Manchester United struggle again in Crystal Palace draw

Manchester United lost ground in the race for the Barclays Premier League title with a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace that could easily have ended in defeat.

Against their improving opponents, United again struggled to convince with a predictable, sluggish display that leaves them at risk of falling outside of the division's top four.

The starting line-ups of each team suggested that this fixture's outcome would be decided by whether Palace's pace, via Jason Puncheon, Dwight Gayle, Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha, or the intelligence and composure of the visiting Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Daley Blind and Wayne Rooney would prevail.

In the game's opening stages, it was unquestionably Palace who provided the greater threat. Gayle forced a reasonable, second-minute save from David de Gea when shooting from close range after Matteo Darmian had clumsily conceded possession, and soon after the goalkeeper reacted even more impressively when tipping Bolasie's powerful, goal-bound shot from the right on to the bar.

Within a minute those present witnessed another fine save from De Gea, this time when Scott Dann's header from Yohan Cabaye's corner was tipped over, though thereafter the expensively assembled visitors began to recover some control.

Palace had lost their previous three fixtures, conceding a total of eight times, and perhaps expectedly their early confidence began to dwindle.

Rooney watched his 25th-minute curling free-kick comfortably palmed away by Palace's Wayne Hennessey and then hesitated when, with both time and space to score following Anthony Martial's classy through-ball, struggling to control possession and allowing Hennessey to collect the loose ball.

Palace's one dimension had been exposed, yet for all of United's superior quality it became apparent why they had failed to score during their past two games, the second a Capital One Cup defeat by Middlesbrough that also went to extra-time.

Again they played with such caution, as was the case throughout almost all of last season and as has also been for much of this. The £59.7million Angel di Maria has already been one expensive casualty of Louis van Gaal's reign, and on this evidence there are several who could be the next.

Such unremarkable performances could previously be excused, owing to the players adjusting to their manager's methods - and Van Gaal working with a largely-inherited squad - but as he has since spent heavily their lack of direction is no longer acceptable.

It almost felt an admission of guilt when, with Palace again improving - albeit without testing De Gea - and United seemingly bereft of ideas, the manager substituted two of his summer signings, Darmian and Bastian Schweinsteiger, for two of those signed before his 2014 appointment, Marouane Fellaini and Ashley Young.

Palace resiliently defended in the game's closing stages with United targeting Fellaini with repeated long balls, but without the injured Connor Wickham and Marouane Chamakh they lacked their own focal point in attack.

After Dann and Cabaye had again threatened, Bolasie sent another late close-range header over the crossbar when well placed to score, but despite his failure to do so a point and a clean sheet - given Palace's recent run and the ambitions of their opposition - represented a positive result.

TWEET OF THE MATCH

"'You have to say Man Utd have defended brilliantly against Palace today!" Hang on. That's not how it works - supposed to be other way round." - Danny Baker (@prodnose) reacts to the result.

RATINGS

Crystal Palace

Wayne Hennessey: 7

Joel Ward: 7

Scott Dann: 7

Yohan Cabaye: 7

Yannick Bolasie: 7

Wilfried Zaha: 5

Dwight Gayle: 6

James McArthur: 6

Damien Delaney: 6

Martin Kelly: 6

Jason Puncheon: 6

Subs:

Mile Jedinak 5

Manchester United

David de Gea: 8

Marcos Rojo: 7

Juan Mata: 7

Anthony Martial: 7

Wayne Rooney (c): 6

Chris Smalling: 6

Daley Blind: 6

Ander Herrera: 6

Morgan Schneiderlin: 6

Bastian Schweinsteiger: 6

Matteo Darmian: 6

Subs:

Ashley Young 5

Marouane Fellaini 5

Jesse Lingard 5

MAN OF THE MATCH

David de Gea. Is there any ever alternative when a Manchester United player wins Man of the Match? The goalkeeper was typically crucial to them keeping a clean sheet. Unlike opposite number Wayne Hennessey, he was repeatedly tested, and with an inferior goalkeeper - perhaps Sergio Romero - United could easily have fallen to defeat.

VIEW FROM THE BENCH

If ever there was a fixture capable of highlighting the contrast in Premier League managers' philosophies it was this. Manchester United's Louis van Gaal was determined to start the composed, ball-playing Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Daley Blind, regardless of shape or position. For Crystal Palace's Alan Pardew, it was somehow fitting the small, fast Dwight Gayle, Jason Puncheon, Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie into the same team. The pair have similarly-sized egos, mind.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Mid-way through the first half, Anthony Martial played an excellent through-ball to Wayne Rooney which, had he been playing with greater confidence, the forward would have controlled before finishing in the fashion expected of him. Instead he hesitated, allowing Wayne Hennessey to almost-routinely collect possession before he could do so.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

Manchester United have one of the world's most expensive squads and, by reputation at least, one of the world's finest managers. However, well into his second season in charge at the club, Louis van Gaal appears to have little idea about the direction in which he wants to take his team, or who he sees as central to his plans.

