick? I thought that was huge. I had confidence then.

SCHOLES: When I saw the teamsheet my first thought was, 'They're going to get beat'. I thought Carrick should be playing. Michael probably isn't in the best form of his life, he's picking up injuries and he can't stay fit. But he has to play centre midfield. He's brave enough to take the ball.

Coming to Anfield, bravery is the biggest thing. Having the b**** to go and play. This is a tough, horrible place to play. It's a tight pitch, everything is on top of you. But Michael possesses that ability to get on the ball and calmness.

Morgan Schneiderlin didn't want to do it. Marouane Fellaini isn't someone you can play through. He played for one reason: so they could smash the ball up to him and they didn't have to play through midfield. This is United you are talking about! Every time Fellaini plays, that happens.

Scholes would have liked to see Michael Carrick in Louis van Gaal's starting XI despite his mistake for Liverpool's second goal

Morgan Schneiderlin 'didn't want' to get on the ball and show calmness in possession against Jurgen Klopp's side, according to Scholes

LIVERPOOL 2-0 MANCHESTER UNITED - THE DAMNING STATS Corners: Liverpool 7-0 United Shots on target: Liverpool 8-1 United Shots on target in each team's last two games: Liverpool 12-2 United Advertisement

CARRAGHER: So as an ex-player and a supporter, what do you think? From my own point of view, I think about United's name but then I see the way they are playing. It feels like they have become a long-ball team. How do you feel watching that?

SCHOLES: It's disappointing. But, deep down, I knew beforehand this would happen. If you play Fellaini, you can only play one way. You have to smash it to him. That isn't Manchester United. That should never, ever be Manchester United. But, where we are, it is.

Van Gaal is almost saying we haven't got the midfield players to handle the ball, to handle the pressure of Liverpool. He is saying we haven't got the players who can play one-touch. He's saying if we go long and smash it up to Fellaini, Liverpool can't win the ball off us.

It didn't work. Liverpool were brilliant. Liverpool were 10 times better than United. So much quality. Philippe Coutinho took Varela all over the place. They all ended up out of position. Memphis is nearly playing as a left back!

United had no control in the middle of the park. If Michael is there, you still might not get control because Liverpool are good. But if you try it, at least you have the chance to get into position.

Now even if Memphis does get into positions, he has been poor. In games against the top teams, his quality has been really poor. Martial is a young player who will become a top centre forward. But, as a 20-year-old, he is a second or third choice.

Philippe Coutinho (right) put in a fantastic performance to drag Manchester United right back Guillermo Varela all over the Anfield pitch

Anthony Martial has impressed since joining Manchester United from Monaco but Scholes says he should not be first choice just yet

CARRAGHER: One thing I admire about Van Gaal is he gives young players a chance. But to come to Anfield and play those kids? If you play too many of them, it's asking for trouble. It is being too brave. Do you understand what I mean?

SCHOLES: Yeah, absolutely. If you have got a left back and a right winger, then you can get away with it. But to have them both (Rashford and Varela) on the same side? If you'd said to anyone at the club six months ago that Varela would be playing for the first team, they'd have said, 'Never in a million years'. But he's been very good. He's been better than Matteo Darmian. But I thought this was a game for experience. I don't know. It's just so disappointing.

CARRAGHER: I'd have loved to play in this game, wouldn't you? I had tickets and they were right by the away end. I saw Anthony Crolla (boxer and Manchester United fan). It was a bit lively! How did you feel watching it up here?

SCHOLES: It wasn't so much the quality of play, it was more not laying a finger on them that got me wound up. Not tackling? Adam Lallana was taking the p*** when he was rolling his studs over the ball in the second half! Why didn't someone just tackle him?

You can come here and not string three passes together but still win the game. There were no standards. There was almost an acceptance of that performance.

We wouldn't have stood for that. I'm not saying there would have been violence, but there would have been tackling. We've been here and lost 2-0 and 3-1 but at least there was a bit of fight. Could you imagine us not tackling?

Scholes doesn't believe United's squad is strong enough to turn around the deficit and win the second leg at Old Trafford

Liverpool-United games have seen frequent flashpoints in the past, but Scholes said this side did not lay a finger on their opponents

CARRAGHER: No chance! Even in those games, there would be a spell of 15-20 minutes when we had to hang on. We would need our keeper to play well. Liverpool didn't need Simon Mignolet to play well. I never felt Liverpool were going to concede a goal at any stage.

