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So where is the game? Well, United will have to adjust a little, given they’re starting with a centre-forward; with Palace likely to defend deep and centrally, a reference-point will probably be a help. I’d expect Mbeumo to step inside on to his left foot and try and pick him out with crosses to the back post, because if he times it, he’s almost unbeatable in the air. Otherwise, I’d expect them to play into Bruno, who’ll slip passes down the sides of the outside centre-backs, with the two wide players looking to hit the space behind the wing-backs.
As for Palace, they’ll look for Sarr and Johnson to come from deep and hit the edge of the box on the run, overloading Casemiro whether playing off Strand Larsen or getting on the end of crosses and cut-backs from the wing-backs. They’ll also look for Wharton to punch passes through the lines and into the attackers, while the rest of the team quickly transition from defence to attack.
Celtic have pulled one back at Ibrox…
…join Will Magee for what should be a wild last 25 and change.
Glasner, of course, is one of the names that’s been mentioned in connection with the United manager’s job; all I can say is I’d be surprised. His 3-4-2-1 isn’t going to attract anyone, and the way he’s handled the pressure of this season hasn’t evidenced the kind likely to thrive at Old Trafford. Different managers are good at different things, and Glasner’s particular ability seems to me to be elevating mid-rankers, not dominating at a behemoth.
Oliver Glasner, of course, is leaving Palace in the summer, but before we talk about him, here he is giving an interview. He says that, after some injuries, Palace are back playing better, and then explains that Guessand hasn’t played so many games, so he’s left to create an impact from the bench after a big week for him. Johnson, meanwhile, is confident having scoring the Europa League winner against United, so comes into what he thinks will be an intense game.
On United, he notes a team celebrating each other, not just when they score but when they defend, and that Carrick’s been able to pick more or less the same side in every game.
As for Palace, Oliver Glasner makes one change to the side that beat Zrinjski Mostar on Thursday night, Brennan Johnson replacing Evann Guessand; looking at the side which beat Wolves last weekend, Maxence Lacroix is in for Chadi Riad, while Adam Wharton returns from suspension in place of Will Hughes and Johnson takes Yeremy Pino’s spot.
Back to our teams, Benjamin Sesko finally gets his start for United – and no one can say he has’t earned it. He comes in for Amad, who played really well in the first few games under Carrick, but has been quieter since, and whose relatively low numbers in terms of goals and assists make him the obvious candidate to drop out.
Otherwise, Leny Yoro continues in the absence of Lisandro Martínez. United missed his passing at Everton, but Yoro’s recovery pace allows them to defend higher.
Before we go into these, it’s all going on at Ibrox Stadium:
If you can get to see Chermiti’s first goal. do it.
Teams!
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Yoro, Maguire, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko. Substitutes: Bayindir, Heaven, Malacia, Mazraoui, Moorhouse, T. Fletcher, Ugarte, Amad, Zirkzee.
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Canvot; Muñoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Johnson; Strand Larsen. Substitutes: Benitez, Pino, Uche, Clyne, Hughes, Sosa, Guessand, Riad, Devenny.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Ashton-under-Lyne)
Preamble
Michael Carrick has done pretty well at ensuring every Manchester United game he manages doesn’t turn into a referendum on his capacity to do the job permanently. But he’s started so well, it remains the principal conversation, and we’re now at a juncture point: he’s established himself as the leading candidate, so what does he need from here to secure the job?
Obviously the main thing he needs is results, but it is now the case that United have attackers able to win any game against any team. So, though outcomes are telling, they can also be ascribed to sheer weight of talent: what Carrick needs to show is that he can get the team playing dominant, controlling football.
In that sense, the win at Everton is a potential red flag. The result was an excellent one with the counter that secured the win impressive, so too the goalkeeping and box defending that preserved it. The performance, though, was not, especially given Carrick had nine days to prepare for the game so, if time shows it to be an outlier, it’s a team finding a way to win on a bad night and a good sign; but if the level they delivered on Monday is one they continue to deliver, it shouldn’t be enough to secure him the job even if they continue winning.
That makes this a very big game, United able to move third if they win and, with Palace recovering from a big physical and emotional dump on Thursday night, one Carrick needs them to win well. But they’ve developed a habit of wining at Old Trafford in recent years, have more fit players than they did and, almost but not quite safe from relegation, should arrive with the just the right amount of desire and relaxation. If United aren’t at it, Palace have the players to hurt them – and even if they are, they still do. This afternoon won’t be conclusive, but it will be persuasive.
Kick-off: 2pm
