United's Set-Piece Strategy Unveiled After Palace Victory
Ruben Amorim has openly admitted that Manchester United are actively 'stealing' tactical ideas from their Premier League competitors to boost their goal-scoring capabilities. This revelation came following United's hard-fought 2-1 comeback victory against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The Portuguese coach explained that his team dedicates significant time to perfecting dead-ball situations, a focus that proved decisive in turning the game around after a sluggish first-half performance.
From Struggle to Second-Half Triumph
The first half told a worrying story for the Red Devils, who managed an Expected Goals (xG) from open play of just 0.01 before the break. They struggled to create meaningful chances, going into the dressing room with work to do.
However, the game transformed after half-time. Leaning on two ingeniously worked set-piece routines, United found the back of the net through Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount, securing a valuable three points.
'We work a lot on set pieces,' Amorim stated. 'We have more time to work on them now. We work a lot and we learn a lot in England. I think you are used to seeing a lot of set-piece goals, but when you come to the Premier League, you learn a lot from other teams. We are stealing a lot of things to score goals.'
Palace's Fatigue and Glasner's Transfer Plea
Amorim revealed he had anticipated his team's second-half resurgence, noting that Crystal Palace, who had played a Europa Conference League match in Strasbourg just on Thursday night, began to fade. He sensed their fatigue in the way they were 'struggling so much to take the ball out of the box' towards the end of the first period.
Despite taking the lead through a Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty, Palace's energy levels dropped, a consequence of fielding eight players who had started the midweek European fixture.
The result left Palace boss Oliver Glasner visibly frustrated. In a blunt post-match assessment, he called on the club's board to demonstrate ambition in the January transfer window to keep the squad competitive across all competitions.
'In January, we need to correct what we missed in the summer, to be honest,' Glasner said. 'I want to protect the players... It's clearly our fault. We missed the chance to strengthen the depth of the squad in the summer, and we knew the schedule.'
Glasner emphasised the need for investment, stating, 'It’s the first time in your history that you play European football, so let's invest instead of saving. We saved, and that's what we're facing.' When questioned if he felt let down by the club's hierarchy, he concluded, 'We all would have wished for a little more backing.'
