In their season-opening 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace over the weekend, Manchester United had one of their greatest performances.
It was one of Manchester United’s most outstanding displays under Erik ten Hag for an hour. They were lucky to be up at the end of the game after failing to score in another one.
Even if United’s strategy change at the hour mark was concerning, they should still take more positives than negatives from their Saturday draw with Crystal Palace.
Marcus Rashford’s choice to rest at Selhurst Park was the center of the post-match media frenzy, but the true game-changing move was when he replaced Joshua Zirkzee, who had been the driving force behind their captivating forward play.
To understand what went wrong for United on Saturday night, all you have to do is look at the passing charts from before and after his replacement. Bruno Fernandes’ subpar performance made it much harder for them to adapt to a more conventional 4-3-3 style without him.
When Zirkzee was on the field, United completed 91 passes in the final third; in the thirty minutes after his removal, they only managed to complete 17 more. With 23 touches of the ball in total, the Dutchman produced two opportunities, one of which was deemed a “big chance” according to official match statistics.
As he was taken off the field, Fernandes was left to carry on the poor start to the new season by connecting plays. Against Palace, Fernandes lost possession an incredible 34 times. Zirkzee still has a lot of room to grow, but his role as a facilitator in Ten Hag’s scheme should give them some early optimism.
The 23-year-old was brought in during the summer to provide some more punch to the forward line, but his best role so far has been that of a link-up man, drawing others into the game to make up for his lack of danger in the closing third.