SCHOLES: I thought if United were going to win, David de Gea would have to be brilliant. He was brilliant and we still got beat! United had 10 minutes when they penned Liverpool in but that was about it.

WHEN IS THE NEXT GAME? Manchester United vs Liverpool Venue: Old Trafford Kick-off: 20.05 Advertisement

CARRAGHER: We beat you at times down the years, but whenever we went into a season, or a game, we always felt we were chasing you. But looking at those teams now and this game — I know you say there isn't much you can change and it could still go wrong in the second leg, but I've never seen such a difference between Liverpool and Manchester United in one game.

SCHOLES: This is the hardest place to come as a United player by a million miles. You can go 90 minutes without touching the ball and still win 1-0. That's the way it is.

If you do that, it is just about acceptable. But when you saw the gulf in quality here, it was just incredible. Look at the forward players Liverpool had: Coutinho, Firmino, Sturridge. They've got goals. I hadn't been sure about Firmino but this last week he has convinced me. He's been brilliant.

Lallana had a quiet period but he looks like a real player. Before the Liverpool versus Manchester City game, which I worked at, I was thinking, 'Klopp might only keep two or three of these'. But what is he building now? They need to go on from here. They can go on from here. They could even finish in the top four in the Premier League this year if it carries on.

David de Gea was in stand-out form, particularly with his stop from Coutinho in the first half, but United were still defeated at Anfield

Klopp celebrates Roberto Firmino's strike as Liverpool sealed the 2-0 victory, and Scholes says he can lead this team into the top four

CARRAGHER: Another thing I couldn't believe was the captain. Juan Mata? I'm not criticising him — I like him, he gets a few goals and assists. But, if everyone is fit, does he even get in the team?

SCHOLES: That is exactly what I said: how is Juan Mata captain? He's a good player and he's had a good month. But to be captain of Manchester United?

I don't think there are many real leaders in there. Chris Smalling? The goalkeeper? They, possibly, could be captain but are they real Manchester United captains?

CARRAGHER: What do you think for the second leg, then? If you were playing, what would have happened?

SCHOLES: The formation is irrelevant next week. Do you know what they should do? Tackle. Just tackle and run, like Liverpool did. United need to do the same.

If they do that, things will happen at Old Trafford, I'm sure of it. They will be capable of scoring goals and creating chances. But they need to get the players into the game.

Martial and Mata were ineffective here. They got bullied. Mata looked like a 10-year-old at times. Memphis? You just don't know what you are going to get from him.

But you need to get the ball to these players to see what they can do. They will have more time to do that at Old Trafford.

Juan Mata was a surprise choice as United captain ahead of Chris Smalling, and the midfielder failed to have a big influence on the game

CARRAGHER: You're right. It's a big pitch. It was always completely different to playing at Anfield.

SCHOLES: It's 100 miles an hour at Anfield, you don't even get time to breathe. At Old Trafford, you can have a bit of time on the ball. But he has to play Carrick in midfield. He has to. Maybe then he brings in Ander Herrera as well. He's been all right at Old Trafford and isn't a bad attacking midfielder. He doesn't do much away from home but hopefully there will be a bit of pace to it. I suppose he can bring Bastian Schweinsteiger in.

CARRAGHER: When he came on, I couldn't believe it. He comes on, you are getting beaten 2-0, the first thing he does is get the ball on the edge of his own box. Then he gets the ball on the byline from a goal kick! He's supposed to be playing central midfield!

SCHOLES: He plays anywhere but centre midfield. He's played left back more than centre midfield.

CARRAGHER: Exactly! The first thing he did when he came on was go to left back to get the ball from a goal kick.

Ander Herrera and Bastian Schweinsteiger could be returning options for Van Gaal by the time the second leg comes around on Thursday

SCHOLES: He's played in great teams, hasn't he? That might work in those teams at Bayern. That is the way they want to play and he can control it in the Germany team. But he hasn't got the players in front of him here to maybe make him as good as he was for Bayern Munich and Germany.

CARRAGHER: Do you think the atmosphere will be bouncing?

SCHOLES: It should be. It would definitely be bouncing more if it was the Champions League. It's the Europa League. This game has probably made the Europa League worthwhile.

Let me ask you: how would you have felt coming to Old Trafford with a 2-0 lead?

CARRAGHER: You would certainly be nervous. It's a goal each half, that's all. I just feel Liverpool have got to get a goal.