There is a weird, almost surreal, feel in the build-up to this match. Not only are Palace on a strong run of four consecutive wins under new boss Pardew, (six unbeaten overall), but also they face an Everton side who are struggling for form, having last won against QPR at Goodison six matches ago. Add to this that we have actually bought some players before 11.30pm on transfer deadline day and the whole situation feels like a dream, a fantasy and that we will all soon wake up to find it has been a mirage.
So with all these favourable indicators building up there is almost bound to be a fall just around the corner and the idea of being slight favourites for Saturday sits uneasily on our shoulders. Pardew will undoubtedly be pushing the players to keep performing at the highest level and not to let this slip one iota. The fact that three of that quartet of victories have come when we have been behind in the game suggests a strong will and determination at the core of the team. We even have the odd sensation of a looming selection dilemma as players keep performing admirably when called upon and make themselves difficult to drop.
Everton’s recent dip in form has been equally odd as they are generally considered to be one of the leading clubs outside the Big Five and in Martinez have a manager who is highly regarded for his calm self-assurance which is reflected in their neat, patient passing game. The team is still full of high quality players such as Baines, Coleman and Barkley but they just do not seem to be gelling at the moment and once they turn it round they will be back on track. Palace must be on their mettle to ensure that this recovery is still at least a week away.
The most encouraging aspect of Palace’s renaissance in the last few weeks has been the return to form of players who had almost disappeared from view. Zaha is almost back to his irrepressible old self, Gayle keeps doing what he does best in scoring goals and even Chammers came back from a spell out injured and inspired the win down at Southampton with a brace of his own. Having struggled previously to mount a half-decent attack we now look threatening in several positions and if Sanogo can continue to fulfil his promise there are goals in the team. The sign of a good manager is someone who can motivate his players to do their very best and Pardew certainly seems to have done that and they now need to show that they can handle the unusually high expectations of the fans and continue the momentum built over the last month.
Richard’s first book The A-Z of Football Hates is available in bookshops and online
Follow him on Twitter @rcfoster and @AZFootballHates
