There was a time towards the start of August when Manchester United supporters would have been fearing the worst about their 2022-23 campaign. Defeats against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford had been posted ahead of what felt like a daunting Old Trafford showdown against Liverpool, their rivals who had thrashed them on each occasion during the previous campaign. Instead, it materialised that the North-West clash had come at exactly the right time for Erik ten Hag and his squad, the latter finally showing the passion expected of them by their demanding and expectant fans.
Just like punters can get odds in their favour, United have found a way to build some momentum. They were not necessarily at their best against Southampton and Leicester City, yet still managed to prevail by a 1-0 scoreline. There was a ruthless feel to the manner of Bruno Fernandes's goal at St Mary's and Jadon Sancho's coolly-taken effort at the King Power Stadium, even if those respective strikes were not followed by further success in the final third. The expectation was that United would be a team who perform better with the ball under the guidance of Ten Hag, but the signs are there that counter-attacking football is going to be the way forward.
In a similar way to how punters can benefit from betting online, Ten Hag now need to remain smart with his tactics and strategy if he is to continue to get the best out of this crop of players. Like in the previous three matches, United had less of the ball against Arsenal on Sunday, yet they benefitted from having more space to attack when they did recover possession against the Gunners. There is currently an incisiveness about their play, but we have reached a point where the tide could soon turn. Opponents are now going to be prepared to give United the chance to have more of the ball, and that in turn will see teams sit deeper in a bid to deploy their own counter-attacking approach.
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We expect that to be the case when United make the trip to Selhurst Park at the weekend. Patrick Vieira has shown in the games against Liverpool and Manchester City this season that he has the tactical awareness to put together an effective plan against the bigger clubs, and it will be no different against United. He makes opposition managers think, rather than setting up his team in such a way where it might be a case of damage limitation.
Vieira will be an interested observer when United square off against Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday evening. The personnel is likely to be far different to the encounter in London three days later, but it will be an opportunity to see how Ten Hag and his players handle opponents who will likely sit that extra yard deeper, aware that a share of the spoils at Old Trafford would be a bonus point towards qualification for the group stage.
There is an argument that an extra game in the schedule can only harm United's chances in their next Premier League outing, but Ten Hag may feel that it is a blessing in disguise for the reasons mentioned above. As it stands, Palace will be preparing tactics which look to get the best out of their flair players, many of whom possess the pace and power to hurt this United defence, but a competent performance from United with the ball may lead to Vieira having to ponder further over what is the best way to disrupt United's current momentum.
United will visit Selhurst Park having failed to win or score a goal on their last two trips to the ground, but do not be surprised to see the Red Devils post another 1-0 triumph on the road, something which could become their trademark if their last two away fixtures are anything to go by.