WHO'S UP NEXT?

Liverpool v Crystal Palace (Premier League, Sunday November 8).

Manchester United v CSKA Moscow (Champions League, Tuesday November 3).

Press Association

Long-ball Man Utd are BORING: Where does Van Gaal go from here?

The Red Devils crashed out of the Capital One Cup on Wednesday after another performance which lacked any dynamism in the opposition half

While Manchester United’s second successive League Cup exit to lower-league opposition was the main headline of Wednesday night, the manner of their defeat to Middlesbrough was even more frustrating than the loss itself.

Last season’s second-round humbling at Milton Keynes Dons was at least a one-off, with Louis van Gaal having sent out a team full of players who were set to have no real future at the club. That 4-0 defeat was embarrassing but ultimately inconsequential in the bigger picture.

Yet Wednesday’s 3-1 penalty shoot-out defeat to Aitor Karanka’s Middlesbrough left Van Gaal with much to ponder, with the 0-0 draw in 120 minutes having provided the perfect showcase of United’s current issues on a wider scale.

There were some positives to take from the draws with CSKA Moscow and Manchester City in the previous seven days, but in both fixtures United had started slowly and rode their luck. Too many of their passes went sideways, giving their opponents very little to fret over. In both matches United ended the game with a much higher tempo and looked all the better for it.

But still there was no change in approach when Boro came to town, despite Van Gaal making nine changes to his starting line-up. There were different faces, but the body of work was much the same. United had plenty of ball, but very little to show for it. Once more, it was their opponents who had many of the better opportunities in front of goal, with full-back George Friend in particular missing a gilt-edged chance before skipper Grant Leadbitter spawned two very good openings. 

For United’s part they improved slightly after the break, but it wasn’t until extra-time that they really asked questions of the Championship side. And the fact that it took a change to a 4-4-2 formation and long-ball tactics for the 20-time champions of England to pick holes in Middlesbrough’s defence says an awful lot.

“I’m disappointed we are out, that we came so close and we are still out,” said Van Gaal after the match. “I thought we didn’t play so well in the first half. They played in a compact way as Man City did. In the second half we had much more chances but you have to finish them. In extra time we had even better chances, but when you are not finishing the chances it is difficult to win games.”

While it is true that Anthony Martial and Marouane Fellaini both should have done better with close-range headers at the end of extra time, it would have been unjust on Boro to be denied by that point.

The home side had a couple of big penalty shouts, but Jesse Lingard could have seen red for a nasty studs-up challenge in the first half. Lingard hit the post, but Kike did too before Daley Blind sliced into his own net only to be saved by the offside flag. For every argument in United’s favour, there was one for the visitors. The difference was that Boro had the better game-plan, and carried it out to perfection.

So how has it come to this? Why have Manchester United suddenly become a side against whom teams can set up a base of six or seven defensive players and hold out with something to spare? Clubs arriving at Old Trafford with men by the ball used to be asking for trouble, but not any more. Should £300 million or more of spending really result in desperation tactics against a Championship side, with a series of long balls for Fellaini to flick on?







The Red Devils have a squad packed with potentially exciting footballers. Memphis Depay, Lingard, Martial and Andreas Pereira are among those who should be revelling in the wide-open spaces of Old Trafford yet too often when the ball comes to them the tempo has dropped to walking pace.

United are not playing to the strengths of their attackers, and it can be no coincidence that this has happened regardless of their personnel. There can be no denying that Depay has yet to deliver his best football since arriving at Old Trafford this summer. Again on Wednesday he cut a frustrating figure, with his 70-minute appearance littered with lost possession and poor decision-making. But one player alone is not to blame.

Were it just an issue with the way certain individuals were performing, then the wholesale changes would have done something to fix their recent issues in front of goal. Instead, the high turnover for the cup tie made no difference at all. This was the latest in a string of dull, rigid United performances. In five matches so far in October, only at Everton have they started the game with any kind of purpose. Coincidentally enough, that is their only win this month too.

The issue is that Van Gaal’s desired approach simply isn’t hitting the right note. His side have dominated possession in most of their games this season, yet the slow starts have laid the wrong kind of platform in matches. Yes, they have still created chances late on in games, but United are not stretching and exhausting opponents as they should be. Any side with sturdy resolve and a high level of concentration is finding them to be easy enough to deal with.

The lack of tempo and attacking flair is also affecting the mood around Old Trafford. While United fans are not the type to take out their frustrations by booing, the general atmosphere at the Theatre of Dreams has gradually decreased as the Van Gaal era has gone on.

Some people might treat the Capital One Cup as an unnecessary distraction, but it represented one of four chances for Louis van Gaal to collect his first piece of silverware as Manchester United. Now he has three more shots at glory, yet the exit to Middlesbrough must serve as a warning to the Dutchman that things need to be quickly addressed as he goes in search of long-awaited success.

Man Utd's Marouane Fellaini not solution for goal woes - Van Gaal

Louis van Gaal has ruled out starting with Marouane Fellaini as a striker in a bid to end Manchester United's goal drought.

