Crystal Palace’s search for a first Premier League win of the season continues on Saturday as Manchester United visit Selhurst Park.
It comes as both sides have had far-from-ideal starts to the campaign, but Crystal Palace sit dangerously close to an early dip into the relegation zone after back-to-back draws.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 14 |  West HamWest Ham | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 4 |
| 15 |  LeicesterLeicester | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 2 |
| 16 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 2 |
| 17 |  IpswichIpswich | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 2 |
| 18 |  WolvesWolves | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 1 |
However, despite the league form being a problem for the Eagles, Tuesday saw a Carabao Cup third-round win over QPR and the first Eddie Nketiah goal which will do wonders for his confidence.
Manchester United however will be even more confident after thrashing Barnsley 7-0 on Tuesday.
Ahead of Crystal Palace vs Manchester United, Oliver Glasner has a few big selection decisions to make but one decision should be simple.
Why Oliver Glasner needs to start Ismaila Sarr against Manchester United
It’s clear after watching the last few performances that something has to change and at least in an attacking sense, that change could be switching one position out with Ismaila Sarr yet to be given a fair run in the team.
With Nketiah better up front, the right side should really belong to Sarr at the moment considering how he has performed in his cameos to date.
Since making the move for £12.5m from Marseille in the summer, Crystal Palace fans have not gotten to see much from the club’s new No.7.
Despite just 55 Premier League minutes so far, when on the pitch Sarr has been as good as anyone in the league at creating chances for his teammates.
The Other 14 on X have compiled the data that shows Sarr to be clearly the Premier League’s second-most creative player just behind Joe Willock from Newcastle.
| # | Player | Minutes | Chances created (excluding set-pieces) | Chances created per 90 (excluding set pieces) |
| 1 | Joe Willock | 66 | 5 | 6.82 |
| 2 | Ismaila Sarr | 55 | 4 | 6.55 |
| 3 | Ian Maatsen | 62 | 4 | 5.81 |
| 4 | Ilkay Gundogan | 131 | 5 | 3.44 |
| 5 | Alejandro Garnacho | 140 | 5 | 3.21 |
This demonstrates the creative impact that Sarr can have and why he simply needs to be playing for the Eagles going forward.
A front three of Eberechi Eze on the left, Sarr right and then Nketiah up front could be insane and cause even the best defenders absolute nightmares.
READ MORE: Who is Ismaila Sarr? Get to know the Crystal Palace transfer target with ridiculous pace
Crystal Palace must start No.7
The problem for Glasner through four match days in the Premier League seems clear – he is trying to shoe-horn his ‘best’ players into the starting line-up no matter what.
We have seen that with Nketiah as the right-sided number 10, a position he quite clearly is not suited for.
However, due to Jean-Philippe Mateta occupying the striker role, he has just decided to play both, disregarding whether they fit in together.
Similarly, we have seen this with Daichi Kamada playing deeper, a role he looks vulnerable in with English football a lot faster than Italian.
So with this in mind, Glasner needs to drop Mateta and use him off the bench, start Nketiah in his natural position and put the right-winger the club signed for him out on the right-wing where he has impressed.
