After a poor and boring stalemate against Chelsea, Manchester United are back on the road to face another London side, this time Crystal Palace. The Red Devils have lost ground on title contenders Manchester City and will try to get as close to the noisy neighbours as possible. Manchester United have been well under the radar for controversial decisions going against them and it might be on show again in the game at Selhurst Park.
The return from injury of Scott McTominay would have been great news for Solskjaer and the rest of the United side. The likes of Cavani is also close to recovery, whereas Pogba still remains to be out with his injury for a couple of weeks. The selection for the Crystal Palace game should be pretty much straight forward, but who knows what Solskjaer might have in his locker.
Let us now have a look at how Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might set his Manchester United side up against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
THE 4-2-3-1
The 4-2-3-1 has been Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s go-to system and formation despite any adversity that comes his way. The midfield double pivot of Fred and McTominay has proved to be very effective this season with the latter stepping up with goals as well. Fred has also been instrumental in winning the ball back in the midfield with his tenacity being one of the key points in Manchester United’s play.
The centre-back pairing has been a subject of a lot of thought and speculation for Manchester United as Bailly is clearly everyone’s first choice, other than Solskjaer’s. Lindelof is the most likely partner to start with Maguire with but Bailly might also make a surprise entry into the starting XI. Bruno Fernandes will again be expected to be the lynchpin for the Red Devils in the attacking department.
Anthony Martial might make it to the starting XI as he has done well against the Eagles in the recent past.
THE 4-4-2 (DIAMOND)
The 4-4-2 (Diamond) is another formation under which Solskjaer’s United have thrived in games where they need to attack. This system will inevitably see Nemanja Matic slide into the starting XI as he is the only defensive midfielder in the Red Devils squad. With the injury to Pogba and Mata, Fred and McTominay might start in such a system and formation as well.
Luke Shaw has been influential this season for Manchester United as he is expects an England callback soon with great performances. The front-two should be Martial and Rashford as both the players complement each other’s qualities on and off the ball. Marcus Rashford has been in red-hot form and the United faithful will want him to continue his goalscoring prowess.
THE 4-3-3
The 4-3-3 is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s last resort, but he hasn’t used this system a lot in the recent past at Manchester United. This formation hasn’t been used and thus is unlikely to watch this system in action against Crystal Palace this midweek in the Premier League. Manchester United should win this game but you can never ever say a word about the Red Devils.
