Nathan - I’m learning to accept this season will have more peaks and valleys than the car chase in One Battle After Another (2025)
During the recent international break, I figured United were going to win or at least get a result against Everton and wrote off this match at Selhurst Park as a loss considering our record at Crystal Palace in recent years.
Instead, we did the opposite. United struggled mightily at home against, losing to 10 men Everton as boos rang out and all the good will of the recent five-match unbeaten streak washed away. However, when it came to the battle of 3-4-3 systems, United’s Wario system bested Crystal Palace’s Mario system (this will make sense to someone, I’m sure of it!).
I’m really pleased to see Joshua Zirkee score an audacious (albeit lucky) equalizer before Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount pounced on Palace’s disorganization and found the game winner from a free kick — the team’s 10th set piece goal tying with Arsenal for the most in the league.
Somehow this team is built to confirm anyone’s preconceived notions. When they look awful, they look really awful. When they play well, it seems like they’re capable of winning any game on the day. So, being in the predictions business is a fool’s errand.
I’m learning to accept that we are not going to know how this season will ultimately play out until the final whistle in May (or at least April) and try to enjoy the ride. I just hope this team overcomes any fixtures that resemble a blue Mustang driven by a Christmas Adventurer.
Colin - Can energy really be an advantage for this team?
Manchester United looked like they got out of bed at the same time I did (10 minutes before kickoff) at Selhurst Park on Sunday. The first half was not a positive one, and had me thinking I should get back to sleep before the second half served as the cup of coffee I needed to stay locked in.
It was a positive change to see the Reds turn on rather than fade away in the second half, as has been a bad habit of theirs under Ruben Amorim. There wasn’t a clear return to dominant play in possession, or even a great sense of creativity going forward, but there was enough there to pin Palace back, win free kicks and execute on opportunities under pressure.
Winning 2-1 in a comeback on the road in London was much better than the alternative categories of defeat that could have occurred, but the poor form of the hosts seemingly played a big part as well.
Palace looked sluggish, as though they’d played an extra midweek fixture, and their dip in the second half was notable. United were the fitter team. Can that happen again in the winter schedule? Can the Reds become more of a second-half team with more rest and more focus on training? We shall see.