The defeat to Everton came just when Manchester United were starting to have some momentum and doubts about Ruben Amorim’s much-maligned formation were beginning to fade.
It was a game that took the Amorim project back to square one in terms of how much faith there is in this particular era. Manager Gary Neville said the complacency shown by United would undermine the team’s confidence, but there was equally as much criticism of the 3-4-2-1 system.
Despite playing more than 75 minutes with extra players after Everton’s Idrissa Gueye was sent off, Amorim chose to stick to his preferred formation, leaving three centre-backs and two wing-backs on the pitch.
“There’s five at the back, why?” asked Neville, to which Carragher added: “I don’t understand how you can be so determined and stick to something in those circumstances. You don’t need three[centre backs]there.”
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On MNF, Jamie Carragher says he believes Ruben Amorim was to blame after Manchester United lost 1-0 to Everton, with the Toffees down to 10 men after just 13 minutes.
United’s next game is a trip to Crystal Palace, where Oliver Glasner has had success with a 3-4-2-1 formation. The Eagles have won trophies through the FA Cup and are in United’s coveted top-five finish, but they have failed to win a trophy in Amorim’s first year in charge.
Glasner’s formation has survived the departures of Michael Oliseh and Eberechi Eze, highlighting how the system thrives on a small number of top-level players – a collective structure that makes it work. How much United need that at the moment.
“We’ve found a very balanced system,” Glasner said last month. “We can threaten the opponent’s goal and our defense is very stable.” “That’s why we’re so particular about it.”
The most common formations in Crystal Palace
So why does it bring success for Palace but not so much for Manchester United? Let’s take a look at Glasner’s formation from back to front, in the Palace boss’s own words.
3 people behind
Maxence Lacroix, Chris Richards and Marc Guéhi are the first choice for the back three.
The back three of Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guéhi put things together brilliantly in front of Dean Henderson, who is statistically one of the best goalkeepers in the division.
Palace have the second-best goal-scoring defense in the Premier League and are one of only two back-liners to have scored in single figures after 10 Premier League games. The opponent team is league leader Arsenal.
For Glasner, the central area is the most important part of the pitch as it is the most vulnerable area for any team. “The center decides the game, and it starts with the back three. I’m talking about the core,” he says.
One of the reasons why three centre-backs is a great system in the modern Premier League era is the way the wide centre-backs protect the ‘half-spaces’.
These are the areas where the most dangerous attacks occur with defense-breaking passes and runs; these areas are also known as “pockets.”
As Glasner says, “The half-run is where most of the assists come from, so defensively you have to protect these areas” and Palace seem to have the right profile for these centre-back positions.
No Premier League defender has made more interceptions this season than both Richards and Lacroix, but only six defenders have won more possession in the defensive third this season than Palace captain Guehi.
Neville also spoke about the importance of the positioning of the three centre-backs against Everton on Monday night. “Matthejs de Ligt is much more dominant and sure in that central role,” he said. “When Harry Maguire plays, De Ligt gets into the right channel and gets caught there and doesn’t look comfortable.”
Palace have perfected their back three, but United need a bit more work given their recent performances.
4 people in midfield
Palace’s midfield four are divided into two areas: the wing-backs and the sitting midfielders.
The flying wing-backs of Daniel Muñoz and Tyrick Mitchell are vital to this Palace team because of the intensity they bring.
Munoz is the most athletic player in the Premier League, clocking up around 14.5km per high-intensity match this season, almost 1.5km more than the next best player.
That’s nothing special for Munoz, it’s part of Glasner’s instructions. That’s because Mitchell, on the other side, ranks fifth among current Premier League players by the same metric. Palace are the only team in the Premier League to have two players in the top 10 in this category.
Even more impressive is how Palace’s wing-backs compare to Man United’s wing-backs. For example, Muñoz runs more miles per match at high intensity than Amad Diallo and Nucer Mazruay combined.
Mitchell, on the other hand, is nowhere near what United’s left wing-back options Patrick Dorg and Diogo Dalot produce.
Next comes the importance of the two sitting midfielders, who rotate between Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamata and Jefferson Lerma, who set the tone of Palace’s play.
“We call the central midfielder the quarterback,” Glasner says. “They affect the speed of our offense as we move forward and maintain possession. So they’re important.”
Palace and United’s midfield set-ups are similar. In Wharton, the Eagles have their own version of Bruno Fernandes, a player who sits back and tries to break through the opponent’s line.
“That’s why the manager wants me to stay here,” Manchester United captain Fernandes said on Monday night. “To have more possession of the ball and control the tempo of the team.
“He (Amorim) knows that I can run a lot, press high and get my body back when I need to go to the box and defend.”
Meanwhile, another sitting midfielder, Palace’s Kamata and Manchester United’s Casemiro, sit and share defensive duties with other players.
For Palace, this system works not only offensively but also defensively. Kamata is in the top five of midfielders this season with 90 tackles, a slightly better record than Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo.
However, much has been criticized for how Casemiro and Fernandes handle themselves as two midfield players for United. In Monday’s game against Everton, Gueye showed signs of vulnerability in the opening minutes as he was left wide open at times.
However, even after the Everton midfielder received a red card, the Toffees were happy to play around United’s midfield duo, and the winning goal came from a direct pass through the center of the pitch.
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Manager Keenan Dewsbury-Hall will lead Everton’s 10-man side in their Premier League clash with Man United at Old Trafford.
Number 10 behind Mateta
But Palace’s sitting midfielder is not the only player in Glassner’s team who advances the ball centrally. The two number 10s also help create an overload in the most important areas of the pitch.
Yeremy Pino and Ismaila Sarr are the two in 10th place.
“We’re trying to play the striker and the two No. 10 players in tight positions, so we might be able to put eight players in the middle and combine them,” Glasner said. The eight players are three centre-backs, two sitting midfielders, two attacking midfielders and one striker.
“When players are 30 to 40 yards apart, you can’t pass with one touch,” Glasner added. “You need a connection on the pitch.”
This Palace team usually has two No. 10s, Ismaila Sarr and Yeremy Pino, who help break through the center of the pitch by forming a four-man box with the sitting midfielders. Even if you play against a team with two or three players in midfield, you will always be overloaded.
Palace’s number 10 creates an overload with narrow play
But they also help nail down opposing teams. “Some teams mark our No. 10 with a No. 6 (defensive midfielder), so they’re playing pretty much a back six,” Glasner said.
If a busy striker like Jean-Philippe Mateta can play multiple centre-backs at the same time (as he tends to do), then the two number 10s need to be marked by midfielders. If not, there is more space for players like Sarr and Pino.
Having all eight of these players in the center could create a very congested area in the middle of the park, but Glasner has a plan for that. “If the opponent closes down the middle, someone can slip through and it can overload the wingers,” he says.
Palace’s front three is a perfect system set up with the right profile. “You need pocket players and runners. The combination allows you to do that,” he says. The pocket players are Sarr and Pino, and the runners are Munoz and Mitchell.
This allows Mateta to do what he does best: be physical and hold onto the ball. Mateta ranks top in the Premier League for hold-ups this season.
“It takes the right players,” Glasner says of his offense. “You can’t ask every guy who runs in the back if they’re used to playing in the pocket.”
United looked to address these areas up front in the transfer window, spending big money on Benjamin Sesco, Brian Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.
They fit into United’s structure in places, as seen in some brilliant attacking moments this season. But with injuries like Cunha and Sesco last week, there are holes. And those are holes that Palace doesn’t have.
Live coverage of Crystal Palace vs Man United will be available on Sky Sports’ digital platforms from 10.30am on Sunday mornings on our dedicated match blog…
