EPL Report Cards: Crystal Palace F.C.
The expectations for Crystal Palace F.C. heading into the 2016–17 campaign were fairly high compared to years past. First most, retaining their Premier League status was a must, while also being able to surprise some teams on their way to a possible mid-table finish.
20 matches in and Palace see themselves doing the opposite of what was expected. The South London club find themselves sitting a point clear of the relegation zone on 16 points. After Alan Pardew was relieved of his duties on December 22nd due to a poor run of form, Sam Allardyce was brought in to hopefully turn the tide.
Three league matches since taking over, Allardyce has seen his side draw at Watford, while falling at Arsenal 2–0 and 2–1 vs. Swansea City. “Big Sam” has a lot of talent at his disposal, but the Eagles will need to turn it around fast if they want to move away from the drop zone. I decided to take a look at the squad and talk about their strengths, weaknesses, and the road ahead this campaign.
Best Player: Wilfried Zaha
The 24 year-old has been a key figure for Palace this season, not only scoring-wise but with his contribution. Four goals and six assists in 19 matches is solid for a talent that is still getting better. Zaha, is an attacker that’s willing to take on defenders for the good of the team. He brings incredible pace and flare as a winger, while also being able to rip some goals from obscene angles. His best strike came vs Swansea a week ago, when he scissor-kicked an effort while falling down past Lukasz Fabianski. Currently, he is away at the African Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast, so his talents will be missed for the month. Expect his workload to grow once he comes back from the tournament.
Surprise Player: Andros Townsend
Townsend hasn’t lived up to the expectations so far at Palace and could see playing time dwindle. After leaving Newcastle following their relegation last season, Townsend joined Crystal Palace in the summer. 19 appearances this season, but only one goal and one assist during that span. He looks to have been forced into more defensive work for the team, but he doesn’t seem to be playing with much confidence offensively. At 25, he still has a lot to offer but he needs to be contributing more with the pace he brings to the team. Especially with Wilfried Zaha gone on international duty, he should make the most of his time in his spot.
Best Result of 2016/17: 3–0 win vs. Southampton
After a string of six straight league defeats during October & November, Palace soundly defeated the Saints at Selhurst Park on December 3rd. The win saw a brace from Christian Benteke and a solo effort from James Tomkins. After defeating the South Coast side, it looked that Palace were going to turn it around. Sadly since then, Palace have drawn twice and been defeated four times in league-play. It provides a glimmer of hope though, and definitely is a style of play that Palace should examine as they try to get back on pace now.
Player Needs to Be Replaced during Transfer Window: Jason Puncheon
Puncheon has a lot of the same similarities that Townsend and Zaha do and has been a lot better in previous seasons. Zero goals and three assists this season is showing that the midfielder is under-performing. He is being forced into different roles for the team, which I feel is hurting his style of play. Whether Sam Allardyce will use him in an attacking role in 2017 is a different question, but I feel Palace need more attacking prowess to stay in this league.
Second Half Outlook: Signs of Improvement, Better Defensively.
Overall in 2017, I see Crystal Palace doing a tad better while trying to keep clean sheets. With only four wins so far this campaign, I cannot see them getting much worse. January sees them travel to West Ham and Bournemouth while hosting Everton in between. Also, they host third-tier outfits Bolton in a F.A. Cup Third-Round Replay. February gets a little easier, while March also sees a winnable match or two.
April will be a tough month for Palace with matches at Chelsea and Liverpool while they host Arsenal and Leicester. They need to do their best at trying to draw against some of the top clubs, while using Selhurst Park to their advantage. May sees them travel to both Manchester clubs, which could be trouble if they are in the relegation zone at that time. They cannot afford to have lengthy losing streaks during the end of the year especially dropping points at home.
Predicted Finish: 15th.
Even with their tough start in 2016, I see Palace doing just enough to stay up another season. Big Sam has never been relegated with a club and I don’t see that trend starting this season. Christian Benteke (eight goals) has the ability to lead the line, but other players will need to step up, especially in Zaha’s absence. Yohan Cabaye and James McArthur will need to be leaders in the midfield, while defensively Palace cannot afford silly mistakes. Their back-line needs to be strong and consistent, or else it could get ugly. They are a fun team to watch, they just need to get back to basics and start playing with some fun.
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