Louis van Gaal and Brendan Rodgers are ostensibly committed to possession

They are both famous advocates of possession football but how will that play out when Louis van Gaal and Brendan Rodgers face off at Old Trafford? Adam Bate discusses the nuanced philosophies of the two managers...

Louis van Gaal's Manchester United take on Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool at Old Trafford on Saturday. They are perhaps the two managers in the Premier League most associated with possession football.

For Rodgers it was the platform on which his success with Swansea was built. Leon Britton's passing stats caused a stir but it was the sight of a newly-promoted side keeping the ball from much of the division that will be the memory that lingers.

For Van Gaal, it's a commitment to a way of playing that has been his life's work. Control and dominance through retention of the ball.

It represents a vision the two men share and one best illustrated by individual matches against Chelsea in each of the past two seasons.

In April of last year and with the title in the balance, Rodgers' Liverpool had an extraordinary 73 per cent of the ball against Jose Mourinho's Chelsea at Anfield. Ostensibly, the game was one-sided but Steven Gerrard and Liverpool slipped up and those title hopes were gone.

Rodgers accused Chelsea of "playing with a back six" and "parking two buses". But Liverpool lost to nil. "I'm a bit confused with what the media thinks about defensive displays," said Mourinho. "The team that deserved it more won. My team played brilliantly. No mistakes."

Twelve months on and it was Van Gaal both frustrated and proud after dominating the ball against the Blues. Indeed, he could barely contain his glee even after a 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge. "We played the best match of the season," he told Sky Sports afterwards.

Van Gaal and Rodgers have both dominated the ball against Chelsea

It felt like this was the moment he became convinced his methods were really taking root. United enjoyed 70 per cent of the ball - Chelsea's lowest share of the football on home turf since Opta began collecting records.

Once again, Mourinho was unimpressed. "They could have 99 (per cent)," he responded. "It was no problem. When you decide to play the game strategically, you don't care about stats, you just care about the points."

Unsurprising words from Mourinho, a pragmatist baffled by peers who'd value anything else. But Rodgers is on record as seeing it very differently. "For me, it's also how we play," he said recently. "I worry that we play good football. I've always worried about the football.

"I'm not one that will go into every game and not worry about how we play and take a 1-0. Our notion in the game is always to dominate the ball. I've been in football a long time and my emphasis has always been possession, but dangerous possession."

I'm not one that will go into every game and not worry about how we play and take a 1-0. Our notion in the game is always to dominate the ball. Brendan Rodgers

Those words echo the views of Van Gaal, even though there are plenty who question just how dangerous some of United's possession is proving. Asked if he was concerned after last month's goalless draw with Newcastle, he said: "No, because we were … the best team.

"My worry is that we have to dominate the opponent and we did it today, we did it against Aston Villa, Tottenham and Club Brugge. I am satisfied with the performance and not with the result. We were unlucky with rewarding ourselves because we created a lot of chances."

My worry is that we have to dominate the opponent. Louis van Gaal

Kindred spirits, then, but not all the evidence bears out their words. Rodgers, in particular, has been caricatured as a zealot, with his impassioned talk lending credence to that view, but there are some indications he is changing.

The signing of Christian Benteke has been held up as proof of a shift in approach and the direct passes aimed in his direction against Stoke on the opening weekend certainly suggested as much. But Benteke's arrival is part of a longer-term change than that.

As it stands, Liverpool's total possession has decreased in each of his four seasons in charge. If Rodgers' first season as a Premier League manager is included, it's five consecutive seasons in which possession numbers have been going down.

Rodgers' teams have gradually had less possession in the Premier League

Just as Rodgers adapted to the emergence of Raheem Sterling alongside Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge to develop a more counter-attacking style, he's now showing a willing to alter the approach once more.

For all the talk of an overarching philosophy - Rodgers' much-discussed CORE beliefs - on the pitch, the thread running through his sides is less obvious. This is a manager who has shown himself to be flexible.

Detecting a philosophy at Manchester United has been a struggle for supporters too. Patient possession has been a feature. United had more of the ball last season than in any of the previous five campaigns. But that hasn't precluded the long passes to Marouane Fellaini.

Christian Benteke and Marouane Fellaini aren't obvious fits but are still utilised

The two Belgians - Fellaini and Benteke - represent curios within the squads of their respective managers. Tall men not immediately associated with the 'brand' being sold but ones who, on occasion, are proving central to the plans of their coach.

Is this evidence of flexibility or a confusion of ideas? With each team coming into this contest on the back of disappointing defeats, the beaten manager on Saturday will find himself with questions to answer. Let's just hope his team had more possession.

Man Utd v Liverpool is live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 5pm on Saturday