Crystal Palace 4-0 Manchester United: Five Things We Learnt

An Open Midfield

Time and time again this season, Manchester United have been wide open in midfield, leaving teams with acres of space to fill and overload the defence behind them. Kobbie Mainoo has had a fantastic season, but cannot cover the required ground by himself and compensate for the lack of mobility of partner Christian Eriksen.

When everyone is fit, Ten Hag has the choice of Eriksen, the technically limited Scott McTominay and the rapidly declining Casemiro to partner young starlet Mainoo, meaning that midfield will be yet again an area of priority for whoever is in charge come the summer.

Casemiro: It’s Time.

Remember Gary Neville’s disaster of a performance in early 2011 that he later admitted prompted his retirement? This was Casemiro’s.

After a decent first season anchoring the team’s midfield, the Brazilian looks a shadow of his former self this campaign, second to every tackle and in seemingly terminal physical decline. Filling in at centre-back this evening, the five-time Champions League winner was run ragged by Palace’s electric forward line of Jean-Philippe Mateta, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, the latest in a long line of abysmal outings for the Selecao regular, regardless of his position on the field.

Reliance on Bruno Fernandes

Missing just his second game through injury in four seasons, the Manchester United club captain was sorely missed for the Red Devils today. A creative fulcrum and a high-energy performer who literally runs himself into the ground for the team (10 goals and 7 assists in 33 appearances this season), Ten Hag’s side lacked any semblance of offensive cohesion on their rare forays into the Crystal Palace half tonight, in no small part due to Fernandes’ absence.

It won’t matter now given that the team’s last three Premier League fixtures are largely academic, but the Portuguese international’s return cannot come soon enough.

Lack Of Leadership

Without Fernandes and Harry Maguire, the Red Devils lacked any semblance of leadership in the squad, with only 38-year-old Jonny Evans as a player you could realistically expect to provide it. Indeed, stand-in captain Casemiro showed precisely zero direction, producing a disastrous performance as a captain and as a player.

When your team is a goal down in a raucous atmosphere against a side in form, you need big players to stand up and be counted. Instead, all the team could offer was meek surrender to their environment and the well-drilled, highly-skilled outfit facing them.

These Players Don’t Deserve The Fans

Defiant. Loud. Proud. Three words that could be used to describe the away support tonight. The players didn’t deserve the backing they received but will have been heartened by it. This team needs to take a long, hard look at itself and give those supporters something to justify their travel and passion, starting with the next game.

Manchester United host title-chasing Arsenal on Sunday, May 12, 2024. Kick-off is at 4.30PM.