“It’s different now”: Palace boss explains what’s changed at United this season and why it makes them more dangerous

Manchester United will look to bounce back following their humiliating defeat to Everton when they travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Sunday. Under Ruben Amorim, who has completed one year at the helm, the Red Devils have won a meagre 12 Premier League games in as many months. That is damning to say the least. The performances this season have been much better, but results remain mediocre at best. However, Eagles boss Oliver Glasner lauded the Portuguese tactician for the work he has carried out on the training pitch, claiming the 20-time English league champions are a vastly different side to the one they faced last season. Oliver Glasner sees a lot of difference from last season Glasner’s record against United is quite impressive, with the South London side yet to lose to the three-time Champions League winners in three attempts. Palace have won two, drawn one, while scoring six times to United’s zero, including that famous 4-0 triumph back in 2024. “Yes, the 4-0 was when Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze were still here, and Erik ten Hag was their manager, so it doesn’t make sense talking about it: new teams, new manager there,” the Austrian said during the pre-match presser. DateVenueResult (Crystal Palace vs Manchester United) 06 May 2024Selhurst ParkCrystal Palace 4 – 0 Manchester United 21 September 2024Selhurst ParkCrystal Palace 0 – 0 Manchester United 02 February 2025Old TraffordCrystal Palace 2 – 0 Manchester United “The 2-0 there [at Old Trafford last season], yes, Ruben Amorim was already in charge of the team, but also their team changed, especially their attack, that is what I am talking about. They thought, ‘OK, we need more goals’ and then they invested 200 million and buying three players up front and also players who can play very intense like we do. Amorim lauded “They’re doing really well, even though they lost their last game against Everton at home, but you can see when you’re watching them, and we watched many clips also from our games last year, I think it’s different now. “Also their work rate increased massively, and the system players know what to do much more than maybe six, seven months ago, and it will be a great test for us.” “For me it is impressive to see, and we compared it, and now I think their work rate is much higher than it has been last year, and they get the reward.” Glasner, who was identified as a potential managerial target due to him playing a similar system, explained that the 3-4-3 formation both coaches use have worked to great effect this term. “It is really funny that sometimes we are talking about a 3-4-3 system and I think Man Utd and we have the highest xG [expected goals] in the Premier League. Similar style, similar strengths “We play in the same system, so it looks like it is a good attacking system! And also, like we’ve showed, you can have a very good defensive structure in it. “It is all about what you do with the system and how fluid you are in your attack and how creative you are. I am really looking forward to this game. They are doing well, I think we are doing well and also yesterday’s defeat, we won’t lose our minds. It is just now, again, finding the right tweaks where we can adjust with no time for training.” Oliver Glasner has had his Palace team playing some glorious football this campaign, with the Eagles in fifth place in the Premier League table, two points ahead of United. Amorim needs to deliver on Sunday, or else the momentum that had been built up prior to the November international break could come crashing down, and the alarm bells would once again be set off. Feature image Clive Mason via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25