Manchester United suffered a dramatic 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace a few days ago in the Premier League to almost surely guarantee them a mid-table spot in the 2023-2024 season. United has had an abysmal year thus far, basically out of contention for the Europa League and Europa Conference League in 2024-2025.
Erik Ten Hag had a tough job on his hands coming into the managerial role at the beginning of the year, but he has not performed up to par. And other players in the squad have followed suit. One of United’s key midfielders was simply embarrassed by the horrible defeat.
Manchester United Key Player Suffered in Palace Game
Olise again, 4-0.#MUFC || #CRYMUN
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 6, 2024
One of Manchester United’s key midfielders had a horrible game against Crystal Palace. Although he used to be one of the best players in the league during his first season with the Red Devils, he has fallen extremely far in the past 12 months.
Casemiro, the infamous Brazilian, made a huge impact when he signed for Manchester United. He had a stand-out first year in the league, putting together creative passes, scoring key goals, and working as the engine in the United midfield.
However, this season he has performed well below his best. But, then again, so has all of Manchester United’s team members.
Casemiro has failed to link up with Fernandes, given the ball away multiple times, and shirked his defensive duties.
This could be seen during the last game with Crystal Palace.
He was forced to fill in as center-back in the defensive line, and his shortcomings as a defensive-minded player were quickly highlighted by the pace and tactics of the Palace attackers.
Olise evaded a tackle from the Brazilian midfielder, stringing together through passes and shooting on frame to score the first goal of the match.
Things only got worse when the Manchester United player gave the ball away against Daniel Munoz, who then passed a critical ball to Olise who netted for the second time that evening.
Palace ended the game by scoring two more goals from Tyrick Mitchell in the 58th minute and Jean-Phillippe Mateta in the 40th, holding on for the entire second half to keep a clean sheet and truly embarrass the Red Devils at Selhurst Park, London.
Manchester United Season Comes to a Close
Looking forward, Manchester United faces off against Arsenal this week. Unfortunately for the struggling Red Devils, Arsenal is currently sitting at the top of the table and will put up a good fight for ten Hag’s demoralized squad.
Arsenal have won four of their last five matches and have earned 83 points so far in the 2023-2024 year. On the other hand, Manchester United has only won one of their last five matches and has almost 30 points less than the league leaders.
After the intense Arsenal matchup, Manchester United face Newcastle for their last game of the season. Usually, Newcastle United sit mid-table or towards the bottom, avoiding the dreaded relegation zone by a few points.
This year, their coaching and talented players have them in a surprising sixth place, just four points behind Tottenham. There’s no doubt Newcastle will want to get three points against United to potentially make it into the top five spots for the Europa competition next year.
It could all come down to the final day to see who makes the top five in the Premier League. With Newcastle United sitting on 56 points and Manchester sitting on 54, we could see a huge showdown on the last day of the 2023-2024 season.
Also Read: Will 2024 Be The End of Casemiro at Manchester United?
About the Author
Emma is an athlete and sports fan who currently plays professional soccer. Growing up, she reached a high level in track and field, distance running, and soccer on both club and university teams.
