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Hunger will not be enough for Palace

Is this truly the year of the underdog? Hot on the heels of Leicester City’s heroics, Crystal Palace chase a first- ever FA Cup triumph at the expense of 11-time winners Manchester United. TODAY’s resident EPL expert Adrian Clarke (sports [at] mediacorp.com.sg) tells us what to look out for at Wembley …

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney (right) — with Matteo Darmian and Palace’s Yohan Cabaye — is tipped to destroy his opponents in the final. Photo: Reuters

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney (right) — with Matteo Darmian and Palace’s Yohan Cabaye — is tipped to destroy his opponents in the final. Photo: Reuters

Is this truly the year of the underdog? Hot on the heels of Leicester City’s heroics, Crystal Palace chase a first- ever FA Cup triumph at the expense of 11-time winners Manchester United. TODAY’s resident EPL expert Adrian Clarke (sports [at] mediacorp.com.sg) tells us what to look out for at Wembley …

SCORE FIRST, THEN COUNTER

One of the season’s key trends has been “earning the right to counter”.

What does that mean? It is characterised by starting fast, and pressing high and hard at a decent tempo in a bid to snare the opening goal. With a lead to protect, teams then switch to a deeper, counter-attacking style that draws opponents on to them. Claudio Ranieri’s men did it brilliantly en route to the Premier League title.

This tactic would give Palace their best chance of success in this final. It is also a ploy Alan Pardew attempted when these two sides met at Selhurst Park. They unsettled United that day, but narrowly missed out on making an early breakthrough, eventually settling for a goalless draw.

Sitting back and absorbing 90 minutes of pressure is a big ask for the Eagles.

They might also be interested to know that Manchester United have been terrible at retrieving deficits this term. In the Premier League, when Louis van Gaal’s side have conceded first, their record reads; Won 1, Drawn 1, Lost 9. It is food for thought.

ROONEY’S NEW ROLE

Since returning from injury Wayne Rooney has been busy reinventing himself as a deep-lying midfield playmaker. If he is afforded time and space on the lush Wembley turf, he has the ability to be chief conductor.

I rate him in this role. Considering the strong competition for a striker’s berth, for club and country, Rooney does not have much choice but to show his worth in a new position —and with a mercurial football brain, and underrated range of passing, it is a job he can excel at over time.

Pardew will instruct his midfielders to rough him up. Unless they squeeze his space, and make life uncomfortable, the England star will destroy them.

If United’s captain is allowed to run this game, he will be the one lifting the trophy at full-time.

CORNERING UNITED

United are awful at coping with set pieces. It is hard to pin their fragility on one player because at various stages Chris Smalling, Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo and Matteo Darmian have all let their markers go at critical moments, costing a plethora of goals.

This problem area will fill Crystal Palace fans and players with great hope every time they stand over a dead ball.

What makes it even more exciting is that the Eagles are fabulous at scoring from corner kicks. Defender Scott Dann is joint-leading scorer on five goals, and I would rank him as the most dangerous player in English football in these situations. If he does not profit, the likes of Damien Delaney and Yannick Bolasie are also powerful in the air, too.

GOING DIRECT

This FA Cup final features three slow central defenders. United’s Blind and Palace’s Dann and Delaney are not exactly cart horses, but they are not the quickest either, so expect to see plenty of long passes aimed into grass down the channels. Connor Wickham is deceptively nimble (and a threat over the top), but it is the raw pace of Bolasie that will draw the most concerns in the Red Devils camp. If he isolates Blind, hearts will begin to flutter.

Traditionally, it is not Manchester United’s way to go too direct — and I do not think they will pump balls from back to front as a matter of course. But with Rooney a dab hand at flighting long-range passes, and Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford more than happy to run in behind, it is an avenue they would be foolish to rule out.

THE HUNGER GAME

Crystal Palace want this badly. They have gone 24 years without claiming a league victory over United.

Pardew was a member of the Eagles side that was unlucky to lose the 1990 final and is desperate for revenge. And the club is beside itself with excitement at lifting the trophy for the very first time.

They may freeze on the big stage, or even get outplayed, but hunger will not be an issue for the underdogs. They will fight tooth and nail for glory.

Can we say the same about United? I am not so sure.

Yes, it has been more than a decade since they last won the FA Cup, but there is a feeling that Van Gaal has lost authority in the dressing room. Rumours that this might be his last game have clouded the build-up, and the meek manner in which they capitulated at West Ham United earlier this month did not exactly prove they have a burning desire to win for their boss. The 11-time winners will be reliant on their quality being too much for Palace.

FINAL CALL

I can find plenty of reasons to predict an upset in the 2016 final because Palace are fighters, and this is one of the least fearsome Manchester United sides in recent memory.

However, my hunch is that the favourites’ class will tell at Wembley. In this battle between aspiration and ability, I see Van Gaal’s men seeing the job through with relative ease.

Prediction: Crystal Palace 0 Manchester United 2

KEY MEN AT WEMBLEY

JOEL WARD (CRYSTAL PALACE)

If Palace can keep Martial quiet, Alan Pardew will be a happy man. He’s United’s most dangerous outlet, and the springboard for their best attacks. He can’t be allowed to gather pace with the ball at his feet.

Right-back Joel Ward has the responsibility to shackle Martial, and it’s a challenge he pulled off well this season. Although beaten on the outside once or twice, the 26-year-old doggedly stuck to his task, and largely negated his threat.

If Ward wins this duel again, an upset could be on the cards.

WILFRIED ZAHA (CRYSTAL PALACE)

After two unhappy years at Old Trafford, Zaha will be eager to show the Red Devils what they gave up on.

Since aggravating a muscle tear ahead of the semi-final, the winger has been wrapped in proverbial cotton wool but fitness permitting, Pardew will unleash him, and hope he can replicate the exceptional form he’s shown in the competition. Zaha netted the winning goal in two rounds, and laid on the strike that eliminated Spurs.

The Eagles’ Player of the Year has added an end product to his wizardry on the ball this term, and will give United a headache down the flank. He’s a match winner in waiting.

MARCUS RASHFORD (MANCHESTER UNITED)

The cynics who sniggered at Rashford’s inclusion in England’s provisional Euro 2016 squad were silenced on Wednesday morning when the teenager scored his eighth goal in less than three months as a first teamer. In the Premier League, he has only missed the target with one shot so far, scoring five times at a wonderful conversion rate of 56 percent.

With every game he plays, Rashford’s self-belief soars, and with a top-class temperament I wouldn’t be surprised to see him showboating his repertoire of tricks beneath the arch.

The 18-year-old is a proper centre forward, that’s great to watch.

MAROUANE FELLAINI (MANCHESTER UNITED)

Plenty want to see Fellaini and his elbows booted out of Old Trafford this summer, but the Belgian midfielder’s footballing menace can’t be overlooked. If he returns from suspension to start in tonight’s final, Palace would be advised to keep very close tabs on him.

Forming part of an engine-room trio, Fellaini has a naturally smooth habit of ghosting into the penalty box undetected. That spells trouble.

Can Palace’s midfield communicate well enough to pass him on to one of their tallest defenders? If they don’t do that job properly, I’d fancy him to score.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Former Arsenal midfielder Adrian Clarke has played at every level of the English game. Now an experienced sports journalist, he writes for several major football websites and international publications. Follow him @adrianjclarke

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