Under-fire Wayne Rooney began as United's main striker in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Palace, which was their third consecutive stalemate, but manager Van Gaal will not drop him to use Fellaini as a centre-forward.

The Belgian midfielder has previously been pressed into service in attack, but Van Gaal is adamant it is not part of his original gameplan.

"When I put him on as a striker, he is only a striker in Plan B, not Plan A," Van Gaal told reporters.

"He has played as a striker once, against Liverpool [in September], but that was because I had a problem [with injuries] and that is why I made him the striker from the beginning. However, that is not normal."

"He has to compete as a midfielder because he is more a midfielder than a striker."

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has revealed that the key to keeping United quiet was to stop Anthony Martial, rather than captain Rooney who has netted just twice in 10 Premier League games.

Pardew was pleased with how Palace defended against Martial on Saturday, even swapping full-backs during the match so Joel Ward could take over from Martin Kelly, who had already been booked for fouling the 19-year-old Frenchman.

"We didn't give Martial an inch," the former Newcastle manager said. "Not an inch."

Pardew felt United were much less incisive when their £36 million signing was nullified, explaining: "It was a big target for us to stop him and we felt that if we could stop him we could stop their creative angle. And when you take into account his age, that's some recommendation.

"With such a young player, he'll have to be very, very careful, the Manchester United manager, to keep his exuberance there. Because we're all looking to stop him."

Morgan Schneiderlin not fazed by Manchester United's goal drought

Manchester United's dry spell in front of goal is nothing to be worried about, according to midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, who says it is just a matter of time before manager Louis van Gaal's men rediscover their scoring touch.

United failed to score for the third game in a row when they drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.

The draw came in the wake of them being knocked out of the League Cup by Middlesbrough on penalties on Wednesday with the game ending scoreless after extra time.

The cup exit was preceded by a scoreless stalemate against Manchester City on Oct. 25.

"We have the players to score goals and we will score goals. It's not a worry for me," Schneiderlin told the club's website (www.manutd.com). "Sometimes it's just a matter of taking the time to make a good choice.

"Every team is going to go through a period where they don't score goals and are going to be unlucky.

"It will happen to the teams in front of us for sure. It's up to us to win games and overtake those teams."

United sit fourth in the table with 21 points after 11 matches, and Schneiderlin said they are still very much in contention to lift the Premier League trophy.

"Of course we are (in the title race). It's still early as we head into November so there are a lot of games to be played but we are there," the former Southampton midfielder said.

"It doesn't matter if you are second, third, fourth or fifth in November. What matters is to be first at the end of May and win the games."

Striker Wayne Rooney has failed to score in his last four games in all competitions, and has just two goals in 10 league matches this season, but Van Gaal said he would stick with his misfiring skipper and that deploying Marouane Fellaini as a target man would remain "Plan B".

"When I put him (Fellaini) on as a striker, he is only a striker in Plan B, not Plan A," the Dutchman said.

"He has played as a striker once, against Liverpool (when Rooney was out injured), but that was because I had a problem (with injuries) and that is why I made him the striker from the beginning. However, that is not normal."

Louis van Gaal doesn't see Marouane Fellaini as solution to Manchester United goal drought

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has ruled out using Marouane Fellaini as his "plan A" striker in the Champions League encounter with CSKA Moscow on Tuesday night (3 November), despite Wayne Rooney's recent goal drought. The Dutch boss claims that the Belgium international can be a plan B for the role, but that "he is more a midfielder than a striker".

The Premier League giants host the Russian team on Tuesday following three consecutive goalless draws against Manchester City, Middlesbrough (which they eventually lost on penalties) and Crystal Palace. Rooney has not scored since the 3-0 victory over Everton on 17 October and United's last goal came when French starlet Anthony Martial scored the equaliser in the previous tie with CSKA in Moscow, rescuing the point which left them second in the group, but level on points with the Russians, ahead of their Tuesday clash.

Van Gaal has been urged to drop the captain by a number of pundits in recent days with the option of using Martial upfront, or even Fellaini, who filled in for an injured Rooney earlier in the season during the 3-1 victory over Liverpool.

But the boss says that the Belgium international will not be his number nine against CSKA Moscow as he sees him in a midfield role, urging him to fight for his position with the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Ander Herrera, Morgan Schneiderlin or Michael Carrick.

"He has to compete as a midfielder because he is more a midfielder than a striker," van Gaal said to the United website. "He has to compete with players in his position and I have to compare and think how we have to play and then I decide [if he will play v CSKA]. It is always like that.

"It is not a question that he does not play well because I think he was one of my better players on Wednesday [against Middlesbrough]. It also depends on the game plan and how I want to put my midfield out."

"When I put him on as a striker, he is only a striker in Plan B, not Plan A," continued van Gaal. "He has played as a striker once, against Liverpool, but that was because I had a problem [with injuries] and that is why I made him the striker from the beginning. However, that is not normal."