Premier League 2019/20: Manchester United vs Crystal Palace – tactical analysis

One of the remaining unbeaten teams in the league, Manchester United, welcomed Crystal Palace in the third match week of the Premier League. They had secured three points on the opening day of the season with a dominant 4-0 win against Chelsea and saved a point when they played Wolves. Meanwhile, Roy Hodgson’s side hadn’t had the best start to the campaign. Picking up only one point against Everton, they were still looking for their first win.

Being the underdog in this matchup, the away side went for a negative state as they defended deep inside their half. But Jordan Ayew’s goal in the 32^nd minute gave them an advantage as the first half came to a close. When the game reached the last minutes, Daniel James equalised for Man United. The game’s twist came inside stoppage time when Patrick van Aanholt scored the winning goal for Palace.

This tactical analysis will provide an analysis of the match between Man United vs Crystal Palace. Meanwhile, using statistics, we will point out what went wrong with Man United’s tactics against Crystal Palace’s tactics.

Lineups

The home side lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Alexis Sánchez remained doubtful as he lacked match fitness to join up with the squad. Furthermore, they also didn’t have the service of three defenders Eric Bailly, Diogo Dalot and Timothy Fosu-Mensah due to different reasons. Nemanja Matić and Juan Mata appeared on the bench with youngsters Mason Greenwood and Axel Tuanzebe ready to make an appearance.

Hodgson also didn’t have the service of his key defenders Mamadou Sakho (knee injury) and James Tomkins (calf injury). Besides these two players, Crystal Palace had a full-strength starting lineup to play in this match. New signing Víctor Camarasa also waiting for his debut for the club but he didn’t make the bench list.

Man Uniteds style of play

At the beginning of the match, it’s easy to tell that the home side intended to focus on building their attacks from the back. Two centre-backs formed a passing block with two central midfielders up front. They positioned themselves in the central area of the pitch to have the best perspective on the game.

With four players among that block all comfortable on the ball, they were able to recycle possession against Crystal Palace’s pressure. Meanwhile, both wing-backs located inside the opposition half and were ready for the attack. They could also drop deep and involved in the build-up by offering a passing option out wide.